Government pulls department from Stoke-on-Trent

The Office for Place was temporarily based at Stoke's Civic Centre

A government office due to be permanently based in Stoke-on-Trent will now be located elsewhere.

The Office for Place, a department which helps communities, will now be redeployed with bases spread across the country, the government said.

The decision would not impact on wider government commitments to the city, including the award of £19.8m for levelling up projects, a government spokesman said.

Former city MP Jonathan Gullis described the move as tragic news and accused Labour of forgetting about cities like Stoke-on-Trent.

“Yet again more investment into our community and more jobs for our local people [are] being taken away by what is now turning out to be quite a cruel and callous Labour government,” said Mr Gullis.

Matthew Pennycook, minister for housing and planning, said embedding the Office of Place's work within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government would allow experience to be better reflected in decision-making.

The Office for Place has been leasing desks at Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Civic Centre, and announced last year it would be based in the city.

A council spokesperson said the authority knew the government has had to make hard choices and that it was understandable they were prioritising issues such as tackling homelessness and increasing house-building.

“The city was proud to provide a home for the Office for Place during their brief existence and we hope that the government will consider the benefit of maintaining some of the national chief planner’s newly expanded team here in the city,” they said.