The Home Office has reconfirmed commitment to Stoke-on-Trent with plans for a long-term base in the city.
Earlier this year, the major government department signed a lease for 38,000 sq ft of office space in Two Smithfield in the city centre.
Now the Home Office has confirmed that, in partnership with the Government Property Agency (GPA), it is looking to deliver a high-quality office facility of between 85,000 and 110,000 sq ft in the city centre.
The development will support the Home Office’s plans to create more than 500 new jobs in the city in what is the second single biggest move of roles out of Whitehall to date.
The Home Office is relocating roles to Stoke-on-Trent as part of the government’s Places for Growth strategy that will see 22,000 roles relocated from London by 2030, including 50 per cent of UK-based senior civil service roles.
Details around the multi-million pound commercial development are being kept under wraps while negotiations are ongoing but it is expected that the new facility will be ready for occupation in 2027.
Cabinet Office relocation data suggests that the Home Office’s new Stoke-on-Trent hub could bring an annual economic benefit of between £17 million and £33 million for the city and that, at scale, the equivalent of one new private sector job could be created for every public sector job.
Councillor Abi Brown, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Home Office has made this major commitment to our city and I am looking forward to working very closely with them in the future to help deliver this ambitious vision.
“Our local residents, communities and businesses will have witnessed some major changes in the city centre over the last few years including our premier Smithfield business district, which already boasts high-quality homes, office space and the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, and Etruscan Square as well as our other Levelling Up sites in Stoke, Tunstall and Longton.
“Things are happening in Stoke-on-Trent and this latest announcement from the Home Office is further testament of our ability to host and provide a home for major national organisations and government departments.”
The announcement comes during MIPIM, the global real estate conference in France. A small delegation from Stoke-on-Trent City Council made a 24-hour visit to the annual four-day event to highlight some of the city’s most recent successes.
Abi Tierney, Director General of Customer Services Capability in the Home Office, said: “As part of our long-term commitment to levelling up, we want to ensure that as a department we better reflect various local communities we serve.
“I am delighted to have been leading this partnership work with the council which will boost the local economy. We will create new jobs and office spaces in Stoke-on-Trent through building a case-working function to drive further innovation in the Home Office.”
