On Tuesday 12th December 2023, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen MP, announced that Wrexham will benefit from over 300 new Civil Service roles, as part of the UK Government’s Places for Growth programme.
The Places for Growth programme will deliver over 300 new civil service jobs in Wrexham through the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice. This will grow the city’s economy and put local communities at the centre of policymaking.
The relocation of civil service jobs is the latest investment that Ms Atherton has secured from the UK Government. During the Autumn Statement only a few weeks ago, the Chancellor announced that Wrexham had been selected as an Investment Zone, which could bring investment of up to £160m to the region’s economy and provide more highly skilled and better-paid jobs.
Ms Atherton has been actively campaigning for more civil service jobs to be delivered to Wrexham since 2022. Last year, she welcomed the former Minister for Government Efficiency and the former Welsh Secretary to Wrexham to showcase its growth and potential as a civil service hub.
Since then, Ms Atherton has been working with government ministers and local stakeholders to continue her campaign, including most recently when she raised the prospect of a Wrexham Civil Service Hub with the Welsh Secretary in the House of Commons last week.
On Thursday 7th December 2023, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, led a roundtable discussion on Civil Service Places for Growth and their plan to unlock inward investment, creating local jobs and economic growth at Wrexham Association Football Club. The roundtable discussion was attended by key stakeholders, such as representatives from Sarah Atherton MP office, Wrexham Council, Wrexham University, HMP Berwyn and local business representatives.
Commenting on the positive news, Sarah Atherton said:
“Today’s announcement of over 300 new civil service roles moving to Wrexham is fantastic news. This is yet another win for our city and comes just three weeks after the Chancellor made Wrexham an Investment Zone, which has the potential to bring £160m of local investment to our region.
“This is another example of the UK Government’s commitment to Wrexham, meaning that residents will benefit from better-paid jobs, greater prospects in the area, and more opportunities.
“Since my election, Wrexham has received over £57 million worth of funding from the UK Government, including the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (£24 million), the Towns Fund (£20 million) and the Levelling Up Fund (£13.3 million). Having continually ‘banged the drum’ for Wrexham, our city is rapidly becoming the innovation and investment capital of North Wales.
“Having been working hard behind the scenes with ministers during the past year, I am extremely pleased that my campaign has been successful, and I look forward to our city reaping all of the benefits that this most recent announcement will inevitably bring.”