Visitor – Treasury secretary Rishi Sunak MP on one of his frequent trips to Darlington Economic Campus .
Key government departments are switching to Darlington
At the heart of government
The Tees Valley is being recognised by the government like never before , with more and more civil servants coming to the region as part of its Darlington Economic Campus .
Announced in March 2021 and dubbed " Treasury North ", Darlington beat competition from Newcastle , Leeds and Bradford to become the home of the Treasury ’ s second headquarters .
The move was backed by an overwhelming majority of local people , more than 150 business leaders , Teesside and Durham universities and all five local council leaders .
The government plans to move more than 22,000 senior civil servants out of the capital by 2030 as part of its Levelling Up agenda .
Plans for the town soon expanded , with other key departments now set to join the Treasury , including the Department for International Trade , the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy , the Department for Levelling Up , Housing and Communities , the Department for Digital , Culture , Media and Sport , the Office for National Statistics and the Competition and
Markets Authority . They will be working alongside the Department for Education , which already has a base in the town .
This means that more than 1,100 civil servants will be based at the site by 2025 , and more than 100 Treasury jobs have already been filled .
“ The most powerful department in government will soon beat with a Darlington heart ."
The majority have come from the local workforce , with the remainder being existing staff who have chosen to relocate from London – and recruitment is continuing to ramp up for more staff .
The campus will put the region at the heart of government policymaking , with civil servants getting first-hand experience of the opportunities and priorities of the Tees Valley .
By securing staff from the local workforce , it will also ensure our voice is heard and decisions are made more locally , rather than by those hundreds of miles away in Whitehall .
Treasury secretary Rishi Sunak MP has made frequent visits to the office to work more closely with staff based there and cement ties with the capital . Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen was in talks with Downing Street , the Cabinet Office and the Treasury to secure the new government centre for the region for more than a year before the announcement and put forward a number of locations across the region .
Speaking when the news was broken , mayor Houchen said : “ The most powerful department in government will soon beat with a Darlington heart .
“ With this incredible announcement , hundreds of top Treasury jobs are heading to our region . For too long , areas like Teesside , Darlington and Hartlepool have been left behind and local people could be forgiven for thinking that 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 .
“ Over the last 12 months I ’ ve lobbied , badgered and harassed anyone who would listen . From Rishi Sunak and the prime minister to senior civil servants and MPs , we deserve a seat at the top table of government and I ’ m proud to say that we were able to come up with an offer they couldn ’ t refuse . Our voice was heard .”
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