public services operations in wales

Public service – Where excellence meets value

Financial & Professional Services

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What’s important to youThe Welsh Government recognises the importance of the public sector and is keen to establish a business relationship based on collaboration and mutual trust. Financial & Professional Services Sector team offers a whole of government support package and the Sector team would act as your first point of contact in that relationship.

With a strong public service tradition, the public sector employs approximately 330,000 people in Wales (Office for National Statistics), which is about 26% of the workforce. The number working within the public sector has fallen somewhat in recent years, meaning that there is a pool of employees available with a broad range of skills and experience.

Should you choose to establish an operation in Wales you can take advantage of the multi-million pound investments that the Welsh Government is making in Grade A properties, digital infrastructure and national and international travel links. We would like you to consider Wales for your future investment. We will provide you with access to the skills and staff which will support you in achieving your business goals and aspirations.

The Welsh Government will provide you with a dedicated Business Development Manager who can put you in contact with Universities, Colleges, private and public sector business networks as well as direct access to the Welsh Government. Your Business Development Manager will provide you with access to financial and business support and other initiatives available from the Welsh Government and our partner organisations.

UK Government is committed to reducing Department Expenditure Limit (DEL), reflecting the fiscal consolidation set out in the 2010 Spending Review. The UK Government can control DEL costs by situating within a cost-competitive region of the UK.

Critical business needs are:

• Very competitive operational cost base (especially staff and property);

• Excellent local talent;

• Excellent local infrastructure;

• Excellent local infrastructure; Excellent local talent; and

• High staff retention.

Other business needs are:

• Financial support for skills development;

• A secure legislative environment.

You will receive top level comprehensive support from the Welsh Government and our commitment to the development of Financial Services. The Financial and Professional Services team of the Welsh Government will work with you in finding to find a suitable location, and support you in meeting your operational and strategic goals.

“We have successfully executed plans to achieve large scale savings, vastly improved administrative performance and modernised working practise. This level of genuine cash savings, speed of business change and step change in service would be hard to find elsewhere in central Government.”

Steve Hodgson, former Head of the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS), Newport

Wales – Delivering value solutions

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ContentsYou can be confident in choosing Wales

The relationship between Wales and the UK

Excellent talent and support to grow new skills

Financial support for investment and skills

Positive impact on your operating costs

Developments in Wales

A digital economy connected to your business

Fast transport links

Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone

Having the right solutions to your property needs

Financial & Professional Services cluster

Business Process Management

A great environment for business and leisure

Case Study: Ministry of Justice

Case Study: Office for National Statistics

To find out more

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You can be confident in choosing WalesYour investment is not only a transaction but also a the start of a relationship. We will support and assist you through the initial process of finding a property to investment, developing links with universities and beyond. We will provide support through a dedicated Business Development Manager who can advise on contacts and provide advice on financial and other support available from the Welsh Government and other sources. This will help to secure a location that will enable your business to succeed and to grow.

We know that you need to be sure that the environment is right. We will provide you with access to a range of support aimed at increasing the efficiency of your business and driving growth.

Wales has an outstanding record in attracting public sector organisations, which is credited to the ability to provide a skilled workforce, competitive property and salary costs, and a high quality of life with high productivity levels. Large public sector employers in Wales include the Ministry of Justice shared service centre (750), NHS (85,000), DVLA (5,000 in Swansea), Welsh Government (over 5,000), and Companies House. Wales has welcomed several large public sector projects in recent years, including the Ministry of Justice HR Services in Newport (see Case Study), and the Office for National Statistics (see Case Study).

A number of financial and professional services companies also use Wales as a base, including Guardian Wealth Management, Admiral Insurance Group, Lewis Silkin LLP, Firstsource Solutions, Deloitte, Conduit, and Tesco.

The UK Government Ministers are supported by 560,000 Civil Servants and other staff working in the 24 Ministerial Departments and their executive agencies. There are an additional 26 non-Ministerial Departments with a range of further responsibilities. The total Department Expenditure Limit for 2012-13 was £361bn – a fall from 2011-12, reflecting the fiscal consolidation set out in the 2010 Spending Review.

People: Wales is home to some 3 million people, 1.94m of working age, with 372,000 of those under 25. Wales is home to nine universities and over 130,000 students.

Wales is located within the UK, and benefits from having business-friendly labour regulations, high level of skills, and a highly committed and productive workforce; all of which are recognised as proven commercial assets by the thousands of international companies that have already invested in the UK. Furthermore, the supply of skills will remain secure for the future – over half a million students graduate each year from the UK’s 170 universities and higher education institutes, the highest graduate output in Europe.

Business environment: Wales has the same legal system and time zone as England, EU membership, solid infrastructure and easy access to customers, suppliers and partners.

Wales offers an attractive location for businesses as it offers some of the lowest staff and property costs in the country and a devolved, pro-business Government. Wales’s largest city (and capital), Cardiff, has the highest growth in private sector employment


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over the last ten years of all UK Core Cities, was ranked strongly in the UK Competitiveness Index 2010, and was one of only four larger cities above the average ranking.

Wales also offers flexible financial incentives and training support (including the UK’s most generous training support package).

Transport: Cardiff is located on the M4 corridor, the main arterial route into London. The M4 provides easy access to cities including Swansea and Bristol and links with the M5 to provide access to the rest of the UK.

Cardiff is 2 hours from London by rail with current infrastructure work set to decrease this travel time by 2017. The city is also served by one of the largest urban rail networks in the UK, linking the city to its region. You can get off at Cardiff Central train station and walk to offices in under 5 minutes.

