PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CLOSURE OF SHEFFIELD BIS OFFICE (22 February 2016)

That this House condemns the Government's decision to close the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) office in Sheffield; notes that there are 247 experienced policy staff working for BIS in this office who are responsible for delivering Government policy on a range of issues including apprenticeships and further and higher education; is concerned by the Government's decision to move all policy work to London which will mean the loss of vital expertise, shrink the civil service talent pool and reduce the variety of experiences that contribute to policy-making; further notes this decision to withdraw investment from the North will have a detrimental impact on the local economies contrary to the Government's Northern Powerhouse agenda; notes the statement in the Government's Estate Strategy, published in October 2014, that civil servants should be able to work flexibly across locations; is aware that the business case for the Sheffield office closure has yet to be seen by key stakeholders or trade unions; and therefore calls on the Government to publish the business case as a matter of urgency and to halt the process until a full review and debate has taken place regarding the decision.

Sponsored by:
Paul Blomfield (Labour)