Civil service dispersal - a long time coming

Swales, Kim (1982) Civil service dispersal - a long time coming. Quarterly Economic Commentary, 8 (1). pp. 38-41. ISSN 0306-7866

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Abstract

In 1970 the White Paper on the Reorganisation of Central Government (Cmnd 4506) announced a review of the location of Government offices which would consider opportunities for dispersing offices to locations outwith London. This review, the Hardman Report, was published in 1973: it recommended moving 31,000 Government jobs from London to the regions. In July 1974 the Labour government initiated a programme of office dispersal based on the findings of this report. Though the number of jobs to be dispersed were as recommended, the pattern of locations was changed, with the Labour government favouring the Assisted Areas as recipient regions. This paper examines the potential impact of civil service dispersal and its rationale.