HSBC headquarters to relocate from London to Birmingham

[Digga]

AyBee said:

Imagine there are some extremely nice places within commute distance of Birmingham that would be tempting.

Ssshhhh! Don't tell everyone!

TBH, on the mainline, it's not too much harder to commute to London than it is to drive to Brum from Stafford at certain times of the day. If the Midlands is going to develop, the road network needs more of a kick up the arse than the ongoing for fking nearly a decade, reclaim of the M6 hardshoulder botch-job is ever going to achieve.

[Pickled Piper]

Digga said:

AyBee said:

Imagine there are some extremely nice places within commute distance of Birmingham that would be tempting.

Ssshhhh! Don't tell everyone!

Exactly, as a Southern émigré now firmly ensconced in the Midlands, the last thing I want is for other Southerners coming up here enjoying our favourite hooning roads and open spaces.

pp

[eatcustard]

I recommend all the HSBC people moving up from London to move to Sparkbrook, its a top place to live.

[Loudy McFatass]

eatcustard said:

I recommend all the HSBC people moving up from London to move to Sparkbrook, its a top place to live.

Or Alum Rock is another good shout.

[CrutyRammers]

Digga said:

Ssshhhh! Don't tell everyone!

TBH, on the mainline, it's not too much harder to commute to London than it is to drive to Brum from Stafford at certain times of the day. If the Midlands is going to develop, the road network needs more of a kick up the arse than the ongoing for fking nearly a decade, reclaim of the M6 hardshoulder botch-job is ever going to achieve.

Botch job? It's "smart". "Upgrading to Smart motorways" the signs say, how can anyone think that's a botch job.

[anonymous-user]

I'd never move for a job. Friends have, then job ends or the company relocate again. You are then trapped somewhere you didn't choose.
As others said, moving back to the banking capital will more than likely be unaffordable.
I guess most HSBC staff will say thanks but no thanks & stay in London & take a hopefully generous payout/redundancy.

[theboss]

Digga said:

AyBee said:

Imagine there are some extremely nice places within commute distance of Birmingham that would be tempting.

Ssshhhh! Don't tell everyone!

TBH, on the mainline, it's not too much harder to commute to London than it is to drive to Brum from Stafford at certain times of the day. If the Midlands is going to develop, the road network needs more of a kick up the arse than the ongoing for fking nearly a decade, reclaim of the M6 hardshoulder botch-job is ever going to achieve.

Unfortunately I'm not close enough to Stafford to make effective use of the WCML but I have applied the same argument often - I've commuted daily from Shropshire and held down a desk-based contract in a London bank for a year or more at a time because I get out of the area very early on and can be in London in a little over 2.5 hours. It can take me 2 hours to get across the Midlands when rush hour traffic is in full flow. The abundance of work and better rates in London means unless something exceptional comes up in the Midlands I'll always end up working down here.

[Sheepshanks]

Fittster said:

The bank said about 1,000 jobs will be transferred from the UK capital as part of the move, starting in mid-2017."

1,000 jobs might transfer but I bet the number of people that will re-locate will be tiny.

Bit more brutal, but when the Office for National Statistics moved to Newport so many people left that it couldn't function properly.

[Andy Zarse]

Loudy McFatass said:

eatcustard said:

I recommend all the HSBC people moving up from London to move to Sparkbrook, its a top place to live.

Or Alum Rock is another good shout.

"Yow want a mouthfulla blood an' tayth?"

[Ali G]

Bit more brutal...

'Your role has been transferred elsewhere'

'You are now displaced' aka - redundant (allegedly)

Allegedy, the mantra in HSBC is 'move it now' - 'fix it later'

Allegedly.

Those who make decisions know what they are doing - allegedly.

Allegedly.



Probably ways and means to accomplish such relocations within law - which HSBC will ignore (allegedly).
If there were a vote on the best Steward in the Bar, then it would be HSBC that I would vote as the foremost Bar Steward present.

edited to correct stuff - and to add that I am not employed by HSBC

Edited by Ali G on Tuesday 31st March 19:04

[MarshPhantom]

OzzyR1 said:

One of my friends moved to Brum recently as an analyst with Deutsche.

