The “Whitehall of the North” scheme planned in Manchester is under review following spending cuts set out in the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review last month.

Under the scheme, around 5,000 civil servants were expected to relocate from London to the site of the derelict station Mayfield, near Manchester Piccadilly station. However, the government is reviewing the scheme in the wake of large cuts to help tackle the £150bn public deficit.

A government spokesman confirmed that the government is reviewing the business case: “Our focus will be to ensure that the campus continues to represent good value to the taxpayer and supports wider government priorities, particularly regeneration and the environment,” he said.

The government is looking at whether relocating civil servants is a cost effective way to save money in the public sector.

The Manchester campus was part of a plan (pictured) for the 20-acre site, published last December, to move around 24,000 civil service posts from out of London to other parts of the UK. The proposal comprised around 700,000 sq ft of office space.

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