As outlined below there are a wide range of initiatives and grant funding which can support recruitment and help you to train and retrain staff.

“Great spot, great people, great business city…. Love it.”

Henry Englehardt, CEO Admiral Insurance on Cardiff

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The relationship between Wales and the UKApart from those areas which are the sole responsibility of the EU, the UK Parliament remains sovereign in relation to all UK law and can still legislate, in theory and in fact, in all areas relating to Wales. By convention however, the UK Parliament does not legislate for matters which have been devolved to the National Assembly or Welsh Ministers without first obtaining the consent of the National Assembly through a mechanism known as a Legislative Consent Motion.

Taxation, apart from powers to set council tax and business rates, remains the responsibility of the UK Government and Parliament. Responsibility for fiscal and macroeconomic policy and public expenditure allocation across the UK lies with HM Treasury. Funding for the devolved administrations is determined within spending reviews, alongside that for UK departments. This takes the form of a grant from the relevant Secretary of State and is voted by the UK Parliament.

The National Assembly has the right to pass laws (known as Assembly Acts), but only in areas where those powers have been expressly conferred. These powers are outlined in 20 Subjects of Schedule 7 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 and include:

• Economic Development

• Education and Training

• Environment

• Health and Health Services

• Highways and Transport

• Housing

• Local Government

• National Assembly for Wales

• Public Administration

• Social Welfare

• Town and Country Planning

• Welsh Language

Examples of areas which have not been devolved to the National Assembly include:

• policing and criminal justice;

• foreign affairs, defence and security issues; and

• welfare, benefits and social security.


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Holyhead

Amlwch

Llangefni

Caernarfon

Bangor

Pwllheli

Llandudno

Colwyn Bay

Rhyl

Prestatyn

FlintConnah’s Quay

Mold

Betws-y-coed

BlaenauFfestiniog

Bala

Dolgellau

Wrexham

Llangollen

Welshpool

Newtown

LlanidloesAberystwyth

Llandrindod Wells

Builth Wells

Llandovery

Brecon

Abergavenny

Cardigan

Fishguard

Haverfordwest

MilfordHaven

PembrokeTenby

Carmarthen

Llanelli

Llandeilo

SWANSEA

Neath

PortTalbot

Porthcawl Bridgend

Pontypridd

Barry

Merthyr Tydfil Ebbw Vale

CARDIFF

Cwmbran

Monmouth

Chepstow

NEWPORT

Machynlleth

Porthmadog

Lampeter

Caerphilly

UK Government Operational Footprint in Wales

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55

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UK GOVERNMENTBorder Agency, Cardiff Companies House, Cardiff Department for Work & Pension SharedServices Supplier Payment Centre, Cardiff Her Majesty Courts & Tribunal Services, Cardiff HMRC, Cardiff Welsh Health Legal Services SharedBusiness Service Centre, Cardiff Home Office Procurement Centreof Excellence, NewportIntellectual Property Office, NewportMinistry of Justice, NewportOffice of National Statistics, NewportPassport Office, NewportUK Shared Business Services, NewportArvato DfT ISSC, SwanseaDVLA, Swansea

WELSH GOVERNMENTAberystwythCardiffCardiff BayLlandudno JunctionNewtownPontypriddSwansea

ACADEMIACardiff Metropolitan UniversityCardiff UniversitySwansea Metropolitan UniversitySwansea UniversityUniversity of South Wales - Cardiff, Newport & PontypriddUniversity of Wales, AberystwythUniversity of Wales, BangorUniversity of Wales, GlyndwrUniversity of Wales, Trinity Saint David - Carmarthen & Lampeter

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ML/34/13.14© Crown copyright 2013

Cartographics • Welsh Government



May 2013MAP 2

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Location Wales

A40

A40

A40

A40

A48

A40

A487

A487

A487

A4076A477

A483

A483

A483

A483

A483

A483

A465

A465

A465

A470

A470

A470

A470

A470

A470

A458

A489

A44

A479

A470

A449

A4232

A4042

A494

A494

A55A55

A5

A5

A5

Holyhead

Amlwch

Llangefni

Caernarfon

Bangor

Pwllheli

Llandudno

Colwyn Bay

Rhyl

Prestatyn

FlintConnah’s Quay

Mold

Betws-y-coed

BlaenauFfestiniog

Bala

Dolgellau

Wrexham

Llangollen

Welshpool

Newtown

LlanidloesAberystwyth

Llandrindod Wells

Builth Wells

Llandovery

Brecon

Abergavenny

Cardigan

Fishguard

Haverfordwest

MilfordHaven

PembrokeTenby

Carmarthen

Llanelli

Llandeilo

SWANSEANeath

PortTalbot

Porthcawl Bridgend

Pontypridd

Barry

Merthyr Tydfil Ebbw Vale

CARDIFF

Cwmbran

Monmouth

Chepstow

NEWPORT

Machynlleth

Porthmadog

Lampeter

Caerphilly

M4

M4

M4M48

Manchester

CardiffBristol

Liverpool

UK Government Operational Footprint in Wales





May 2013MAP 1

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Excellent talent and support to grow new skillsWales offers you excellent value:

• Very competitive operational costs (for both staff and property);

• One million people of working age to choose from;

• High staff retention and low attrition rates;

• Outstanding infrastructure;

• Nine universities, and over 40,000 achieving degrees and postgraduate qualifications each year;

• A location that is are already home to a thriving public sector;

• A location two hours from London; and

• Flexible incentives plus training support.

