WIREDGOV

Seven new regional Ministry of Justice (MoJ) offices will be opened across England and Wales, the Deputy Prime Minister has announced as the Government continues to level up communities.

The new Justice Collaboration Centres will be launched alongside a series of satellite offices as the government’s Places for Growth programme continues to move civil service roles out of London and closer to the communities it serves. The scheme will ensure the public sector utilises the vast array of talent across England and Wales with 22,000 roles moving out of the capital by 2030.

Almost 70 percent of the MoJ workforce is already based outside of London and the South East and this move will see more than 2,000 more roles in areas like finance, human resources and digital move out by 2030, with 500 of those heading to Wales.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said:

This Government is committed to spreading opportunity more equally across communities and tackling regional inequalities.

By having more of our staff based outside London we can recruit the best people wherever they live so that the justice system benefits from more diverse backgrounds, outlooks and experience.

The department is creating new Justice Collaboration Centres, larger office spaces with a mix of traditional workstations and shared spaces, meeting and training rooms. They will support face to face work of staff in roles including finance, digital and human resources during training and meetings in Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, South Tyneside, Cardiff, Ipswich and Brighton.

Staff will also be based at smaller new regional Justice Satellite Offices, including desk space in pre-existing buildings like courts.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay, said:

It’s brilliant to see the Ministry of Justice is offering increased opportunities around the UK with the opening of seven new offices across in England and Wales, a clear demonstration of the government’s ambition to level up local communities by delivering long-term career prospects to their area rather than the previous heavy concentration on central London.

Through our Places for Growth Scheme, we are bringing more opportunities and decision-making closer to the communities we serve.

Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo said:

Broadening recruitment into the Ministry is crucial, not only because it creates opportunities but because it helps us to be more innovative and make better decisions.

Moving more than 2,000 MoJ roles out of London and the South East by 2030 and opening new regional offices across England and Wales will help ensure we are hiring the most talented people from all geographies and backgrounds to help deliver for the society we serve.

This announcement follows several other Government departments confirming that they are moving thousands of civil service jobs out of London, better serving the communities they represent such as Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Glasgow. This includes the Home Office, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department of International Trade and the Cabinet Office.

As positions become available they will be re-advertised nationally, rather than tied to a location, an approach that has already seen most new recruits based outside London.