More than 11,000 civil servants moved from London

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The Manchester First Street Hub artist impressionImage source, Cabinet office
Image caption,

Construction has started on the Manchester First Street Hub, due to open in 2025

More than 11,000 civil servant jobs have been moved out of London to sites in the North West and Yorkshire, the government has announced.

The move is part of the government's Places for Growth programme, which aims to relocate 22,000 civil service roles out of the capital by 2030.

Most of the roles - including anti-exploitation and counter-fraud - have been filled by local people, it said.

Work has started on a hub in Manchester that will accommodate 2,500 roles.

The new building on First Street is expected to open in 2025.

About 2,100 government jobs previously based in London are now operating from Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Sefton, the government said.

Yorkshire and Humber has also benefited with about 1,800 more roles now based in Leeds and Sheffield.

They include Home Office roles tackling exploitation and abuse, while Cabinet Office officials working on the government's counter-fraud response are also now working in Manchester.

Both departments have moved about 450 roles to Greater Manchester so far.

Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin said: "The programme to move government roles out of London is a key part of the plan to deliver on the prime minister's top priorities, particularly when it comes to growing the economy across the whole UK.

"By putting local voices at the heart of policy-making, we're also moving power out of Westminster and into the hands of communities."

The Places for Growth programme aims to "utilise the vast talent pool spread across the UK, whilst ensuring that the civil service is reflective of the communities it serves", the government said.