Swapped her two bed Farringdon flat for a 5+ bed house in a couple of acres out near Bridgnorth somewhere.

Loves it.

Could have moved somewhere less central and still kept all that London has to offer and got a nice house too. Bridgenorth to Brum isn't exactly an easy journey.

[Sheepshanks]

MarshPhantom said:

OzzyR1 said:

One of my friends moved to Brum recently as an analyst with Deutsche.

Swapped her two bed Farringdon flat for a 5+ bed house in a couple of acres out near Bridgnorth somewhere.

Loves it.

Could have moved somewhere less central and still kept all that London has to offer and got a nice house too. Bridgenorth to Brum isn't exactly an easy journey.

Don't analysts usually get in very early? In which case it would be OK as it's not far, but it would be a horrible journey during peak periods.

Not very handy for an airport though.

As Ozzy wrote, it's Bridgnorth - no e.

[McWigglebum4th]

MarshPhantom said:

Could have moved somewhere less central and still kept all that London has to offer and got a nice house too. Bridgenorth to Brum isn't exactly an easy journey.

What having your head stuffed into the armpit of a sweaty idiot on the tube

[MarshPhantom]

McWigglebum4th said:

MarshPhantom said:

Could have moved somewhere less central and still kept all that London has to offer and got a nice house too. Bridgenorth to Brum isn't exactly an easy journey.

What having your head stuffed into the armpit of a sweaty idiot on the tube

If you live in South London you're not forced use the tube, can't stand it myself.

[theboss]

MarshPhantom said:

OzzyR1 said:

One of my friends moved to Brum recently as an analyst with Deutsche.

Swapped her two bed Farringdon flat for a 5+ bed house in a couple of acres out near Bridgnorth somewhere.

Loves it.

Could have moved somewhere less central and still kept all that London has to offer and got a nice house too. Bridgenorth to Brum isn't exactly an easy journey.

I wouldn't say it was any worse than a typical home counties commute into London other than for the fact you'd need to drive ~25-35 mins to get to any of the nearest stations followed by a comparatively quick and inexpensive train journey.

What you wouldn't want to do is try and drive there... the West Midlands' road network is seriously dysfunctional during rush hour.

[Digga]

CrutyRammers said:

Botch job? It's "smart". "Upgrading to Smart motorways" the signs say, how can anyone think that's a botch job.

Clearly I have misunderstood and stand corrected.

theboss said:

Unfortunately I'm not close enough to Stafford to make effective use of the WCML but I have applied the same argument often - I've commuted daily from Shropshire and held down a desk-based contract in a London bank for a year or more at a time because I get out of the area very early on and can be in London in a little over 2.5 hours. It can take me 2 hours to get across the Midlands when rush hour traffic is in full flow. The abundance of work and better rates in London means unless something exceptional comes up in the Midlands I'll always end up working down here.

I personally don't do it, but all I know is that Mrs Digga tends to be happier when her work dictates travel to London than Brum - the former by train, the latter normally by car.

As I've said elsewhere on PH before, in the late seventies Digga snr used to commute to work from Stafford jct13 M6 to M5 jct 2 at Oldbury in half an hour. (Mk1 & Mk2 Granadas in case anyone on PH 'needs' to know. )

[Crush]

AyBee said:

Imagine there are some extremely nice places within commute distance of Birmingham that would be tempting.

Stourbridge is not too bad and only a 90 minute drive away during rush hour.

[theboss]

Crush said:

AyBee said:

Imagine there are some extremely nice places within commute distance of Birmingham that would be tempting.

Stourbridge is not too bad and only a 90 minute drive away during rush hour.

Or a 25 minute train journey and free parking at the station....

[Lucas CAV]

Crush said:

Stourbridge is not too bad and only a 90 minute drive away during rush hour.

How on earth do you make the trip last that long?

[Crush]

Lucas CAV said:

Crush said:

Stourbridge is not too bad and only a 90 minute drive away during rush hour.

How on earth do you make the trip last that long?

I didn't finish work until 1800 going in for 0700 was ok, but coming home was a nightmare (working in Newtown end of Birmingham)