Civil Service Redistributes Opportunity...
... one in ten roles to move outside London.
An article in the Times newspaper this morning has highlighted that the government plans to cut over 12,000 London-based civil service jobs and relocate roles to 13 UK towns and cities by 2030.
Apart from saving £94 million annually by the sale of eleven central London offices, the change is aimed at providing a boost to regional economies.
As someone who has frequently witnessed the London-centric career pull for clients, it’s good to see that the plans include new regional hubs, including innovation campuses in Aberdeen and roles in cities such as Cardiff, Leeds, and Glasgow.
There is a question about how this levelling-up move will work in terms of career progression, given old London habits will die hard, but it is good to see that the government has confirmed it will be addressing this by ensuring that half of senior roles and Fast Stream placements will be outside the capital within five years.
This should bring government closer to communities and be a step towards ensuring there is fair engagement and opportunity for all, regardless of location.
The benefit to your pocket
As well as leveraging opportunity, the move should also help to reduce the ‘economic angst’ being felt by still-typically middle-class professionals for whom a strong focus on everyday necessities has caused the luxury market bubble to burst, as highlighted in yesterday’s International Business Times.
Of course, the great benefit of working in the Civil Service but outside London is having a national pay scale. When a client is interested in the Civil Service (or the public sector more generally,) I always advise them to use a tool like Expatistan to compare the cost of living between cities.
The chance for a better lifestyle
If you are going to leave the city, it’s also helpful to research what different locations have to offer to benefit your pocket and life overall. The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2025 and UHomes 11 Best Places to Live report, among others, are helpful for this.
Spending some time researching and consciously choosing how you want to construct your working life will pay dividends. It will help you to enjoy the best of both worlds: a decent salary and a place and space you can afford and love to live in. That way, you get the lifestyle you want as well - and without the daily commute, so you have more time and less stress.
Thanks for your comment, Michelle – much appreciated. While the initiative was mooted previously by the Tories initially as part of their levelling-up initiative, it is good to see that Labour have picked this up again. My article is primarily aimed at career changers as some food for thought rather than an attempt to provide comprehensive consideration of all the elements. As you rightly suggest, there is a multiplicity of considerations which are bespoke to the individual and, in my view, are better explored in a coaching conversation than in an article. Any thoughts on this?
There’s nothing new in this proposal. It also assumes post-holders are free to relocate, housing and school places are available. A further consideration is posts requiring regular contact with Ministers.