Downpatrick to become public sector hub location

Downpatrick to become public sector hub location

24 February 2021

DOWNPATRICK has received a welcome jobs boost with confirmation that the town’s Rathkeltair House is to become one of Northern Ireland’s new regional hubs for civil servants within the next few weeks.

The new hubs are designed to allow public sector staff who live locally to have the opportunity of working in Downpatrick via so-called hot desks instead of travelling to Belfast or other major towns far from home.

There are plans for a number of regional hubs across the province over the next few years with suggestions that up to 50  staff will be able to opt to work at Rathkeltair House where there is available space to accommodate them.

Confirming that Downpatrick is one of the first regional hub locations, Stormont finance minister Conor Murphy said the new dedicated facilities will transform how civil servants work, enabling them to be based closer to home, reducing travel time and lowering carbon emissions while promoting what he described as the regional economic balance.

Mr Murphy said Covid-19 had seen an unprecedented shift in how the civil service works with many public services being delivered remotely. He said there is now an opportunity to build on these new ways of working.

“These hubs are an exciting development in how the civil service estate operates and present a huge opportunity to make a positive impact on local economies, the environment as well as the health and wellbeing of our staff,” he said.

“We are working collaboratively with councils to maximise the local regeneration impact and to establish the hubs as soon as possible. I ask all elected representatives to support us in this work.”

Mr Murphy said the so-called Connect2 hubs planned for Downpatrick and Ballykelly will only become operational when they meet current public health advice and health protection regulations.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard has led the political welcome for the new jobs hub, describing it as “very positive news” for local civil service staff who want the opportunity to combine working from home with the traditional office experience, enabling them to have a much more attractive work life balance as part of the Covid-19 recovery.

“For many years now we have known that more than a third of all civil service workers live outside the greater Belfast area, with many coming from the Downpatrick and wider east Down area,” he continued.

“So this opportunity to be located in Downpatrick will not only have obvious benefits for those workers who will no longer have to commute, but the local hub will also create a much welcome spin-off for the town centre economy.”

Mr Hazzard said Sinn Fein remains committed to the decentralisation of public sector jobs and was responsible several years ago for relocating the Fisheries Office to Downpatrick when more than 1,000 local public sector workers expressed an interest to be relocated.

He insisted that his party will continue to look for opportunities to decentralise public services wherever possible.

South Down MLAs Colin McGrath and Emma Rogan have also welcomed confirmation of the new regional hub in Downpatrick.

Mr McGrath described the finance minister’s announcement as a “timely development”, one that will enable many civil servants to work some of the time much closer to home.

“This will save staff travel time and enable them to use this time for a better work/life balance,” he continued. “Covid has highlighted how so much of our work can be done from home or near to home. With so many leaving Downpatrick each day to travel to Belfast it has always been a thought that with modern technology people could work from home.

“The additional footfall of people in the town centre will be welcome by local traders too. They need people to visit their shops to aid survival after Covid and with the steady decline of the High Street and with up to 50 being able to work in the town centre, this is a real boost for them.”

Ms Rogan said Sinn Féin was committed to “tackling the regional imbalances in the economy created through decades of neglect and under-investment”. She added: “The announcement from the finance minister is a positive step in that direction. These regional hubs will enable staff to work closer to home and will help to aid the regional economic recovery from Covid-19.”

Lady Margaret Ritchie said the move has the potential to provide a major boost for Downpatrick and the surrounding area — if it is done right.

She is seeking more details about the proposal and the local benefits it will bring and is keen to find out how many jobs will be redeployed to Rathkeltair House, the nature of the jobs and which civil service departments are involved.

In a letter to the Northern Ireland Executive, she said the jobs hub will help those who have benefited from working at home during the pandemic and will make a contribution to the Downpatrick economy.

Lady Ritchie said it was her understanding that the civil service jobs in Downpatrick would be the transfer of existing posts, suggesting that if this is the case, it is important that this is considered as  a first stage, with proper decentralisation of jobs taking place later.

She added: “Clearly these will also bring benefits to the town. When I was the South Down MP  in 2015 I lobbied the then finance minister to enable desk hosting to take place at Rathkeltair House.

“What we need to know more details about is what is proposed so we can evaluate just how good a deal it will be for Downpatrick and the boost it will give to the South Down area. It would appear to be a move in the right direction and I welcome it on that basis.”