However, close geographical ties and accessible cross border commuting from England means that the recruitment catchment area for Wales is much greater than just those who live here. Cardiff is within easy access of the Welsh Valleys to its north, Swansea (Wales’ second biggest city) to the west and the cities of Newport and Bristol (in England) to the east. The English towns and cities of Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Crewe and Stoke are all situated within a 40 mile radius of Wrexham (Wales’ largest city in the north).

“Bangor Business School provided me with a solid academic grounding in economics and business. What I learned at Bangor I still use today in my position as Chief UK Economist at Deutsche Bank in London. The standard of teaching was excellent, and the passion of the staff for their subject encouraged me to continue studying after I completed my degree. What I learnt at Bangor set me up for life, and has helped me enormously in my subsequent studies and my job.”

Dr. George Buckley, Chief UK Economist, Deutsche Bank, London

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Growing new talent

Wales is home to nine universities and over 130,000 students, including a large number of international students. There are currently 25,000 non-UK undergraduate and postgraduate students at universities in Wales.

The universities work in close partnership with businesses in the region to help develop the future employees they need to support their growth ambitions. Examples of recent collaboration include;

• Cardiff University provides Legal & General with a bespoke specialist Medical Underwriting Academy. The Academy provides training through a mix of on-campus and on-line learning, visits to clinics and hospitals, discussion groups, and lectures. It has resulted in fewer referrals to medical specialists, saving time and money for the company, and making the location a centre of excellence.

• The Winning In Tendering Research Team project at Bangor Law School has recently been shortlisted for the UK’s Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply “Best Procurement Project of the Year” Award.

• Bangor University’s School of Law has announced a partnership with the China University of Political Science and Lawin Beijing.

“Our major success factor is the people. We would not have achieved what we have without the diverse and capable workforce. I have been overwhelmed by high quality of applicants every time I have recruited. The majority of our people are graduates and there is a huge pool of people in the relevant disciplines out there. The area is growing and transport links and telecommunications are very good. On a personal level it is also very attractive for prospective staff. There is nothing in my business or personal life that is missing from this area.”

Ross Flanigan, Director, Quality & Risk Operations, Deloitt


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Postgraduate Undergraduate TotalAll Welsh HEIs (Excludes the OU)

28,150 103,035 131,185

University of Wales, Newport

1,945 8,045 9,990

Glyndwr University 1,415 8,120 9,535

Cardiff Metropolitan University

4,600 8,410 13,010

University of Glamorgan 3,830 17,360 21,190

Swansea Metropolitan 1,205 4,650 5,855

University of Wales, Trinity Saint David

995 5,140 6,135

Aberystwyth University 1,795 9,910 11,705

Bangor University 2,820 8,435 11,255

Cardiff University 7,135 20,610 27,745

Swansea University 2,415 12,355 14,770

https://statswales.wales.gov.uk

Note: University of Wales, Newport and University of Glamorgan have now merged to form the University of South Wales.

Undergraduate Postgraduate TotalAll courses 28,150 103,035 131,185

Law degrees 3,555 1,075 4,630

Languages 7,775 775 8,550

Mathematical sciences 1,180 125 1,305

Computer science 3,895 755 4,650

Business & administrative studies (including finance)

12,495 9,035 21,530




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Financial support for investment and skillsDepartment for Education & Skills (DfES) Support for Public Sector Organisations within Wales, our aim is to strengthen the conditions that will enable the public sector within Wales to create jobs and sustainable economic growth, by providing businesses with a suitably skilled workforce.

• Reviewing the company’s HRD strategy to ensure all staff development and training will effectively support the business objectives.

• Work with the company to specify the training and development requirements through an agreed learning plan.

• Review provision options by providing a skills brokerage service including introductions to the local provider network, including Further and Higher Educational Institutions and provide on-going support, as required, to assist the implementation of the learning plan.

Areas of training provision and support that are available to Public Sector bodies include:

Apprenticeships

DfES will fund the provider to deliver the training programme, generally at no cost to the employer. Where the training requirement does not conform to the modern apprenticeship full framework criteria, DfES will explore the possibility of providing funding to support NVQ/qualification based training.

Apprenticeship Matching Service

This free, easy to use on-line service helps you find suitable apprentices by advertising to the widest pool of potential applicants.

The system works by highlighting submitted applications based on the specific criteria you have set in your vacancy advertisement. You can then shortlist and invite applicants for interview directly via the system. Those applicants who have been unsuccessful at any stage will be automatically notified

To advertise your opportunity you will need to be linked to a Learning Provider for the training element of the apprenticeship. If required, the Learning Provider can assist you in placing your apprenticeship vacancies on the system and helping you identify the right candidate

Pre-recruitment Training

Where a Public Sector organisation has a need to recruit large numbers, or where there is a specific sector/geographical need, targeted pre-recruitment training arrangements can be arranged to meet needs.

Jobs Growth Wales:

Support for employers that provide unemployed young people aged 16 to 24 with a job opportunity for 6 months. The job must be additional to the existing workforce and paid at or above the minimum wage and the employer will reclaim an amount equivalent to the minimum wage.


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The Employer Pledge

The Employer Pledge offers the chance to address skills in the workplace, such as literacy, language and numeracy. Improving these skills will help your employees to do their jobs more effectively, give them the confidence to progress and improve productivity.

Investors in People

Public Sector organizations interested in achieving the standard would be eligible for the following support:

• Up to 50% funding for an IiP specialist to work with you to create an individual costed development plan. The plan will focus on areas of the Investors in People framework most relevant to your business goals aimed at improving business performance;

• Up to 50% support towards the cost of the first assessment. Subsequent assessments, if required, will not be funded.

