Construction begins on Manchester government hub

Construction has begun on a government hub in Manchester.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin broke ground on the Government Property Agency's First Street Hub.

Thousands of civil servants are set to move into the new building from 2025, with 700 roles relocated from London.

More than 1000 government roles have already moved from London Manchester as part of the Places for Growth programme. Recent stats have revealed that around eight out of every ten relocated roles have been filled by local people. When someone leaves a government role in London, that role is now offered in different parts of the country.

Modelling by the government expects that the programme will provide an economic boost of between £260 million - £1.4 billion in total across the country.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said: "The new First Street Government Hub will enable hundreds of jobs to move to Manchester and bring millions of pounds to the local economy.

"The hub will support the Prime Minister’s top priorities to grow the economy, and its role facilitating Places for Growth is critical to the levelling up agenda.

"By putting local voices at the heart of policy-making, we’re moving power out of Whitehall and into the hands of communities across the country."

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."

Image by Tim Hill from Pixabay