New Peterborough Government Hub Opens

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• New Peterborough Government Hub Opens

14 March 2023

A new regional government hub has opened at Fletton Quays in Peterborough, which will house over 1,000 staff from several departments and government bodies, including the Home Office and DEFRA.

The area has undergone a £120 million regeneration, led by the Peterborough Investment Partnership and the site’s developer, Bride Hall, which is expected to generate over £340 million of private sector revenue for the area.

To date, more than 900 roles have been relocated out of London and into the East Midlands and East of England, with departments including the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Home Office’s Passport Office.

More cabinet staff are expected to relocate to the city from London as part of a civil service recruitment campaign. The idea is to offer roles previously located in Whitehall to people in the East of England and East Midlands.

 

Picture: a photograph showing the exterior of the new Peterborough hub, taken from above. Image Credit: Cabinet Office

 

Government Hubs Programme

 

This project is part of the government hubs programme, which looks to move 22,000 government roles out of London by 2030 into regional hubs. Other new hubs are to follow in Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol.

Elements of the Government Hubs Programme were criticised as part of a House of Commons Committee report into the government’s property estate management. The committee found that some regional hubs for HMRC staff were on “long-term, unbreachable leases”, with much higher rents than the current market rate.

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart, who opened the site, said: “It’s fantastic to be in Peterborough to open our brand new Government Hub. This is a very important day for the city. As today shows, this government is investing in Peterborough and the East of England to create jobs and opportunities for the long-term.”

Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects at the Government Property Agency, added: “Quay House in Peterborough is the Government Property Agency's first new build Hub. It will provide inclusive, flexible, digitally-connected workspaces to support greater productivity, create cost efficiencies and enhance carbon reduction. This has been achieved by consolidating four remote sites into one new city centre building, with 1,000 civil servants now supporting local businesses.

“We are all extremely proud to deliver this new Hub in Peterborough, and to be delivering the Government Hubs Programme in support of key government initiatives such as Levelling Up, Civil Service Reform and Net Zero. I welcome our clients and customers to their new place of work."

Picture: a photograph showing the exterior of the new Peterborough hub, taken from the side. Image Credit: Cabinet Office

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 14 March 2023

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