Hazzard secures commitment from Finance Minister Conor Murphy for future expansion of Downpatrick Civil Service Hub.
Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard MP has welcomed a commitment from the Finance Minister Conor Murphy that the new civil service hub at Rathkeltair House in Downpatrick will be allowed to expand to meet the growing demand for blended working in the post-COVID period.
The local South Down MP met with Minister Murphy and Council Chief Executive Marie Ward to discuss the opportunity to enhance the ability of local civil service workers to work closer to home.
Chris Hazzard said: “The Minister has given his assurance that the new civil service hub will be available to all staff, who want to avail of the option to ‘hot-desk’ from Rathkeltair House instead of travelling to Belfast every day.
“I welcome the proactive approach Minister Murphy has taken in developing this hub, and he has given his assurance that it will be allowed to grow and develop to meet local demand.
“Minister Murphy noted the hub presently has the capacity to house three times the workforce and anticipates numbers will grow exponentially as people return from working from home.
“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 the wider East Down area.
“This is the type of proactive service provision that supports workers, especially young families. It increases the capacity for the civil service to diversify its workforce to include the likes of young parents who may not have been able to commit to a commute to Belfast.
“This changing dynamic will ensure opportunities arise for previously underrepresented groups when jobs become available.”
Mr Hazzard added: “The positive impact of the Hub will work for the betterment of society as a whole. From the reduction in travel time for local workers helping reduce the environmental impact of fuel emissions, and the improvement of work/life balance of those returning to work to a welcome spin-off for our local town centre economy.
“The benefits of working locally are huge for our town centre retail and hospitality providers, especially as we start to rebuild our local economy in a post-COVID environment.
“I was also happy to hear a commitment from both the Minister and Marie Ward that Newry Mourne and Down District Council and the Civil Service will work towards a reciprocal agreement to facilitate collaborative working throughout our civic hubs.
“This opportunity will encourage further regional working and cooperation with the ability to share meeting spaces and ideas.”
