Government scraps planned business centers due to rise in remote work culture

The UK government's plans to relocate 22,000 civil service posts out of London by 2030 have come under scrutiny, with concerns being raised about the lack of transparency and consistency in the process.

According to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), the government has been criticised for a "striking" lack of information on the design and rationale behind the job relocation programme. This criticism follows the Committee's findings that only just over half of the planned 22,000 posts have been relocated so far.

MPs on the committee have accused the Cabinet Office of withholding key measurements for success and exaggerating its achievements. William Wragg, the chair of PACAC, has expressed concern about a net decrease in civil service jobs created outside London since 2010.

The government's property strategy, unveiled in 2022, outlined plans to build 30 office 'hubs' outside London. However, the UK government has since announced that it will be cutting down the size of these hubs by 25%. This decision has been made due to the shift to hybrid working, resulting in offices being "larger than they originally needed to be."

The Government Property Agency has also scaled back future plans for these hubs, making them smaller. As a result, the government is letting out more surplus floor space to other departments, as more civil service workers choose to work from home.

Despite the government's plans to relocate jobs, data shows that SCS jobs in London have been created faster than elsewhere, according to Wragg. This perceived vagueness at the heart of the government's 'levelling up' agenda regarding civil service job relocations has been a point of contention.

Wragg has also criticised the government's lack of consistency in relation to relocating civil service jobs, pointing out that the plans involve closing long-established regional offices, which can have significant impacts on local communities.

In a statement, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said the Places for Growth programme was levelling up the country, with over 12,000 roles moved out of Greater London in its first three years. However, the spokesperson did not provide specific information about which government agencies will rent additional office space released by the government to adjust to the reduced number of planned office 'hubs' outside London.

The news comes as no new government funding announcements related to the article content were mentioned. Additionally, no information about London council plans to kick 20,000 households off social housing waiting lists was provided in this article.