Workforce Development

The Welsh Government can assist you financially with recruitment and training.

Through our Workforce Development Programme, we can assist you to identify your learning and development needs, procure suitable training provision and provide:

• Discretionary match funding support for Leadership & Management Development;

• Discretionary match funding for general training.

Welsh Government Business Support

Wales is able to offer the UK’s most generous training support. In addition to the training support on offer for Public Sector Organisations in Wales, the following support is also available to Private Sector delivery partners in Wales:

• Business Finance;

• Property solutions.

You can benefit from some of the most generous financial assistance in the European Union, delivered through the Business Finance schemes. Business Finance allows you to access financial assistance across the full spectrum of your business – from initial investment through to projects in innovation, technology, research & development and skills development.

ReAct Programme to restart employment

ReAct is the redundancy action fund. It is a package of initiatives to help businesses to recruit and retrain job applicants following redundancy.

Young Recruits Programme

The Young Recruits Programme is available on an all Wales basis and provides financial support to employers offering high quality apprenticeships to recruit and train additional young apprentices (16-24 year olds).

GO (Graduate Opportunities) Wales

GO Wales is the careers service for Higher Education and helps employers recruit and retain graduate staff. Employers benefit from:

Work Placements: GO Wales Work Placements give you the opportunity to attract the best students and graduates to your business. Employ a skilled individual to work on a short term project and receive a subsidy towards the salary costs.

Funding for training: If you recruit a graduate onto a GO Wales Placement with your company, you may be able to receive up to £500 towards business related training to help the graduate contribute the maximum possible benefit to your business.

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Work Tasters: GO Wales Work Tasters are flexible and designed to provide students and new graduates with a ‘taste’ of a particular career or working environment. They cost nothing as the student works free to gain an insight into a career or business sector.

Job Creation and Capital Investment

The Department for Economy, Science and Transport Business Finance offer allows companies to access discretionary financial assistance to invest in Wales depending upon the company demonstrating a need for our support.

The level of support is dependent upon location and the level of job creation. There are different “intervention rates” – i.e. the proportion of project costs – dependent on the level of prosperity of a given area.

The calculation that applies to the maximum contribution is as follows:

• Salary Costs over two years at an Intervention Rate based on your geographical location and total size of your company.

Tier 1

Tier 2

Non Assisted

Staff Euro T/O

Euro Balance Sheet

Large 30% 10% N/A

Medium 40% 20% 10% 250 50M 43M

Small 50% 30% 20% 50 10M 10M

These intervention rates apply to the figures for individual firms only. A firm which is part of larger grouping may need to include employee/turnover/balance sheet data from that grouping too.

For the details of how this works, see: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/

In Non Assisted areas, we are able to offer discretionary financial support under European De Minimis Regulations to a maximum of EUR 200,000, however, we are also able to offer an enhanced contribution to training and development costs.

Research, Development & Innovation

The challenges facing your organisation are increasingly complex. Stiff global competition, increased uncertainty, risk and rapidly changing markets mean that innovation in products, processes and technology is essential. You may be looking to improve efficiency, raise productivity, develop new ideas or tackle a problem that impacts on profitability.

Our Innovation and R&D funding can help with:

• Fundamental research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct practical application

• Industrial research is planned research or critical investigation aimed at acquisition of new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services or for bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services

• Experimental development is acquiring, combing, shaping and using existing scientific, technological, business and other relevant knowledge and skills for the purpose of producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services.


http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/



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Business Finance

Conwy

Denbighshire Wrexham

NeathPort

Talbot

The Vale of Glamorgan

CeredigionPowys

CarmarthenshirePembrokeshire

Isle ofAnglesey

Gwynedd

Flintshire

Swansea

Bridgend

Cardiff

Newport

Monmouthshire

CaerphillyTorfaenRhondda

Cynon Taf

BlaenauGwent

MerthyrTydfil

West Wales and The ValleysTier 1 area

Tier 2 area

PowysLocal Authority Boundary

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Academic Excellence for Business (A4B)

A4B is a programme of support fully funded by the Welsh Government and European Structural Funds, aimed at providing a simplified, integrated package of support for knowledge transfer from academia to business. Funding is provided to the academic institution with the benefits accruing to business.

Small enterprise Medium enterprise

Large enterprise Maximum euros

Fundamental Euros 100% 100% 20 million

Industrial 70% 60% 50% 10 million

Experimental 45% 35% 25% 7.5 million

In particular the Collaborative Industrial Research Project (CIRP) encourages small and medium sized employers (SMEs), large companies and academic institutions to carry out collaborative industrial R&D projects with the objective of:

• increasing business investment in R&D in Wales

• develop R&D expertise in Welsh businesses

• fully exploit the research base in Wales

• stimulate the formation of long-term collaborative relationships between academia, business and industry


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Positive impact on your operating costsA skilled and talented workforce is complemented by some of the most competitive salary and property costs in the United Kingdom.

Staff salary costs

You are successful through your ability to recruit and retain outstanding talent and your quality offering is sustained by your skilled, motivated people. The Spending Review requires that organisations must effectively manage their costs to deliver value and drive productivity. Managing staff salary costs is therefore critical. Wales can supply the excellence you need and demonstrate very competitive staff salary costs (see table below).

Average Salary – £ per week (2011)

Men Women Al

United Kingdom 538.5 445.1 500.7

London 706.4 585.2 650.9

South West 509.8 405.8 464.5

Wales 485.9 402.6 454.4

Source: Office for National Statistics; Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

“Legal & General have been able to keep our costs under control because of our operation in Wales.”

