FEATURE
Treasury North – Darlington was revealed as the preferred location for a new regional economic campus , bringing more than 750 jobs to the region . and Bradford but has emerged as the successful location for the northern division of the Treasury .
Darlington MP Peter Gibson said : “ This is a truly fantastic day for Darlington and Teesside .
“ The chancellor has really delivered for Darlington . Bringing the heart of government to our town shows faith and trust in what we have to offer , and clearly shows the government ’ s commitment to levelling up .”
Mayor Houchen added : “ For too long areas like Teesside , Darlington and Hartlepool have been left behind and local people could be forgiven for thinking we were often an afterthought . Well , that ends today .
“ This move will put local priorities and local people from across our area at the heart of government , as well as creating good quality , well-paid jobs for local people .
“ Our children will grow up with the confidence that a top government job is within reach and that such a top career can be built right here in this great region .”
Labour ’ s Tees Valley mayoral candidate , Jessie Joe Jacobs , believes
Darlington ’ s success in winning the race for Treasury North will keep the entire region in the government ’ s thoughts .
“ It is a good day for the Tees Valley ,” she said on the day .
“ I and many of us campaigned for Treasury jobs to come to one of our town centres .
“ I was worried the Tees mayor seemed to be only pushing the airport site . So this is great news that the government are backing Darlington and one of our brilliant town centres .
“ Between 2010 and 2020 , we lost 6,680 civil servant jobs in the North-East . Many of those were in this area , so this will be a massive and very welcome boost for the area , with at least some of these types of jobs returning .
“ A Treasury North was in the 2019 Labour manifesto . It will bring jobs and investment to the town , increase footfall on the high street and spending in local businesses .”
Meanwhile , Labour ’ s Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham said : “ We needed a Budget that laid the foundations of a post-Covid world and rebuilt the economy with a long-term plan .
“ The Tees Valley needed a Budget to help replace the extra 12,500 jobs lost in the last 11 months – six for every one announced over the last three years . What we got was short-termism from a chancellor and another of those promises of jobs for our area without the investment and detail needed to deliver them .”
He added : “ I ’ ve always said that the Treasury jobs should come to Teesside and I ’ m pleased that Darlington will be the home for them . It is critical they are in the town centre to contribute to the wider regeneration of the Tees Valley .
“ The Teesside freeport announcement wasn ’ t unexpected – and could play a part in our recovery – but it is not the silver-bullet the chancellor would have us believe . It must be developed to create new jobs – not some moved from somewhere else for the tax advantages – and really benefit our local people .
“ What we need is real investment in local industries , such as carbon capture and storage and hydrogen , as well as a Local Industrial Plan that will create well-paid , good-quality jobs to get the thousands of people who have lost theirs over the last few years back to work .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 43