THE Office for National Statistics headquarters, combined with the Intellectual Property Office is Newport’s biggest employer.

And the site which houses the government organisations – between Tredegar House Country Park and the A48 – is being both modernised and expanded, which can only bode well for the city’s future.

A year ago, the ONS announced a £17-million investment in statistics, and as part of this a £10-million upgrade of its Newport HQ includes the establishment of its ‘Data Science Campus’ – opening today – which will use new data sources and technologies to provide more detailed statistics about the UK economy and society.

Campus managing director Tom Smith says the ONS has an ongoing commitment to making Newport the home of world-class statistics, and the staff are a big part of this.

It’s true that many of the country’s top statisticians are based in Newport, but the site provides a wide range of jobs in the work it does and is a key part of the local economy.

This multi-million-pound investment demonstrates a commitment to those jobs both now and in the foreseeable future.