THE number of senior UK Civil Servants now based in Glasgow has grown by 1400%.

It comes as it has been revealed that almost 1000 London-based Civil Service jobs have been moved to Scotland since March 2020, with 750 of them in Glasgow. 

The figures were announced by the Cabinet Office today as chancellor Nadhim Zahawi visited the department's new second HQ at Atlantic Square in Glasgow. 

The relocation programme, known as Places for Growth, is moving 22,000 Civil Service jobs out of London by 2030.

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Already 933 jobs have been relocated from the capital to Scotland since the start of the scheme, with a further 600 high-quality jobs to be permanently based in Scotland by 2025. 

The Cabinet Office will more than double its current numbers of Glasgow employees to around 750 by 2025.

Zahawi said: "We want to drive growth right across the United Kingdom and moving Civil Service jobs out of London is crucial to delivering this.

"I am delighted to say that the Cabinet Office is leading the way with this work by ensuring we have key decision makers based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"It is imperative that we continue to build on this momentum and expand opportunities for people outside of London, giving them the chance to build successful careers right across the UK and bring diversity of thought and experience right to the very top of government."

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The number of senior UK Civil Servants based in Glasgow has grown by 1400% under the scheme with 30 senior officials now permanently located in the city. 

The government plans to have at least 50% of UK-based senior Civil Servants located outside of London by 2030.

Cabinet Office roles previously based in London but which are now in Scotland include directors in the Counter Fraud Function, Consulting Hub and Debt Management teams.

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Naomi Hunter, who was born in Edinburgh but moved to London to join the Treasury in 2013, is now a senior Civil Servant based in the Cabinet Office's Glasgow HQ.

Ms Hunter, who leads the strategy team for recovering public sector debt, said: "When I first joined the UK Civil Service, I moved to London because it was the only option if I was going to progress in my career.

"The opening of the Cabinet Office HQ in Glasgow has meant I've been able to move back to Scotland and still do what I'm passionate about.

"I’m so pleased for people in Scotland that they no longer need to move south to start their careers or get good, expert jobs in their field."

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Celidh MacDonald, 27, is originally from Inverness and initially ruled out a job at a central government department due to the requirement to live and work in London, but after learning of the Cabinet Office's expansion in Glasgow she took a role in the Grants team.

She said: "I thought the only way to have a career was to move to London but when Covid hit, I realised that was the last place I wanted to be.

"I’m now not only gaining more experience than I ever thought possible in Scotland, but we’re working in the community to get the word out that there are fantastic opportunities on your doorstep."

It is expected the jobs will provide a significant boost for local businesses and enterprises, with government research having shown that workers put around 50% of their salaries back into the local economy.