A former senior civil servant suggests that the Welsh government sell its Cardiff headquarters in Cathays Park and establish a smaller office in Cardiff Bay. Current attendance figures indicate that only 19% of staff worked in the office daily as of March, significantly down from 2,500 pre-pandemic. First Minister Eluned Morgan emphasized that maintaining the current offices is unjustifiable with such low attendance rates. Des Clifford advocated for the new site to foster closer collaboration between civil servants and the Senedd, arguing that traditional office routines are outdated.
Des Clifford, former head of the first minister's office in Cathays Park, stated that the average office attendance of 19% necessitates selling the Cardiff headquarters. He advocated for establishing a smaller office near the Senedd instead.
The current average daily attendance at Cathays Park is 576 employees, a stark contrast to the pre-Covid figure of 2,500. Eluned Morgan concluded that justifying the retention of the complex is untenable if this trend continues.
Clifford claimed that the traditional office working model of five days a week is obsolete and suggested selling Cathays Park to a nearby university for better proximity and interaction between government officials and the Senedd.
The Cathays Park complex is not only functionally redundant but also physically unattractive, meriting a reassessment of its role in the Welsh government’s future operations.
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