Nigel Wilson, Group CEO, Legal & General

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The average Graduate salary in Wales (£23,150) is 20% lower than the UK average (£29,000). Median annual pay in Wales’ capital, Cardiff (£21,570), is considerably lower than in London (£30,115) and lower than the majority of UK core cities.

Median Annual Pay by City (2011)

Median Salary(£)

Cardiff 21570

London 30115

Edinburgh 24712

Manchester 22815

Bristol 22449

Birmingham 22294

Salary Ranges (£) in selected roles

London Wales

Inbound Operator Min Max

15,000 26,000

13,000 18,000

Call Centre Team Leader Min Max

19,500 34,000

16,000 28,000

Telesales Executive Min Max

18,000 30,000

15,000 21,000

Purchasing Assistant Min Max

22,000 30,000

16,000 23,000

PC Support Min Max

24,673 33,210

18,000 24,000

Helpdesk Min Max

20,966 27,455

18,000 26,000

Graduate IT Trainee Min Max

24,750 28,997

20,000 25,000

Source: Reed Global Salary and Market Insight, 2012


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Developments in WalesIn April 2013 the First Minister established the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery. The establishment of this Commission provides an opportunity for those who are involved in delivering services, those who are politically accountable for them, and users of them to examine how public services are governed: that is, held accountable for their performance and delivered most effectively to the public. The Commission will report on its findings by the end of 2013.

The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) is an independent organisation, owned and directed by NHS Wales. NWSSP supports NHS Wales through the provision of a comprehensive range of high quality, customer focused support functions and services. The aim of the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership is to create a dedicated Shared Services organisation with a distinct identity, which:-

• shares common operating standards in line with best practice;

• has sufficient scale to optimise economies of scale and purchasing power;

• has an excellent customer care ethos and focus on service quality.

Welsh Government will fund and host a ‘National Procurement Service’ for Wales. This is a major public service innovation that has been collectively designed and will be delivered through the Public Service Leadership Group (PSLG). The PSLG has championed collaborative procurement in Wales as part of its work to support efficient and effective public services. Its Procurement work-stream has developed a business case for the creation of a vehicle to buy common and repetitive spend ‘once for Wales’. Over seventy public sector organisations have agreed to join, including

Local Authorities, Local Health Boards, Universities, Colleges, Fire Authorities, Police Forces and Welsh Government itself. The NPS is anticipated to set up and manage contracts to cover some 20-30% of total Welsh public sector expenditure, making best use of scarce skills and saving some £25m per year. It will be housed within Welsh Government, but accountable to a stakeholder NPS Board. It is expected to go live in November 2013, and it will build upon the collaborative procurement currently undertaken by the Value Wales division.

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A digital economy connected to your businessWales is at the forefront of ICT Development within the UK. The network is fully digital and linked via fibre-optic technology.

Businesses locating in Wales enjoy the advantages of:

• Advanced networks

• High speed connections between Wales and an international Internet hub

• A world-leading wireless broadband network in Cardiff

• Affordable broadband.

Superfast Cymru is a pioneering multimillion pound programme to bring nationwide superfast broadband to make Wales one of the best connected countries in the world.

The Welsh Government and BT are working in partnership through the Superfast Cymru programme to bring the benefits of superfast broadband to areas which are outside the roll-out plans of the private sector.

Cardiff is one of ten super-connected cities where funding has been allocated to enable BT and Virgin Media to strengthen their networks to deliver 80-100 Mbps broadband speeds.


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Data Centres

Next Generation Data (NGD) has invested some £200 million to create one of Europe’s largest and most technically advanced ‘green’ data-centres in Newport. The data-centre is situated in a 70,000 sq m facility owned by the Welsh Government. It is a carrier neutral centre with interconnect points for several major carriers. NGD is working to ensure the provision of direct international connectivity to the US and the rest of the world.

Cardiff is also home to the BT data centre in Cardiff Bay. The data centre was purpose-built to support the full range of BT hosting and managed service options. The site consists of three data halls capable of hosting an estimated total of 12,000 servers.

In addition, global technology giant Fujitsu is partnering with Universities in Wales to create a unique £40 million world-class super computing network, a research and innovation institute and a skills academy.

HPC (High Performance Computing) Wales is an innovative collaboration which gives businesses and researchers access to world-class, secure and easy to use high performance computing technology.

Its supercomputing infrastructure and service is unique to the UK. In partnership with Fujitsu and universities across Wales, it offers the supercomputing power, high level skills training and customised support necessary to help address global challenges, accelerate scientific breakthroughs and answer long-standing questions.

HPC services can help power business innovation and success, assist high impact academic research, and build high-quality HPC skills. From improving cancer treatment and optimising offshore wind farms, to rendering computer-generated imagery (CGI) for movies, HPC Wales’ services can benefit a wide variety of projects.

HPC Wales consists of:

• world-class HPC capacity – HPC Wales offers a pan Wales distributed network of computer clusters. Its ‘hub and spoke’ model provides resilience, shared storage and a wider use of possible applications

• HPC Institute – by facilitating strategic partnerships between the academic and private sector, HPC Wales will help accelerate research and development projects.

• HPC Skills Academy – HPC Wales will deliver technical courses and workshops to enhance HPC skills and capability across Wales.

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Fast transport linksExcellent transport links and communication are key to any organisation, but of particular importance to your organisation will be access to to your clients and partners.

Wales offers excellent access to the whole of the United Kingdom and beyond via efficient road, rail and air networks.

