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e-Government Unit relocate posts to North West

Cabinet Office today announced the relocation of 30 staff to Birchwood in the North West of England. The relocation is being undertaken by Cabinet Office's e-Government Unit (eGU) and is designed to establish a shared service centre with closer and improved interaction with the UK IT profession. More central government IT Professionals are based in the North West of England than any other part of the UK and the eGU will be collocated with the Department for Work and Pensions, the biggest IT purchaser and operator in government.

The relocation is an integral part of Cabinet Office's response to the Lyons Review (March 2004) which aims to relocate 20,000 civil service posts away from London and the South East of England.

Jim Murphy, Cabinet Office Minister with responsibility for e-Government said:

‘This move is good news for the local economy and integral to our programme of transforming government though IT for the benefit of citizens and front-line staff.

‘The North West has the highest percentage of central government IT Professionals in the UK and this move will encourage even closer and more effective working relationships with the IT profession right across the public sector.

‘Alongside this, the Cabinet Office is moving these posts as part of the wider Government drive to relocate civil service staff out of the London and South East into other parts of the UK.’

The e-Government Unit teams initially affected include e-Delivery Team, Service Transformation Team, the Government IT Profession and eGU's internal corporate services.

The relocation is expected to deliver long term efficiency savings through reduced infrastructure costs and access to a broader skills base.

Cabinet Office has begun to recruit internally across the civil service and will start to recruit externally in the new year.

The relocation will begin in January 2006 and take place in phases over the course of 2006.

Notes for editors

1. Details about the Birchwood Park location may be found at http://www.birchwoodpark.co.uk/home.asp
2. Further information on the Lyons Review may be found at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/
3. The Cabinet Office is also hosting the EU e-Government Ministerial Conference 2005, in Manchester on 24–25 November 2005.

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