Another government agency moves north

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has announced plans to relocate to Manchester, creating 150 jobs.

It is the latest in a trend of government departments relocating to the city, which has included the General Medical Council and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Over the last 18 months around 1,500 new jobs will have been created in Manchester when government departments have relocated to the city.

The PHSO was created to independently investigate complaints where government and public bodies in the UK have acted in an unfair manner or provided an unsatisfactory service. The department will be recruiting staff over the coming months including caseworkers and operation managers.

Director of customer services James Johnstone said that one of the main reasons for choosing to relocate to Manchester was "the high quality workforce and large number of graduates available."