Government departments could be moved to areas like Hull under a new Bill being backed by Dianna Johnson MP.
Hull North's MP is sponsoring a call being made in the House of Commons today, in the Government Departments Decentralisation Bill, for Whitehall departments to move. This would transfer up to 100,000 civil service jobs from London to the regions.
Under the plans, being put forward in the Commons by Labour MP Ian Austin, Whitehall departments would move to 'public service hubs' around the country, where they would share space with other public sector bodies. Core civil service staff remaining in London would move to shared offices.
The moves would create 100,000 jobs and develop property in up to fifty towns and cities outside London. Taxpayers would save £10 billion from the sale of expensive London offices, plus an extra £725 million annually thereafter from cheaper property and staffing costs.
The Hull North MP is calling for all parties to consider the proposals as part of plans to devolve power to regions like Yorkshire and the Humber.
Diana Johnson MP said: "It's no surprise that London is first in the queue for investment when every government department is based there.
"This Bill is an opportunity to transform the way government works, bringing decisions closer to local people and enabling civil servants to find out what life is like in places like Hull.
"It would save taxpayers more than £10bn and distribute wealth more fairly too, transferring 100,000 jobs and billions of investment from the capital to the rest of the country.
"I want MPs from every party to support these plans for real devolution from London to places like Hull. In the digital age there is less reason for these departments to be so concentrated in one city. Moving would show that devolution and talk about a 'Northern Powerhouse' is serious."