Universal’s new UK resort is promising 28,000 jobs – the government has just started working out who gets them
Key Points
- Universal's Bedford theme park will create 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent roles once it opens in 2031.
- Eight councils across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire now sit on the group deciding how those benefits reach their areas.
- Universal aims to recruit around 80% of its workforce from Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes and neighbouring areas.
- More than 18,000 people have already registered interest in working at the resort.
- A Socio-Economic Taskforce will run apprenticeships, internships and training routes ahead of the 2031 opening.
Tourism minister Stephanie Peacock has convened leaders from eight local authorities in Bedford to begin deciding how the jobs, training and supply contracts attached to the Universal United Kingdom Resort get spread across the region.
Peacock chaired the roundtable at The Swan Hotel in Bedford, bringing together council leaders and chief executives from Bedford Borough Council, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Central Bedfordshire Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Luton Borough Council, Milton Keynes City Council, North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council.
The MPs for Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire attended, alongside a senior representative from Universal. It was the first meeting of its kind since the government signed its agreement with Comcast NBCUniversal in June.
The resort will create 20,000 jobs during the construction period and employ 8,000 people in its first year of operation, rising towards 10,000 by the 20th year.
Universal estimates the development will deliver nearly £50 billion for the UK economy and draw 8.5 million visitors in its opening year.
Where the jobs go
Universal is targeting around 80% local recruitment, drawing from Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes and the surrounding area.
More than 18,000 people have already registered interest in working at the site, according to Bedford Borough Council, with the same 80% share living locally.
Four groups will handle the delivery work. Three cover the Creative Industries, Culture and Heritage, and the Visitor Economy. A fourth, the Socio-Economic Taskforce, will prepare the local workforce through apprenticeships, internships and training routes aimed at young people and those early in their careers.
The government has not published dates, volumes or trades for any of these schemes.
The 476-acre site at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks began construction in January 2026 and opens in 2031. The government is putting £1.3 billion into transport and community infrastructure, including an expanded Wixams railway station and new slip roads from the A421.
“This is about putting power and opportunity into local communities, driving growth and bringing pride to every postcode,” said Peacock.
