Moving Government Policy Roles to Sheffield: Benefits and Challenges
The Cabinet office has announced the creation of a new scheme in South Yorkshire as part of its larger “places for growth” program, which aims to move 22,000 public administration jobs out of London by 2030. This new scheme will see prestigious government policy roles transfer to Sheffield, a move hailed as a positive step in bridging the economic gap between London and the regions. However, a recent study by the Institute for Government (IfG) warned that although these initiatives could have some local economic benefits, their impact on leveling the country’s economy remains limited. Here’s what you need to know about this development:
Aims and Objectives of the Scheme
The Cabinet Office is committed to moving 22,000 civil service jobs out of London, hoping that the displacement would leave a significant impact on the economies of other regions. Currently, only 2,400 roles have been moved to the Yorkshire and Humber region, including 637 to Sheffield, where the new political center will be based. Cabinet office minister Alex Burghart believes the scheme’s focus is to deliver on the government’s promise to ensure that opportunities are created for people across the country. The new regional ‘fast stream’ pilot scheme at the Sheffield hub will also see the creation of desirable government policy jobs for recent graduates. These new initiatives are aimed at tackling the long-standing criticism that regional positions in public administration are low-paying and usually behind-the-scenes jobs, such as working in call centers.
Benefits and Challenges of the Scheme
While the government’s ambition seems noble, various criticisms have been leveled against the scheme. The IfG report focused on the case study of Darlington, where the Treasury has announced a new outpost in 2021. The study shows that any local economic benefits from moving jobs to Whitehall were likely to be “modest,” and it would have done little to improve the entire region’s economic inequality. Although the transfers would increase employment opportunities for highly skilled individuals who are unable or unwilling to work within London, there is no doubt that moving some jobs from the capital to Sheffield in particular will have minimal impact on leveling the economy. The IfG’s study concludes that the numbers of roles being transferred are not enough to make a primary levelling tool. Additionally, the transferred jobs mostly comprise backroom administrative roles, while the high-profile policy roles tend to stay in London, further negating the impact of the scheme.
Positive Aspects of the Scheme
Regardless of these challenges, the scheme’s positive aspects could not be overlooked. The Cabinet office said there was an economic benefit of £30m per 1,000 roles transferred, citing studies, while Minister Burghart pledged that local people would have a central role to play in the development of major national policies. Furthermore, the Darlington hub should provide an economic boost locally and was recognized as a civil service relocation project due to its positive impact on the city and region.
Rewriting the Original Piece
The UK government’s initiative to move public administration jobs out of London has been met with mixed reactions. The Cabinet office announced the creation of a scheme in South Yorkshire that would see prestigious government policy roles transferred to Sheffield, with the hope of bridging the economic gap between the capital and other regions. While Cabinet office minister Alex Burghart believes the scheme is delivering on the government’s promise to “level up” opportunities for people across the country, critics point out that the impact on other regions’ economies will be minimal. Let’s take a closer look at the scheme’s aims, benefits, and challenges:
New Scheme Aims to Move 22K Jobs by 2030
The Cabinet Office’s “places for growth” program aims to move 22,000 public administration jobs out of London by 2030, with 12,000 jobs already having been moved out of the capital under the program. The creation of a new scheme in South Yorkshire will see the transfer of prestigious government policy roles to Sheffield. The scheme will feature a regional ‘fast stream’ pilot program at the Sheffield hub, aimed at creating desirable government policy jobs for recent graduates.
Benefits and Challenges of Government Job Relocation
Although the scheme seems a noble and necessary step towards leveling the country’s economies, criticisms have been leveled against the initiative. While it is true that moving some highly skilled jobs from London will increase employment opportunities for talented people who cannot or will not move to the capital, the impact on the economy is likely to be minimal. A report by the Institute for Government (IfG) suggests that local economic benefits from moving jobs to Whitehall would be modest and have little impact on leveling the economy of the region. Additionally, the transferred jobs are mostly administrative with the high profile policy decisions staying in London, further reducing the scheme’s impact.