Cardiff is located just two and a half hours west of London on the M4 corridor offering quick and easy access to the UK capital. By rail a journey of just under two hours will take you from Cardiff Central Station to London Paddington, giving fast access to locations in the City and other key London locations. Significant investment by the UK and Welsh Governments will improve the rail network in South Wales and improve travel between London, Cardiff and Swansea – the electrification of the Great Western rail line will be completed in 2017 and will reduce many journey times by 20 minutes. On completion, the journey time between Cardiff and London Paddington will be 1 hour 45 minutes, whilst Cardiff to Canary Wharf will be just 2 hours.

Rail electrification in south Wales and the prospect of longer, faster trains, was first announced in 2011 by the Department of Transport. The main line upgrade to Cardiff, costing more than £1bn, is due to be completed by 2017. Work to electrify the south Wales main line as far as Swansea is expected to complete by 2018.

A further £350m investment will also see important commuter lines from Cardiff and Newport to the south Wales valleys electrified by 2019.

An excellent local transport infrastructure also links the surrounding region to central Cardiff – two thirds of Cardiff’s workforce commutes through train and bus links every day. There are over 500 trains into Cardiff from the local regional railways every weekday.

Manchester

Edinburgh

Airport

Wales

Container port

Liverpool John Lennon

Liverpool

Cardiff

Dublin

Milford HavenBristol

London

Birmingham

Heathrow

Gatwick

Holyhead

Southampton

Anglesey*


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Average Rail Travel Times (Pre-Electification)

From Cardiff To:Swansea 54mins

Newport 13mins

Bristol 48mins

Birmingham 2hrs

London (Paddington) 2hrs 7mins

From Wrexham To:Chester 20mins

Manchester 1hr 55mins

Liverpool 1hr 25mins

Birmingham 1hr 42mins

Source: National Rail

Air

Cardiff International Airport, just a 25 minute drive from the centre of Cardiff, offers a wide and rapidly expanding range of domestic, European and worldwide services including over 50 direct destinations, and over 400 worldwide connecting flights. The airport has recently been acquired by the Welsh Government, as part of its commitment to developing a dynamic and forward-looking economic infrastructure for Wales.

Drive Time Populations

Motorway connections and easy access ensure that Wales can be your gateway to the rest of the UK. Number of people living within easy commute – see table.

City Population Working Age Working Age + 30 Minutes

Working Age + 45 Minutes

Cardiff 336,200 231,700 1,020,500 1,975,800

Newport* 140,400 88,500 1,660,400 2,560,600

Swansea 230,300 149,300 739,800 1,172,000

* These statistics include neighbouring English counties, including the city of Bristol.

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Central Cardiff Enterprise ZoneCentral Cardiff Enterprise Zone (CCEZ) is a new 140-acre business district at the heart of the city centre, right beside Cardiff’s major rail hub.

The city’s Enterprise Zone status will attract major investment in infrastructure to see it become a leading business location. New developments include:

• Further enhancements to the city’s excellent ultrafast fibre-to-the-desk broadband connectivity through its ‘Super-Connected City’ status.

• Investment in new green electricity supplies and infrastructure, together with data storage capacity to meet the future needs of businesses in the zone.

• Significant investment in new high quality office space, to Grade A, BREEAM excellent rated standard if required.

• A new central transport interchange including a new city/bay metro transport system, linking together the various business hubs of Cardiff

• Investment in public realm works and architectural treatments to new buildings.


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Assigning Enterprise Zone status to a major area within Cardiff city centre shows the Welsh Government’s commitment to putting Cardiff on the international business map, and encouraging

investment in business infrastructure.

Organisations that locate to the zone will be given easy access to key decision makers within the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council to fast-track their move. They will respond rapidly to requirements and will deliver bespoke buildings as required. The Enterprise Zone’s Board will ensure everything is put in place to meet the specific needs of businesses and organisations in the Zone.

Each organisation or business will be allocated a dedicated point of contact to be introduced to the unrivalled package of support available through the Welsh Government.

For example generous training support packages are available, and a new Business Academy is planned to support future employers in the zone.

The CCEZ will build on Cardiff’s reputation as the fastest growing city in the UK for financial services.

Find out more at centralcardiffenterprisezone.wales.gov.uk

http://enterprisezones.wales.gov.uk/enterprise-zone-locations/central-cardiff/

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Having the right solutions to your property needsRental costs and charges are key factors in overall operational costs. Wales benefits from very low lease costs compared to England and Grade A properties are available at extremely competitive prices.

Cardiff Central Enterprise Zone is situated next to the city’s main railway station and bus terminal and provides a competitive property offer with headline office rates of £21 per sq ft and Grade A space ranging from £15 – £22 per sq ft.

The Cardiff property offer also includes BREEAM accredited and energy efficient buildings within walking distance of retail and leisure amenities. Cardiff City Centre is a highly accessible and sustainable business location. For organisations looking for bespoke offices, schemes can be procured for businesses requiring their own premises subject to meeting traditional covenant requirements. In addition to Grade A space, there are also other premises available at competitive prices.

Elsewhere along the main M4 (West to East) and A55 (North to South) road links, there are a range of affordable, good quality offices available ranging from £10 to £22 per square foot dependent upon location and quality.

UK office total occupancy costs (£) based on prime rent (psf), rates (psf) and service charge

0

50

100

150

200

London W

est E

nd

London C

ity

London D

ocklan

ds

Reading

Edinburg

h

Man

ches

ter

Birmingham

Bristo

l

Oxford

Cardiff

Newport

(Wale

s)

Swanse

a

“Cardiff is the most competitive UK location for office occupancy costs.”

