The government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced it is to create a new hub in Manchester – making it the largest DCMS hub outside London.
The new hub, which will be based at Bruntwood Works’ Bloc scheme in Marble Street in Manchester, will accommodate up to 400 staff.
The culture department is expanding its presence across the UK with staff to be based in Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Loughborough and Darlington.
Almost 200 DCMS staff will also move to a North East hub at The Darlington Economic Campus, a new shared site in the North East for the Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Department for Education.
The department said ‘hundreds of new jobs’ will be created in Manchester and the North East as a result of the new hubs.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “The days of London-centric decision making belong in the past. It’s an exciting time for DCMS as we expand our regional offices and tap into a more diverse talent pool.”
The move follows the government’s publication of its Levelling Up White Paper, which outlined its ambition to elevate growth and create jobs across the UK.
It is in a bid to ensure decisions made about arts, culture, sport, media and heritage better reflect the communities they impact. The new DCMS Manchester HQ will contain the head office for Building Digital UK (BDUK), which is behind the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit to roll out faster broadband.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “This is welcome news. Not only is it a reflection of Manchester’s role as a northern epicentre for culture, media and sport – and our thriving tech sector – it is also a move which should help stimulate further innovation and investment in the city and beyond.
“The city is at the heart of a huge and diverse talent pool and tapping into will benefit the Government as well as bringing hundreds of jobs and other opportunities here.”
