Labour planning to close 11 offices in Whitehall and will move 12,000 civil servants out of the capital

The Prime Minister is planning to save money by moving roles out of London and has told 12,000 civil servants to leave offices in the capital.

The government is hoping to save £94 million a year by 2032 and will relocate 11 Whitehall offices closing them down.

They will be relocated to Belfast, York, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol and Edinburgh.

The largest government office is home to around 7,000 staff at 1.2 Petty France and the Department for Work and Pensions at Caxton House will be shut down including the Department of Health and Social Care at Victoria Street.

Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister said this will be “taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK”.

“By relocating thousands of civil service roles we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this government one that better reflects the country it serves. We will also be making sure that government jobs support economic growth throughout the country,” he added.

Fran Heathcote, PCS’s general secretary, of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said, “PCS believes the civil service has a vital role to play in rebuilding the nation. We consider there should be improved access for workers to higher grade roles in the civil service across regions and nations.

“This will allow those workers to develop their careers without having to uproot from their families and communities; and it will assist economic regeneration in areas that need it.

“If these government proposals are to be successful, however, it’s important they do the right thing by workers currently based in London. That must include guarantees of no compulsory redundancies, no compulsory relocations and access to more flexible working arrangements to enable them to continue their careers should they wish to do so.”