DTZ 2011


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Financial & Professional Services cluster Wales provides a low cost, low risk base within the legal jurisdiction of England & Wales and is part of the UK and within the EU. It is the ideal location for your organisation.

Wales is home to a number of legal services firms, insurance brokers and other Financial & Professional Services firms, including:

Legal

• Eversheds

• Hugh James

• Geldards

• Morgan Cole

• Capital Law

• Clarks Legal

• NewLaw

• Involegal

• Gamlins

• Civitas

• DAC Beachcroft

Insurance Bokerage

• Bluefin Insurance Services;

• Culham Capital Ventures;

• Giles Insurance Brokers Limited;

• Lloyds TSB Insurance;

• Moorhouse Group; and

• Thomas Carroll Group.

Insurers

• Admiral;

• Atradius;

• DAS Legal;

• Equity Red Star (Claims); and

• Zurich, Cardiff.

Comparison sites

• Confused.com; and

• Go Compare.

There are a number of large shared service centres which are largely concentrated in the public sector, the main example being the Ministry of Justice HR & Finance Centre at Newport, which employs about 800 people.

Other organizations with shared services centres that incorporate the HR function include:

• Creditsafe;

• D S Smith; and

• Department of Transport.

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Business Process ManagementIn terms of expertise in pensions’ provision and administration, Legal & General employs 1400 people in the centre of the Cardiff, mainly in customer service surrounding its protection business. It has partnered with Cardiff University to create the largest Medical Underwriting Academy in the UK.

Around 800 Ministry of Justice shared service centre staff are based in Newport, with a further 300 staff employed at other satellite locations across the UK. Please see Case Study for further information.

Tesco manages its pension scheme from Cardiff and Xafinity also has offices here.

Quantum Advisory is based here and has been working on research with Cardiff Business School regarding managing pension fund deficits.

NewLaw set up its Cardiff operation in 2010 and now employs 300 people in its Cardiff office, specialising in personal injury claims.

“The challenge we face at shared services is to achieve targets to reduce costs year-on-year, whilst ensuring we listen to what our customers and clients want and continue to provide a valued service. All shared services staff have embraced the change and we are already delivering real changes that benefit the business, its clients and customers.”

Marc Penny, Service Improvement Manager, Ministry of Justice, Newport (see Case Study)


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A great environment for business and leisureWales has attracted visitors since the days of the Roman Empire. They liked it so much they stayed for over 300 years – we hope you’ll like us, too.

Wales has an area of approximately 21,000km2. That means plenty of space for you to explore, from 300km of beautiful coastline to rugged mountains.

We’ve got over 600 castles in Wales, including Caerphilly castle, one of the largest castles in Europe, and Caernarfon Castle, one of Europe’s great

medieval fortresses.

In Wales, you can enjoy major events, from international sport such as the Ryder Cup, and international rugby to international arts festivals such as Artes Mundi and opera at the Millennium Centre. Wales has two Premiership football teams who will this year welcome Manchester United and Chelsea.

Wales delivers all of the quality of life you would expect from a UK location and at a very competitive cost.

The average price for a detached house in the capital Cardiff is £250,877 – below that in London, Reading, Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds. The average “all property” price in Cardiff is significantly lower than the average for England.

Housing stock in Wales wide and varied from city centre Victorian terraces to ultra-modern waterfront developments to hilltop farms.

The capital, Cardiff, offers:

• A top 5 UK shopping city

• 19 million visitors each year

• International sporting events at the Millennium Stadium

• The Wales Millennium Centre – the base for Welsh National Opera, one of the UK’s most visited cultural attractions outside of London

• More green space per head than any other UK city

• Less than 45 minutes from a National Park and in close proximity to some of the UK’s best beaches

• Cardiff International Sports Village – a £1.2 billion landmark project with an international swimming pool and an Olympic standard canoeing and white water centre, with snow box and a multi purpose arena supported by hotels, bars restaurants, retail and residential areas

“Cardiff is the epitome of cool.”

Lonely Planet

29


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Case Study: Ministry of JusticeMinistry of Justice and Lean Thinking – Transforming Services Working Methods and creating Profitable Growth

Here in Wales, relocation acts as a catalyst to deliver cost reduction, efficiency gains, improve working practices and to create an outstanding reputation.

The Ministry of Justice Shared Services department is regarded as the exemplar within government for the provision of back office shared services.

The Leadership Team recognised the value of continuing business transformation as fundamental to the creation of a culture focused on delivering efficiency savings and driving improvements. As such, it developed a strong working relationship with the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC) at Cardiff University.

The partnership approach between LERC and the Service Improvement team of the Newport Shared Services Centre has led to the development of a 3 tiered programme to provide Lean and Change skills to all levels within the department. Courses designed for Service Managers, first line managers and administrative staff means that Lean ways of thinking are embedded throughout the organisation and have become part of the way of working. These courses designed in partnership with LERC have been accredited by their Lean Competency framework giving staff formal recognition for the improvement work they undertake.

Around 750 Ministry of Justice staff are based in the main Newport offices, with a further 300 staff employed at other satellite locations across the UK.

Service Improvement work is part of day to day business in the department which has resulted in

both cost savings and improvements in service that shared services offer to its customer. The success of the partnership with LERC has created other tangible results.

