THE CLOSURE of Admiral House in Newport will be a “blow to the city”, as around 900 jobs will be moved from the city centre.

On Wednesday, Admiral announced it was “consolidating its South Wales property portfolio in response to its commitment to hybrid working”.

The changes will see the company close two offices in Cardiff and Swansea, in addition to the phased closure of its Admiral House office in Newport.

Those currently working in Newport will, after the closure, be transferred to the remaining Cardiff office – where there will be a mixture of office work and working from home.

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In Newport, the firm will begin to reduce the amount of space it occupies in Admiral House by 50 per cent from January 2022, vacating the site completely from 2023.

Jayne Bryant, MS for Newport West, said that the move was a “blow” to Newport city centre, and that relocating the jobs to Cardiff would mean longer commuting times for office-based staff.

“This is a blow for Newport with jobs moving out of our city centre,” she said. “Admiral and its workforce have been important to Newport and I know the company has always prided itself on its South Wales roots.

“While offering the workforce flexibility in where they work is positive, moving jobs out of Newport and putting them all in Cardiff does not fit with the need to encourage people to work closer to home. 

“I know that Newport City Council will be working with Admiral closely as this develops. I am also seeking meetings with both Admiral and the Minister for the Economy to discuss the impact of this decision.”   

Newport council has said it will be working with the landlord of Admiral House to find new tenants for the building.

“We will work closely with Admiral and their landlord over the coming weeks and months to ensure the opportunities for use of this city-centre building are fully explored and secured,” said Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of Newport City Council.

“There is still significant demand for grade A office space in Newport and the Admiral building, located in a prime position opposite the mainline station, has much to offer businesses.

“With wider moves towards a mix of home and office working, and regional and local business hubs, we will support the landlord to secure new tenants and ensure the offer is flexible to meet the needs of a changing working culture.

“We are confident that businesses will recognise this an opportunity to locate themselves in a prime, sustainable and well-connected area of the city.”

Around 900 people currently work at Admiral House, although the majority of those have been working from home throughout pandemic.

Admiral confirmed there will be no job losses as a result of the move.

Unite has said it will be supporting its members affected by the move.

Andrea Jones, Unite regional officer said: “This will be a worrying time for Admiral employees who work at their Newport Office. Unite will be supporting our members affected by this closure.”