Think-tank argues for Whitehall in the regions

4 Sep 03
Entire Whitehall departments should be shifted out of London and re-sited in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds, the think-tank Catalyst argued this week.

05 September 2003

Entire Whitehall departments should be shifted out of London and re-sited in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds, the think-tank Catalyst argued this week.

The 'Whitehall in the regions' call came as the government prepared to publish an interim report on its plans for relocating 20,000 civil servants out of London and the Southeast.

Sir Michael Lyons, who is heading up the relocation review on behalf of the Treasury and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, told Public Finance he 'will not be taking business decisions on behalf of departments'.

But the review team's guidance to permanent secretaries makes clear that even the most senior policy jobs – including special advisers - will not be ruled out for transfer.

Lyons said he would 'be very surprised' if departments 'were not able to identify very substantial scope for relocating activities'.

The government's plans are meeting with some resistance from Whitehall officials and from civil service trade unions, who fear compulsory transfers and wage cuts.

But Catalyst argues, in Decentering the nation: a radical approach to regional equality, that the Lyons review and the establishment of regional assemblies 'amount to little more than a pinprick in tackling the political centrism that exists in Britain'.

'The UK is unique in having so much political, economic, financial and cultural power centred on its capital city,' said Catalyst director Martin McIvor.

Instead, entire ministries, the judiciary, the arts and research councils should all be moved out of the Southeast.

PFsep2003

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