"WE want thousands of government jobs to move to York and North Yorkshire." That was today's demand from Imelda Havers, the new chief executive of york-england.com, the region's newly-re-constituted Inward investment Board.

Mrs Havers was this afternoon holding an eyeball-to-eyeball meeting with officials involved in the Government's Public Sector Relocation Project.

It was set up after the Government declared last March that it would like to see many of its public service organisations move out of the South East.

They include Ministry departments not only in London, but also in places like Newbury, Reading and Southampton, where the overheated economy means inflated costs.

The Government's independent Lyon Review was to have reported on relocation possibilities next month, but that has now been postponed until January.

Mrs Havers was taking a starring role at a conference at Westminster University, London, to present York and North Yorkshire as the best place to relocate.

The conference was organised for project officials by relocation experts Tenon Techlocate and public sector advisers Governetz.

Also there with the object of luring the Government into their own parlours were inward investment officials from places like Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the East Midlands.

But Mrs Havers was thought to stand a good chance of attracting some of the public sector investment because North Yorkshire is more central than any of the competitors and the ancient capital of York has historically laid claim to have been the base of the Government in the North of England.

She told the Government officials that few places had better transport links and communications, and stressed both the quality of life in the region as well as quality of workforce.

Updated: 09:38 Tuesday, November 25, 2003