The Government has announced plans to move more Ministry of Justice jobs to South Tyneside to "spread opportunity".
A new 'Justice Collaboration Centre' will be launched at Jarrow Viking Business Park, as the Government continues to move civil service roles out of London.
The centre will be one of seven launched across England and Wales, alongside a series of satellite offices.
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Almost 70 percent of the MoJ workforce is already based outside of London and the South East and this move will see more than 2,000 more roles in areas like finance, human resources and digital move out by 2030.
It will bring the total amount of department roles outside the capital up to 22,000.
However, the department said it's unable to give an exact number expected to move to South Tyneside yet.
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “This Government is committed to spreading opportunity more equally across communities and tackling regional inequalities.
“By having more of our staff based outside London we can recruit the best people wherever they live so that the justice system benefits from more diverse backgrounds, outlooks and experience.”
The new Justice Collaboration Centres are described as "larger office spaces with a mix of traditional workstations and shared spaces, meeting and training rooms."
They will support face to face work of staff in roles including finance, digital and human resources during training and meetings in Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, South Tyneside, Cardiff, Ipswich and Brighton.
According to the plans, staff will also be based at smaller new regional Justice Satellite Offices, including desk space in pre-existing buildings like courts.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay, said: “It's brilliant to see the Ministry of Justice is offering increased opportunities around the UK with the opening of seven new offices across in England and Wales, a clear demonstration of the government's ambition to level up local communities by delivering long-term career prospects to their area rather than the previous heavy concentration on central London.
"Through our Places for Growth Scheme, we are bringing more opportunities and decision-making closer to the communities we serve."
I comes after A TUC report was published this morning citing research that claimed people believe jobs are the key to levelling up the country.
Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo said: “Broadening recruitment into the Ministry is crucial, not only because it creates opportunities but because it helps us to be more innovative and make better decisions.
“Moving more than 2,000 MoJ roles out of London and the South East by 2030 and opening new regional offices across England and Wales will help ensure we are hiring the most talented people from all geographies and backgrounds to help deliver for the society we serve.”
Today’s announcement follows several other Government departments confirming that they are moving thousands of civil service jobs out of London, moving into areas such as Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Glasgow.
This includes the Home Office, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department of International Trade and the Cabinet Office.
As positions become available they will be re-advertised nationally, rather than tied to a location, an approach that has already seen most new of new recruits based outside London.
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