Alliance Finance Spokesperson Andrew Muir MLA has called for soon-to-be established civil servant e-hubs to be located in town centres across Northern Ireland.

The e-hubs, which provide similar facilities to main offices but closer to workers’ homes, are seen as a way to combine working from home with the traditional office experience, particularly for those outside cities. Finance Minister Conor Murphy has stated he is planning on establishing regional hubs in the wake of the pandemic.

“The pandemic has seen huge changes to the way we all work and this is likely to lead to longer term shifts in the traditional office based model,” said North Down MLA Mr Muir.

“Agile working would see a mix of time spent working from home and the office, which is a balance many people might appreciate. Regional e-hubs for civil servants would allow people to have the best of both worlds – a separate working environment, meeting with colleagues, as well as cutting down daily commute times.

“Locating them in town centres would see direct benefits, with more people on the high street during the day, using shops, cafes and restaurants. We need to be proactive in supporting our high street in the times ahead and I would urge the Finance Minster to progress his plans for regional e-hubs as soon as possible, choosing town centres as the preferred location, except where sites are already in place, such as Ballykelly and Rathgael House in Bangor.”