Foreign Office to move jobs from East Kilbride to Glasgow

Staff at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at Abercrombie House in East Kilbride have been told they are to leave for a new headquarters in Glasgow within the next three years.

Around 1,000 staff will move to a location in Glasgow city centre. An additional 500 Foreign Office staff are due to be redeployed under plans to decrease centralisation of government departments. Civil Servants from HMRC currently working from Queensway House in East Kilbride will take over Abercrombie House.

The Public and Commercial Services Union reacted to the announcement, saying: "Whilst FCDO have made some positive soundings about the potential for excess fares, and given an assurance that there will not be compulsory redundancies as a result of the move, many staff are rightly worried about the impact on their ability to regularly commute to the new location.

"We have already asked for the Equality Impact Assessment for the move and will request sight of a postcode analysis of employees to explore the issues further.

"We will continue to follow up the concerns and issues that we have already raised, and will consult members through members' meetings on any proposals presented to us."

The Foreign Office statement said: “The FCDO is growing its presence and number of staff in Scotland.

“HMRC will be moving into Abercrombie House, which is a building that is already part of the UK Government estate, providing better value for money to the taxpayer and which will continue to boost the economy of East Kilbride.

"HMRC is still at the early stages of plans for the building and hopes to confirm timelines in the spring.”

South Lanarkshire Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “I am frankly astounded by the announcement on the FCDO – both the decision itself and the way it has been made.

“These staff have been working, and in many cases living, in East Kilbride for decades and are important contributors to our local community and economy.

“The FCDO announcement has been made out of the blue, suggesting not just a failure of communication but also a lack of coherence in their decision-making process. The reasons given for the decision are also weak, to say the least.

“We call for urgent further discussions on this situation.”