Regional Minister launches new prospectus to bring Government jobs to Yorkshire and The Humber

16/02/2010

A new prospectus to encourage Government departments to re-locate to Yorkshire and The Humber has been published today.

Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government – a prospectus for Yorkshire and The Humber, has been commissioned by the Regional Minister, Rosie Winterton and published by Yorkshire Forward.

The prospectus was launched at today’s meeting of the Economic Delivery Group which brings together representatives from public and private sectors organisations to spearhead the region’s recovery from recession and move towards sustainable long-term growth.

Ms Winterton said:  “We have a good track record of attracting relocations and already have a significant presence of civil service operations here.  This all adds up to a strong case for Yorkshire and The Humber as a base for civil service activities.”

Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government – a prospectus for Yorkshire and The Humber, sets out the business case for Yorkshire and The Humber as an excellent location for civil service activities and jobs.

Over 636,000 people are currently employed in public administration in the region.  In addition, Yorkshire and The Humber also has some major central government departments including the Department for Business , Innovation and Skills in Sheffield, the Department of Health in Leeds, the Department for Work and Pensions in the Dearne Valley and the HMRC in Bradford.

The prospectus is published as a major national review is being undertaken on the scope for further civil service relocations from London and the South-East.

Key points in the Yorkshire and The Humber Prospectus  include:

  • The region offers a competitive base in terms of office and salary costs 
  • A highly skilled workforce delivering quality public services.
  • Yorkshire and The Humber enjoys good transport links throughout the UK.
  • Quality of life and cost and living are also important factors in attracting people to live and work here.

Ms Winterton said:  “These strengths help to explain why Yorkshire and The Humber attracted the biggest shares of a previous programme to re-locate posts from London and the South-East.

“The aim of this new prospectus is to highlight again all that our region has to offer to encourage more public sector jobs and the economic and social benefits that they bring.

“I hope this prospectus will give Government Departments a good introduction to what Yorkshire and The Humber has to offer when the time comes to consider specific locations for their future activities.”

Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward, said: “Yorkshire and Humber has an excellent standard of living and the right infrastructure to support the relocation of Government operations into the region. We have a strong track record of successfully achieving this in a way which maintains the highest quality of service and keeps costs down; enabling resources to be redirected into frontline services where they are most needed.

“We have the physical capacity and available skill base in frontline and back office support services. We also have a young and growing local population to support the sector long-term. With excellent transport links to London and one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe, we believe any relocation to this region would not only positively impact our economy, but would play an important role in helping the public sector deliver more efficient services, using new technology to better inform the public.”

You can download a copy of the prospectus here.