Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Office of Government Property is working to ensure that any relocations of roles and functions are made on the basis of robust analysis and strategic planning.

The Places for Growth Programme, within Cabinet Office, seeks to deliver the Government’s commitment to move Civil Service roles and public bodies out of London and the South East of England. This commitment was set out in the Conservative Party Manifesto of 2017 and then restated in the Industrial Strategy White Paper and the Government Estates Strategy (July 2018).

The Cabinet Office is supporting departments and public bodies to identify opportunities to relocate roles to cities across the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. The Programme will provide support and coordination across Whitehall to move roles and organisations to locations that have the skills and capacity for cities and organisations to flourish.

The Programme is also engaging with city leaders across the UK to understand the local economic and industrial priorities which will inform the decision-making process.