100s of Civil Service jobs to be moved from London to Bristol

BRISTOL could be in line for an influx of senior civil servants as efforts to shift government roles to the regions intensify.

- CHRISTOPHER MCKEON

The city will be the main hub in the southern half of England outside London as ministers seek to cut costs and "radically reform the state".

Under plans to be announced today, the Government will cut the number of civil servants working in London by 12,000 and shift jobs to a series of new regional "campuses" across the country.

The changes will also see 11 Government office buildings in London close, including one of its largest Westminster sites, in a move expected to save £94 million a year by 2032.

Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the Government was "taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK".

Government departments will be expected to submit plans for relocating staff, including senior civil servants, as part of the spending review due to be completed on June 11. The move will see two new major "campuses" created, one in Manchester focused on digital innovation and AI and another in Aberdeen on energy.