Government Offices
From SR
Roles
Representing 11 Whitehall Departments, Government Offices are the primary means by which a wide range of Government policies are delivered in the English regions.
Government Offices (GOs) offer experience and expertise to Whitehall Departments in the development of policy and in the way that policies are best implemented, and are the primary means by which a wide range of Government policies and programmes are delivered in the English regions.
Whitehall Departments
GOs represent eleven Whitehall departments, and are involved in regenerating communities, fighting crime, tackling housing needs, improving public health, raising standards in education and skills, tackling countryside issues, and reducing unemployment.
The eleven Whitehall departments are:
- Cabinet Office
- Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
- Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Department of Health (DoH)
- Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR)
- Department for Transport (DfT)
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Home Office
- Ministry of Justice
Bringing together the activities and interests of so many Whitehall Departments within a single organisation makes the Government Offices well placed to join up the delivery of Government policies across the English regions. It also means they are able to support projects that cut across the agendas of their sponsor Departments.
Government Offices manage significant spending programmes on behalf of their sponsor Departments, including a number of European funds. In 2004-05, they were responsible for over £9bn of Government expenditure.
Government Office Network
The Government Offices represent central Government in the regions. Staff in the regional offices have local knowledge and expertise. They work with local and regional stakeholders. They know what works and what doesn’t. And they know when Government policies need to be revised to take account of local circumstances.
The Government Office Network consists of nine regional offices across the country, and their corporate centre, the Regional Co-ordination Unit.
Located in major cities across England, the Government Offices are well positioned to understand and address the particular needs of their region.
The nine regional offices are:
