The Government has announced a new Transport and Infrastructure Campus, harnessing local expertise to deliver better public investment and services.

The campus will bring together transport, property and housing infrastructure expertise from across multiple departments throughout the West Midlands, a region home to over 35,000 civil servants. This builds on the success of established Government campuses, such as the Darlington Economic Campus, which has led to around 1,000 new high-skilled jobs.

Cabinet Office Minister Anna Turley announced the campus during a keynote speech at the launch of non-profit initiative The Forward Institute in Birmingham on Monday 2nd February. She said: “The West Midlands is Britain’s transport heartland, and this new campus will harness that regional strength to accelerate the infrastructure projects that communities need.

“I am a firm believer that the best ideas often come from those on the frontline. By moving decision-making out of Whitehall and into the West Midlands, we are ensuring decisions are informed by local expertise and deliver real, tangible benefits for every part of the UK.”

Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, said: “The West Midlands is a fantastic home for this new Transport and Infrastructure Campus, with a real strength in delivering major projects like the Midland Metro, the expanding SPRINT bus network, and the opening of five new rail stations later this year.

“By basing the campus here, we’re backing local expertise and bringing decision‑making closer to communities, helping deliver the infrastructure needed to drive growth across the country.”

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “We’ve promised to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, and that means doing things differently. This campus brings together the people and expertise we need to cut through the barriers and help us get Britain building.

“Local knowledge, local talent. That’s what I mean when I said build, baby, build.”

The campus will bring together expertise from across the region from the Department for Transport, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Cabinet Office to accelerate infrastructure projects, and support the investment of at least £725 billion in public infrastructure over the next decade under the National Infrastructure Strategy.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will lead the development of the Campus. They will appoint a senior civil servant, based in Birmingham, as the Project Director, where they will work with the local area and government departments to grow the campus and spread opportunity throughout the West Midlands.

By uniting departments around shared priorities and working alongside frontline workers and local government, the campus will drive national renewal, supporting the building of 1.5 million new homes and fast-tracking 150 major infrastructure projects.

Alongside the recent launch of a new management apprenticeship scheme based in Birmingham – it will allow people to move up through a civil service career right to the most senior levels, without ever having to move away from the West Midlands.

The West Midlands is already one of the largest hubs of civil servants outside of London, with over 35,000 professionals working across the region. Since March 2020, more than 3,200 roles have been relocated to the West Midlands through Places for Growth, including nearly 1,800 to Birmingham.

This announcement builds on the success of existing thematic campuses, such as the recently launched Digital and AI Innovation Campus in Manchester and the Energy Campus in Aberdeen.

The Places for Growth programme is about bringing the civil service closer to the communities it serves, with 34 per cent of UK-based Senior Civil Servants now based outside of London, with the goal for 50 per cent of UK-based Senior Civil Service and Fast Stream roles to be located outside of London by 2030.