Sir, I take issue with Clare Foges’s assertion that nothing meaningful will come of exporting public sector workers out of the capital (“London must thrive if we all want to prosper”, Jan 27). The UK has been relocating civil servants out of London for 80 years, providing huge savings from reduced staff and office property costs. Moreover, relocation has proved to be an early stimulus for the regeneration of towns and cities and in the creation of private sector employment. There are many examples to attest: the Met Office at Exeter, Companies House at Cardiff, the Health and Safety Executive at Bootle in Merseyside and the Forestry Commission at Edinburgh. However, a lot more in the way of government dispersal remains

Source: The Times January 29, 2020 00:00 UTC