A bit more background: having a main and backup supercomputer on-premises was no longer feasible since a more powerful SC would require more electricity than the current infrastructure for Exeter can deliver. And the main and standby sites are too close together to be really effective for disaster recovery anyway. So the outsourced solution is sited near a source of hydropower. That’ll leave the main computer hall at Met Office HQ empty, and also the hall for the standby at the Science Park. The building at Science Park is underutilised for other purposes and is therefore surplus to requirements.

Remote working has also meant that the HQ site is not at capacity and so the Met Office has leased some of that space to other government agencies.

In this rare case, a government agency is doing something sensible regarding its facilities.

Source: I live in Exeter, am a techie and know a lot of techies. Many work at the Met Office.