PCS members at MHCLG ballot for strike action

The members are in dispute over office closures, mandatory office attendance and changes to recruitment opportunities.

PCS members at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will be balloted for industrial action from 2 March to 15 April in a dispute centred on three key issues: office closures, the imposition of a mandatory 60% office attendance policy, and changes to recruitment opportunities.

The department’s plans affect 367 staff across six regional offices. By 2 March 2026, four of those offices will have closed, with three already shut leaving employees facing uncertainty, significantly longer commutes and restricted career progression.

MHCLG played a crucial role in delivering the 2025 Employment Rights Act under then deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, and the same department is now facing industrial action under the Act’s provisions.

The affected offices are in:

  • Newcastle
  • Exeter
  • Truro
  • Warrington
  • Birmingham
  • Sheffield

The closures were announced without meaningful consultation and an Equalities Impact Assessment was not provided to ministers before the decision was made.

Under the new arrangements, some staff could face commutes of up to two hours each way, with the closures and rigid attendance policy disproportionately impacting upon disabled staff, carers and those with neurodivergent conditions.

Proposed recruitment changes would also end location-neutral recruitment, limiting opportunities for staff based outside larger offices and undermining MHCLG’s stated commitment to regional equality.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “It is disappointing to see a department which helped deliver landmark employment rights legislation now impose sweeping changes without proper consultation.

“These office closures, rigid attendance rules and recruitment restrictions risk damaging staff wellbeing and reduce the regional opportunities available to members.

“We are calling on MHCLG to halt these plans, engage meaningfully with PCS and ensure that its workplace practices reflect the standards it expects of employers across the country.”