Birmingham and Leeds Department for Transport offices planned

The Department for Transport has announced plans to create a second headquarters in Birmingham and a new "northern hub" in Leeds.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP said the move will create 650 roles across the two cities.

The Birmingham site will include ministerial offices, with ministers expected to spend "a significant amount of time there", he said

The government wants to move 22,000 civil servants out of London by 2030.

Mr Shapps said the relocation was "part of a significant wider culture change across Whitehall".

"Transport is absolutely vital to the local communities we serve and having hubs in major cities like Birmingham and Leeds will offer a fresh perspective on how we can better serve these areas," he added.

News of the relocation comes on top of the recent announcement to move a "significant part" of the Treasury from London to Darlington and to create the UK's first infrastructure bank in Leeds.

Meanwhile, in February it was revealed that a second Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) headquarters is to be created in Wolverhampton.

Responding to Monday's announcement, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: "Along with the relocation of MHCLG to Wolverhampton, this is a major vote of confidence in the West Midlands and a huge jobs boost at what is an incredibly difficult economic time.

"I'm delighted that after months of making the case we've won through, and a second major government department will be calling the West Midlands home."

James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, added: "This shows once more the importance of Leeds, not just to our region but to the north of England and the UK.

"Investment in transport is central to our plans for the future and I hope the presence of more decision-makers in our city helps ensure the case for further investment in Leeds is heard."

The government said it has allocated £65m over the next two years to cover office work for the proposed relocations.