Hundreds of civil service jobs moving to Scotland as part of UK Government shake-up

A shake-up of the civil service is to bring more jobs to Scotland, with Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to benefit from the move.

It comes as the UK government announced plans to shift more civil servant posts out of London to towns and cities across the UK.

Aberdeen's Union Square shopping centre, which has changed hands, sits next to the city’s railway station and is home to scores of household names. It houses several cafes and restaurants and a Cineworld complex.

Thousands of roles are expected to be moved to 13 different towns and cities, including three in Scotland.

There are 25,135 UK government civil service positions in Scotland as it stands, with 22 departments having a presence north of the Border.

That includes 9,970 full-time equivalent jobs in Glasgow, which is home to the Cabinet Office’s second headquarters, as well as 3,485 in Edinburgh and an additional 645 posts in Aberdeen.

In addition to the jobs moving to Aberdeen, the UK government has said it will establish an energy campus in the city. Aberdeen is home to both the second HQ for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and the base for GB Energy.

The announcement comes just days after the UK's largest oil and gas producer, Harbour Energy, said it expected to cut a further 250 jobs in Aberdeen. Harbour Energy blamed regulation and "punitive" government measures as the reasons for needing to cut jobs.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “It is great news that we are creating more and more civil service roles in Scotland, pushing power and opportunity out of Whitehall and into communities across the UK. And our new energy campus in Aberdeen, alongside GB Energy, will create more opportunities for people in Aberdeen as we move to clean power. This is all part of the UK government’s Plan for Change - driving growth and creating jobs right across Scotland and the UK.”

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, seen in a rescue submersible at JFD Global in Renfrew, is willing to work co-operatively with the devolved government in the national interest (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

UK energy minister Michael Shanks said: “Scotland is the beating heart of our mission to become a clean energy superpower.

“With our energy campus and Great British Energy HQ, we are bringing decision makers, investment and jobs of the future to the North Sea – the front line of our clean energy transition – to deliver our Plan for Change.”

The UK government said that moving the roles out of London would bring £729 million of economic benefits to the 13 named growth areas by 2030.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said: “To deliver our Plan for Change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.

“By relocating thousands of civil service roles, we will not only save taxpayers’ money, we will make this government one that better reflects the country it serves. We will also be making sure that government jobs support economic growth throughout the country.”

Officials at the Cabinet Office were told last month that 2,100 of their 6,500 jobs would be cut or moved to other parts of government over the next two years. However, the existing voluntary exit scheme was weighted against losses from non-London locations, meaning staff in Cabinet Office’s second HQ in Glasgow are deprioritised for exits against those in London. The preference will be for staff in London to leave.

Government departments will now submit their plans for how many roles they plan to move to the various locations as part of the spending review.

The SNP has been approached for comment.