Work begins at Manchester civil service hub which is bringing 2,500 jobs to the city

The Cabinet Office minister broke the ground on the new First Street hub in Manchester which will eventually house 2,500 civil servants when it is completed.
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Construction work is under way on the government’s Manchester city centre hub which will eventually be home to more than 2,500 civil service jobs.

Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin performed the ground-breaking duties on Thursday (23 February) at the new First Street Hub which is being built by the Government Property Agency.

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Mr Quin said that more than 1,000 jobs in the government have already moved north to Manchester from London and a further 700 roles will be relocated from the capital city when the First Street Hub is finished. He also said he expected the majority of the posts to be filled by local people.

What is happening with the construction of the First Street Hub in Manchester?

The building work at the First Street Hub officially got under way on Thursday (23 February) with Mr Quin performing the ceremonial breaking of ground on the project, which is expected to cost almost £40m.

The hub, which is located next to the HOME arts hub, was announced last summer under the government’s Places for Growth programme. It will eventually be where more than 2,500 civil servants work, including 700 roles which will be relocated from London to Manchester. It is expected that this will happen by 2025.

The hubs around the UK are part of a gradual process where Whitehall jobs are being offered to potential staff living around the country when employees based in London leave.

Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin, second left, breaks ground at the new government hub for civil servants at First Street in ManchesterCabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin, second left, breaks ground at the new government hub for civil servants at First Street in Manchester
Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin, second left, breaks ground at the new government hub for civil servants at First Street in Manchester
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Mr Quin said on Thursday that already more than 1,000 jobs have moved to Manchester within departments such as the Home Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Cabinet Office.

The Cabinet Office and Home Office have moved around 450 roles to Manchester so far, including teams tackling exploitation and abuse and working on the government’s counter-fraud response.

The Government wants the North West as a whole to act as a “cyber corridor” and estimates that the moving of jobs to Greater Manchester could contribute as much as £60m to the city-region’s economy.

What has been said about government jobs moving to Manchester?

Mr Quin said: ”We’ve got an objective to get 22,000 out of London and to places like Manchester and we’re now over halfway there. We said we’d do it in 10 years, we’re over halfway in just three so there’s a lot of progress being made. So that’s good news for Manchester and for the whole UK.”

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Mr Quin said he expected about eight out of 10 jobs advertised for the hub would be filled by local people. “That’s great because it means that we, in the UK government as a whole, have insight and input from people from all over the country working across their communities thinking about what really matters to them feeding into the overall government initiatives,” he said.

He went on: “By moving people out [of London], we’re saving well over £1billion a year in running costs and making £5billion by selling off properties or vacating properties and ending the leases, so in the long run it’s cheaper for the tax payer.

“But this isn’t just about money. It’s also about having insight from around the country and making sure the UK Government is connected to every one of our communities more broadly and that has its own benefits.”

Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin chats to site manager apprentice Elizabeth Holden, 21, on his ground-breaking visit to First Street, ManchesterCabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin chats to site manager apprentice Elizabeth Holden, 21, on his ground-breaking visit to First Street, Manchester
Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin chats to site manager apprentice Elizabeth Holden, 21, on his ground-breaking visit to First Street, Manchester

Mr Quin said that the move of civil service roles to Manchester is expected to generate £30m for every 1,000 government roles located in the city.

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He added: “ So it’s not just the jobs here working for the government, it’s all the interactions they have here locally, both in terms of the impact on the local economy and what that brings to central government decision making.”

Clive Anderson, director of capital projects for the Government Property Agency, said: “The Government Hubs Programme is creating a smaller, better and greener office estate which supports the Government’s ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“The hubs provide modern, inclusive environments where departments are collocated in shared buildings across the UK. This is supporting the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and Places for Growth initiative, encouraging the relocation and creation of jobs outside of London. While returning money to the public purse through cost savings.”

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