Positive Aspects of the Scheme
Despite criticism against the scheme, there are several positive aspects to it. The Cabinet office claims there is an economic benefit of £30m per 1,000 roles transferred, citing studies, while Minister Burghart pledges a central role for local people in developing major national policies. The Darlington hub has been recognized as a civil service relocation project expected to provide an economic boost to the city and region.
Expanding on the Topic
While the scheme’s main focus is to provide equal opportunities for people across the country, its ability to achieve this goal may be questionable. A study by the Centre for Cities suggests that moving high-profile policymaking designdata-attributetl jobs from London to Sheffield would net the city at most 617 additional jobs and £39m by 2030. Although these figures may seem insignificant, it is essential to note that Sheffield has one of the highest proportions of senior civil servants outside London. This statistic implies that the place is likely to have a sufficient pool of talent to handle the transferred roles.
Moreover, while transferring more jobs outside of London will not necessarily level the entire country’s economy overnight, it is a step in the right direction. Various public administration jobs are behind-the-scenes and often low-paid, which makes relocation critical in providing more opportunities for highly skilled individuals. Furthermore, there is a need for more diversity within the civil service, and relocating additional roles to other regions will increase the pool of people from various backgrounds employed within public administration.
In conclusion, while relocating public administration jobs out of London is essential in achieving equal opportunities, the scheme’s impact may be minimal. However, the scheme is a step in the right direction, providing talented people across the regions a chance to contribute more effectively to public administration. The programme should be expanded and improved upon to ensure that it achieves the intended benefits.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
Prestigious government policy roles are to be moved to Sheffield, despite a new study suggesting that moving civil service jobs out of London has benefits but only a limited impact on the economic ‘levelling’ of the country.
The Cabinet Office on Thursday unveiled the creation of a ‘first of its kind’ scheme in South Yorkshire as part of its wider ‘places for growth’ programme, which aims to move 22,000 public administration jobs out of the capital by 2030.
So far 12,000 government jobs have been moved out of London under the programme, designed in part to support The Tory administration’s escalation policy address regional economic disparities.
Cabinet office minister Alex Burghart said the government was “delivering on its promise to level up across the country by ensuring that opportunities are created for people across the country”.
However, a report by the Institute for Government’s (IfG) think-tank on civil service offshoring, to be released on Friday, warned that any local economic benefits from moving jobs to Whitehall were likely to be “modest” and it would have done little to improve the entire region’s economic inequality.
The IfG focused on the case study of Darlington, where the Treasury has announced a new outpost in 2021 and cited other positive results of the role transfer.
He said the campus, home to 700 education staff and 600 officials from many other departments, has enabled talented people who can’t or won’t work in London to contribute more effectively to the civil service, by diversifying it at the same time.
He added that the campus has helped expose policy makers to a broader spectrum of experiences from across the country, by breaking down the silos of Whitehall.
However, the roles transferred are too few to significantly reduce regional economic inequality, so the scheme cannot be claimed as a primary “level-raising” tool, the IfG said.
Approximately 80% of Darlington campus staff are from the North, with 20% having relocated from London.
The government has also announced a regional ‘fast stream’ pilot scheme at the Sheffield hub, so graduates don’t have to leave the Yorkshire region to land desirable government policy jobs.
The plans are an attempt to respond to that criticism too many regional positions in the public administration they have traditionally been low-paying, low-paying behind-the-scenes jobs, such as working in call centers.
The Cabinet said there was a local economic benefit of £30m per 1,000 roles transferred, citing recent studies.
So far 2,400 government roles have moved from London to the Yorkshire and Humber region, including 637 to Sheffield, where the new political center will be based. The city is home to 75 senior civil servants, one of the highest proportions outside London.
Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff are among other cities that have benefited from the transfer of public administration roles.
The political campus is “a pledge to the people of Sheffield that local people will have a central role to play in the development of major national policies,” Burghart added.
The Cabinet Office said the Darlington hub should provide an economic boost locally and was “recognised as a civil service relocation project due to its positive impact on the city and region”.
https://www.ft.com/content/84b81dab-991e-4734-8624-a9574ac03854
—————————————————-