Wolverhampton will become a second home for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), after the City of Wolverhampton Council secured a deal to house the first ministerial department outside of London at the city’s new i9 office building.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced in February that the MHCLG, which he is in charge of, would set up a second headquarters in his home city as part of the government’s ‘levelling up agenda’.
At least 500 civil servants will be working in the department’s new centre by 2025, with further recruitment planned by 2030.
He said: “I’m pleased to announce that the i9 building will be our new home in Wolverhampton and look forward to opening the office later this year.
“This department is leading the effort to level up every corner of the country, so it is absolutely right that we bring decision-making to the heart of the communities we serve. I hope that this vote of confidence in Wolverhampton helps the city to attract other employees and further investment.
“We are already recruiting in Wolverhampton and over time this move will bring hundreds of jobs and exciting careers in the UK Civil Service to the city and the West Midlands. I look forward to welcoming staff to our new headquarters and as a Wulfrunian myself, will be working from the office as often as I can and enjoying the city once again.”
Cllr Stephen Simkins, City of Wolverhampton Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for City Economy, described MHCLG’s move to Wolverhampton as a ‘huge vote of confidence in the city’.
He commented: “We are currently enjoying record levels of private and public investment with £4.4bn on site or in the pipeline. Now, the kudos of being the first place outside of Whitehall to host a government department will create a real buzz and interest in our city, attracting further investment which is exactly what we want to be able to ‘relight’ Wolverhampton after the pandemic.
“Wolverhampton is the ideal location in the heart of the country, with enviable connectivity to the rest of the West Midlands and beyond. When the idea of MHCLG moving out of London was first discussed last year, the council, local MPs and other stakeholders lobbied hard to make it a reality and that has paid off.”
That’s good news; the junior civil servants at DCLG always had a bit of a Generation Rent downer on anyone connected to the property ownership. Working in central London on reasonable wages they couldn’t compete with City salaries for home ownership anywhere near where they worked. They either had to rent or own but face a long commute to work. Their tired resentfulness was always very apparent through their high handed and dismissive sniffyness when dealing with anything. It didn’t matter how carefully or tactfully they were approached they never managed to get over their own agenda or themselves… perhaps now they can.
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Will be interesting to see if levelling down and rising blue tape (that’ll be conservative version of red tape), more administrative costs helps anything.
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