In both 2009 & 2011, at the Annual Welsh Contact Centre and Shared Services Awards, Ministry of Justice Shared Services was named winner in the category ‘Most Improved Operational Effectiveness in Shared Services’. Despite the strong competition from both public and private sector organisations, the Award recognises the departments’ outstanding achievements in:

• Inclusive staff engagement

• Accredited and comprehensive training programme

• Alignment with meeting business objectives

• Balancing corporate needs (cost reduction and efficiency gains) with client needs (quality of service delivery).

“Our Newport site opened in May 2006 and is now playing a crucial role in delivering a quality service. Factors which helped to determine our location were the ready availability of good quality offices, easy access to a large and skilled workforce and the help and support of the Welsh Government.”

Steve Hodgson, former Head of the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS), Newport

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“We have successfully executed plans to achieve large scale savings, vastly improved administrative performance and modernised working practise. This level of genuine cash savings, speed of business change and step change in service would be hard to find elsewhere in central Government.”

Steve Hodgson, former Head of the National

Offenders Management Service (NOMS), Newport

“The challenge we face at shared services is to achieve targets to reduce costs year-on-year, whilst ensuring we listen to what our customers and clients want and continue to provide a valued service. All shared services staff have embraced the change and we are already delivering real changes that benefit the business, its clients and customers.”

Marc Penny, Service Improvement Manager, Ministry of Justice, Newport

Case Study: Office for National StatisticsNumbers add up in South Wales for Office for National StatisticsReliable and impartial statistics are vital for policy-making and planning the proper allocation of resources to ensure a fair society.

For the government department at the centre of the UK’s system of official statistics, moving nearly 1000 jobs from a central London location to Newport, south Wales, without impacting on its vital service, was no mean feat.

However, it is a move that has paid dividends for the Office for National Statistics, which employs some 3,250 staff and gathers and analyses information to improve our understanding of the UK’s economy and society.

Officials were attracted to the many advantages offered by Newport – where a third of its staff was already located – with people, property, location and cost effectiveness all high on the list.

They found a local workforce with the skills and qualifications to meet their recruitment needs. Moreover, they are now paying a fifth of the cost of London floor space for an attractive corporate headquarters next to the M4 motorway which boasts facilities including an on-site creche, gym, car parking, shop and restaurant.

The organisation embarked on its relocation back in 2004 and completed the transition in carefully managed phases to ensure service delivery wasn’t disrupted and that the ONS continued to provide authoritative, timely and accessible statistics and analysis.

Only around 15% of London staff decided to relocate to Wales, which is typical of other organisations’ experiences when moving headquarters, but those that did move report high levels of satisfaction with their new homes, commenting on improved quality of life, lower house prices and significantly shorter commuting times.


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At last count the number of staff employed at the Newport site was around 1500.

According to Chief Economist and Executive Director Joe Grice, attracting candidates to fill the roles on offer was a very positive experience:

“We recruited around 700 people from, for example, Newport, Cardiff, the south Wales valleys and Bristol, of whom around 30% were graduates. We found there was an abundance of highly-qualified and eager candidates, which meant our recruitment experience was very satisfactory. We managed to build a workforce quickly that is of a quality as high as, or higher than, we would have found in London.

“Even with skills that can sometimes prove difficult to access on a wide scale such as IT we have been able to recruit people with the necessary qualifications and experience to meet all of our needs. Also, staff turnover in Newport is lower than in London, which means we save on recruitment and training costs in the longer term, which ultimately benefits the taxpayer.”

The Newport headquarters has become a centre of statistical excellence and most key ONS products, apart from the Census and population figures, are produced there, including retail sales, inflation indices, statistics on employment and unemployment, gross domestic product and the main measurements of the UK’s production and services sectors. Staff working together on one site means they generate ideas and share experience and best practice. The move has also reduced the risks associated with working on different sites and has facilitated better management and planning.

South Wales has benefited as it is retaining more highly skilled people, and graduates are increasingly seeing that they don’t have to go to London to get to the top of their chosen profession.

The ONS has built strong links with the Higher Education sector in south Wales and Bristol which

has proved invaluable in providing a ready-made recruitment base. In addition, it has worked closely with the University of Cardiff to develop a Masters degree in applied statistics and has had significant input into the content and syllabus.

Joe Grice explained that the HE sector has been very keen to work collaboratively with the organisation and that there are real synergies not just in terms of recruitment but in respect of the professional areas in which the ONS operates.

Another notable collaboration initiative is a partnership between the Government Economics Service and University of the West of England to develop an MSc in economics, which will prove valuable to the ONS as it employs a large number – currently around 50 and rising – of economists in Newport.

Summarising the many benefits of relocating to Newport, he concluded:

“Our staff benefit from a modern facility with a range of handy amenities in a very pleasant location next to Tredegar Park, which is popular for lunchtime picnics and jogs. The motorway is only seconds away, public transport links are excellent and all of this comes at a fraction of London office costs.

“Relocating also gave us a unique opportunity to think about the way we do business and allowed us to assess our processes and come up with more efficient ways of generating outputs.

“Overall our experience of relocating to south Wales has been overwhelmingly positive and I have no doubt that this was absolutely the right move for the ONS.”

“We managed to build a workforce quickly that is of a quality as high as, or higher than, we would have found in London.”

Joe Grice, Office for National Statistics

To find out more

Your Business Development Manager can offer advice and assistance with funding, property solutions and a range of other matters. To find out more, please contact:

Malcolm Davies, Business Development Manager, Financial & Professional Services, Welsh Government

Tel: ≠+44 (0)7967 357 163 Email: [email protected]

WG19508 / G/MH/4893 / 0813 © Crown copyright 2013

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