Government Offices for the Regions
The Government Offices (GOs) represent central government in nine regions
across England, and our corporate centre is the Regional Co-ordination Unit
(RCU). All ten offices operate as a dynamic, united national GO Network.
The GOs were created in 1994 to bring together the regional offices of
(initially) four government departments. In 2000, GOs were made the key
representatives of government in the regions. GOs draw staff from
Whitehall, local government, the private and voluntary sectors to combine
their experience of policy and delivery.
The GOs now represent eleven Whitehall (or ‘sponsor’) departments, and each
GO has a Regional Director who leads the Network’s relationship with a
sponsor department.
The Governance
of Britain Green Paper [External PDF, 63 pages],
published on 3 July 2007, set out the role of Regional Ministers in high
level terms. These Ministers are responsible for providing a clear sense of
strategic direction for their region. Regional Ministers also give citizens
a voice in central government, ensuring that government policy takes
account of the differing needs of each region.
