A “policy campus” for UK government staff in key policy roles has been launched in Sheffield, as new figures show Yorkshire and the Humber have benefitted from more than 2,400 relocated roles.
The policy campus will initially be based at St Paul’s Place in Sheffield.
Around 1,000 civil servants working a range of departments including the Department for Education (DfE), the Home Office and the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) are already based in Sheffield.
The policy campus plans were undertaken in conjunction with Sheffield City Council, The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University and the combined authority with the intention of building a strong talent pipeline for policy jobs in the city.
The Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Transport and the Cabinet Office have moved the most roles to Yorkshire and the Humber.
About 640 roles have relocated into Sheffield, primarily in the Home Office alongside more DWP, DfE and Ministry of Justice jobs which have moved to the city under the scheme.
Sheffield also has 75 senior civil servants based in the city, one of the highest proportions outside of London.
Latest relocation studies suggest a local economic benefit of £30 million per 1,000 roles relocated.
“The scheme will prevent graduates having to leave the Yorkshire region to move into decision-making policy teams,” said the Cabinet Office.
“There are also plans for expanded policy apprenticeships and events to attract university-leavers within the city, providing greater opportunities for the young people of Yorkshire.
“Traditionally most civil service teams based outside of London have been operationally-focussed, but the aim of the policy campus is to create a hub of core policy jobs, where people can advance their careers in key decision-making positions.
“Under these new plans, people will no longer have to move to, or work in, London to have a long and fulfilling career in the civil service.
“This forms part of a broader strategy to ensure people from all regions and backgrounds are contributing to the creation of government policies.
“Levelling up the civil service in this way is key to ensuring it reflects the communities it serves, whilst delivering on the Government’s priority to grow the economy.”
“New figures show that 2,400 roles have moved out of London and into Yorkshire and the Humber under the Places for Growth programme, and 12,000 have been relocated out of the capital and across the UK so far.
“The programme will move 22,000 government roles out of London by 2030, in a bid to harness the vast talent that exists up and down the country.
“It’s expected this will generate economic benefits for the region as well as government research has shown that people put around 50% of their incomes back into the local economy.”
Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: “This Government is delivering on its promise to level up across the country by ensuring that we create opportunities for people across the country.
“This policy campus is a commitment to the people of Sheffield that local people will have a central role to play in the development of major national policies.
“Relocating roles out of London and establishing skills clusters will provide a fantastic economic boost for the people of Yorkshire and the Humber.
“This region has an immense array of talent and I’m delighted that we’re going to make use of it.”