Hundreds of jobs on track to be created as Government department relocates

The Department for Transport is to move hundreds of jobs to Birmingham and Leeds as the Government continues its reorganisation of departments.

The latest change commits to creating 650 jobs at a regional headquarters in Birmingham, which will include ministerial offices, and a northern hub in Leeds.

It has recently confirmed it will create second headquarters for the housing department in Wolverhampton and the Cabinet Office in Glasgow, while Treasury North will be set up in Darlington.

Birmingham has become a hub for transport expertise in recent years, and is home to HS2’s head office as well as the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure, while Leeds was named as the home of the new infrastructure bank in the Budget earlier this month.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is a historic move for the department and part of a significant wider culture change across Whitehall.

“Transport is absolutely vital to the local communities we serve and having hubs in major cities like Birmingham and Leeds will offer a fresh perspective on how we can better serve these areas.”

The Government has previously set the target of moving 22,000 civil service jobs out of London and into the regions by 2030, and has now committed that half of senior civil service roles will also be outside of London by then.

The Department for Transport has already begun recruiting in Birmingham and Leeds, with 100 roles created so far.

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “A northern hub for the Department for Transport in Leeds is a welcome step forward to shifting more decision-making outside the Whitehall bubble, even if no ministers will be based here.

“We hope this sets an example to other UK businesses considering North-shoring or investing here, which will be key to driving growth, creating jobs and rebalancing the economy in the recovery.

“However, this cannot be a replacement for real devolution of powers and funding.

“Building the Northern Powerhouse requires metro mayors and local leaders with Transport for the North to drive the delivery of the North’s strategic transport plan in full.”

Shapps will be giving the key note address at the upcoming Invest North conference on 24 March. The event curated by TheBusinessDesk.com with public and private sector support led by EY, Squire Patton Boggs, Influential, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and Impact Data Metrics, looks to set the agenda for the future of the north.

The full agenda for the not to be missed conference is available here and you can purchase your tickets at InvestNorth.uk