THE NEW-LOOK Welsh Government said no decisions have been taken about its office buildings following advanced talks between its Labour predecessors and Swansea Council about the potential relocation of staff to a new hub in the city.
Council chiefs in Swansea want the Welsh Government to occupy part of the new public sector hub and council leader Rob Stewart said letters of intent had been signed between the two parties before the Senedd election.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the proposed deal would have involved the Welsh Government relocating staff to the hub and the council taking on the Welsh Government’s office near the M4 junction at Penllergaer.
The proposed arrangement rang alarm bells for the leader of the opposition, Cllr Chris Holley, because he felt the Welsh Government struggled to make full use of the Penllergaer office, which is just off the A48. “If it didn’t work for the Welsh Government how is it going to work for Swansea Council?” he said.
A spokesman for the new Plaid Cymru administration in Cardiff Bay, when asked about the proposed deal, didn’t rule it out but said: “No decisions have been taken on future accommodation arrangements including the use of any specific sites or the amount of space that might be occupied. Any decision on the Welsh Government estate will be for ministers.”
They said the Welsh Government regularly reviewed its office estate and added: “As part of that work a range of potential options are explored with public sector partners including different ways of using existing buildings.”
Speaking before the May 7 election Swansea Labour leader Cllr Stewart said the public sector hub which will be built at the former St David’s Shopping Centre was expected to be a base for Welsh Government, UK Government, and local government staff, boosting footfall in the city centre. “Discussions are at an advanced stage with partners,” he said. “We have recently exchanged letters of intent with Welsh Government.”
Speaking after the election, in which Labour were dethroned, Cllr Stewart said: “We will continue with our positive discussions with the new Plaid Cymru Welsh Government administration about taking a substantial presence in the city.
“It’s hugely important that the new Welsh Government confirms it will continues to invest alongside UK Government in our city. It would be hugely disappointing if the new Welsh Government was to weaken its commitment to Swansea, especially given Swansea elected three Plaid Cymru Senedd members.”
The five-storey public sector hub received planning permission in 2024. It’ll have ground-floor commerical units and be the first of a collection of planned new buildings at the old St David’s Shopping Centre site between Oystermouth Road and Swansea Minster.
The Welsh Government said around 400 staff had their location recorded as Penllergaer. It employs around 5,700 staff across 20 sites, which cost £24.5m per year to run.
Last summer BBC Wales reported average daily attendance at these 20 sites was between 15% and 16% in the first three months of the year with attendance at the Penllergaer office 10% in March. Welsh Government staff – at that time at least – were expected to work two days a week in an office, or 40% of the time.
Speaking before the election Cllr Holley, Swansea Liberal Democrat leader, said he welcomed the prospect of Welsh Government jobs being located in the city centre but was concerned about the council taking on the Penllergaer office. He said: “If it didn’t work for the Welsh Government how is it going to work for Swansea Council?” He said in his view it “smacked of desperation” on the council’s behalf.
Cllr Stewart said he believed the Penllegaer site, should it be acquired by the authority, offered regeneration and employment opportunities given the recent planning approval for a major logistics depot close by.
A spokesman for the council confirmed it had been talking to the Welsh Government prior to the election about options for a physical presence in the city centre. He added: “Now that a new government is in place we will open up this dialogue again with the hope of concluding discussions as soon as we are able to.”
