The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has said it is committed to increasing headcount at its “second headquarters” in Wolverhampton, and that an additional 200 staff could join.
MHCLG opened the doors of its base in the city in September 2021 – shortly before it was rebranded as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Robert Jenrick was replaced as secretary of state by Michael Gove.
At the time, the second HQ was billed as a first-of-its-kind in that ministers were expected to regularly work from the building.
In a statement provided to the BBC last week, MHCLG said it was “continuing to grow its presence” in Wolverhampton.
“Current planning assumptions indicate the number of roles based in the city could increase to around 400-450, compared to the original target of 250 when the office was first opened in 2021,” it said.
The department did not give a timescale for the increase. Last year the department announced the closure of six regional offices, one of which is in Birmingham. MHCLG said the move would be accompanied by the growth of its presence at five other sites – including Wolverhampton.
Members of the PCS union are taking targeted strike action over the closure plans.
MHCLG currently shares its Wolverhampton base – known as the i9 building – with staff from the Local Government Pension Scheme.
However, according to local newspaper the Express & Star, a meeting of Wolverhampton City Council’s cabinet was told earlier this month that the LGPS is relocating to a nearby building, creating space for MHCLG to expand into.
The city council invested £13m in the development of the i9 building with the stated aim of creating a modern office of suitable quality to attract a government department or agency against the backdrop of the then-Conservative government’s emerging plans to locate more government jobs away from the capital.
Jenrick – currently shadow justice secretary – was born in Wolverhampton and was instrumental in delivering MHCLG’s second HQ in the city.
Eddie Hughes, who served as a minister at MHCLG and then DLUHC between January 2021 and September 2022, represented the nearby constituency of Walsall North.
Earlier this year, former housing secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner drew criticism from the city council’s Conservative group for never having visited her department's second headquarters.
Civil Service World asked MHCLG to share its full statement on the expansion of the Wolverhampton office, as well as for information on the kinds of roles that would be involved and the anticipated timescale.
The department had not responded at the time of publication.