Press release: Government Hub to be built in the heart of Leeds
HMRC, working with the Cabinet Office, will take approximately 378,000 sq ft at Wellington Place on a 25 year lease. This is the biggest ever commercial property letting in Leeds. The deal will see 6,000 civil servants working in a state-of-the-art new city centre premises in 2020.
Government Hubs will transform central government’s offices by accommodating many different departments in shared buildings in London and in the regions. The programme will deliver taxpayer savings, act as a catalyst for regional growth and ensure the delivery of the best quality services to the public.
There will be 18-22 strategic hubs across the UK, located in major towns and cities and accessible by a range of excellent transport links. Hubs will be modern, sustainable buildings, supported by smart technology and shared services.
Wellington Place, close to Leeds Station, will deliver high quality offices for civil and public servants, including for HMRC, which will operate one of its 13 regional centres from Wellington Place.
NHS Digital will also relocate to Wellington Place, which will support the organisation’s move to enable smarter and more flexible working, and collaboration.
Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency, Caroline Nokes, said:
The Civil Service is a great place to work and enabling civil servants to have high quality and modern working environments will ensure that we work productively and deliver the best services to the public across the country.
The Leeds hubs will be a catalyst for growth in the surrounding cities and towns, helping rebalance the UK economy and underpin our strategy for a strong, well-connected Northern Powerhouse that can continue to provide good-quality jobs and economic growth across the region.
HMRC Chief Executive Jon Thompson said:
We are delighted to be part of the new UK Government Hub in Wellington Place, Leeds. This is another step in HMRC’s transformation into a modern digitally advanced tax authority.
It’s the beginning of a process that will see around 3,800 colleagues come together in state-of-the art facilities, enabling closer working relationships and increasing our effectiveness in collecting taxes. It will also make HMRC an important contributor to the economy and to communities in and around Leeds.
Chief Executive of NHS Digital, Sarah Wilkinson, said:
We are delighted to co-announce our involvement with the new Leeds Government hub, this is a significant investment in the city and reinforces their long-term commitment to Leeds.
As one of Leeds major employers, it is an opportunity for greater consolidation of our Leeds estate when completed and will enable us at NHS Digital to build on our existing strong relationships with the wider NHS and government departments.
Over the past few years, Leeds has established itself as the major digital city in England with a thriving technology sector, which NHS Digital is proud to be a part of. The work NHS Digital does here in Leeds affects the lives of everyone in the country. Being part of the Government Hubs programme in Leeds is a great opportunity to work in partnership with both national and local organisations.