Public Sector Functions

The squeeze on public services, with an efficiency drive being led from the top, looks set to be a theme for many years to come.

Birmingham is the location that offers the connectivity, track-record, opportunities, capacity and mindset to deliver smarter government services. The city integrates and blends best-practice solutions from the private sector to help deliver government and public services. A leading European business destination at the centre of a £94 billion regional economy, it has access to a working population of 4.3 million people and provides a wealth of partnerships between central and local government.

The Birmingham public sector is already home to an established community which includes the Gambling Commission, Big Lottery Fund, Local Better Regulation Office, The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Highways Agency and the Legal Ombudsman.

Public sector relocation

The relocation of civil service and related public sector jobs from London and the South East is usually considered on grounds of cost. However, a reduction of cost is just a part of the overall Birmingham advantage. The full picture is as follows:

Cost

• Office rental costs in Birmingham city centre range from £15 per square foot for good quality refurbished space to £28.50 per square foot for prime Grade A space
• Prime Grade A rents in Birmingham are almost 50 per cent less than London and compare well against other cities, both today and in the future. Salaries are up to 35 per cent less than London for operations, IT and finance roles
• There is 1.2 million square feet of office space available for immediate occupation in Birmingham, including a wide choice of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ buildings
• There is plenty of room for future growth: Birmingham has a development pipeline of 5.15 million square feet office space
• Home to 42,000 companies including almost 900 international firms

Skills offer

Educational attainment is improving at all levels.
Birmingham is the location of three universities that supply a significant pool of graduates to the labour market each year.
All of this contributes to there being a large pool of highly skilled labour in Birmingham.

Birmingham public sector

Birmingham is at the heart of the country’s transport network

Birmingham is at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network and is recognised as the best connected UK city.
It has easy access to all major cities across the country and an international airport just 10 minutes from the city centre.
Birmingham has excellent connectivity to London, with direct trains running every 20 minutes and a journey time of just 85 minutes. 46 per cent of business visitors travel to Birmingham by train.
Access to 4.3 million people of working age within a one hour drive of the city centre
Air, road and rail connections provide access to 400 million people across Europe 126 direct destinations from Birmingham Airport including cities in Europe, North America and the Middle East
Over 90 per cent of the UK market – consumer and business – within a four hour travel time

Birmingham offers a high-quality value-for-money location in which to live and work

Today Birmingham has a good and modern city centre shopping experience - with the £500 million Bull Ring, the £150 million Mailbox, as well canal-side eating, entertainment and living, all within ten minutes walk.
The city centre is at the hub of city living with loft accommodation through to new build broadband-networked penthouses and luxury flats.
A city with five City Centre theatres attracting the best in acting talents, a central Museum and Art Gallery, and home for five public suburban museums, ThinkTank technology and innovation centre at Millennium Point, also home for the Imax cinema.
Birmingham is a city embraced by the countryside, yet has the largest urban park in Europe at Sutton Park. The city provides easy access to the surrounding rural countryside providing a wide range of leisure pursuits in a pleasant environment. Close to London but in the heart of the country Birmingham is the perfect location for investors, occupiers and workers alike.

Testimonials to success

Recent experiences underline how successful a public sector relocation to Birmingham can be:

''It is hard to argue for a better location that provides such easy transport access.''

Jenny Williams, Chief Executive, Gambling Commission

''Birmingham offers the talent and skill to help the organisation to grow.''
View Testimonial

Julie Grant, Director of Finance, Gambling Commission

''The accessibility and connectivity of Birmingham was invaluable to us. The cultural diversity of Birmingham and its workforce were really important and provided something that couldn’t be matched or even approached elsewhere outside London. ''