Hundreds of Civil Service jobs relocated to Scotland

Almost 1,000 London-based civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland since March 2020, as part of government plans to become less London-centric.

The Cabinet Office said 933 jobs have been moved to Scotland under its Places for Growth programme, which aims to relocate 22,000 civil service roles out of the capital by 2030.

This programme also includes plans to increase the number of senior civil servants outside of London by 50%. Currently, in Glasgow, there are 30 senior UK officials.

Hundreds of roles in departments including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Ministry of Justice and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have also moved to Edinburgh and East Kilbride.

The Cabinet Office said it wanted to double the number of staff it currently has in Glasgow, to around 750 by 2025. The Cabinet Office roles previously based in London include directors in its counter fraud function, consulting hub and debt management teams.

Nadhim Zahawi, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for intergovernmental relations, said: “We want to drive growth right across the United Kingdom and moving civil service jobs out of London is crucial to delivering this. I am delighted to say that the Cabinet Office is leading the way with this work by ensuring we have key decision makers based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“It is imperative that we continue to build on this momentum and expand opportunities for people outside of London, giving them the chance to build successful careers right across the UK and bring diversity of thought and experience right to the very top of government.”

The Cabinet Office said that the programme prevents a ‘brain drain’, with graduates in Scotland choosing to remain in the country rather than relocate to London to find work with the civil service.

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However, a report from think-tank Onward earlier this year found that the overall civil service headcount in London has increased by 50% since 2006, compared with 3% across the rest of the country.

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