Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled the preferred permanent location for the Darlington Economic Campus, as the recruitment drive hits a major milestone with over 110 Treasury members of staff in post.
The milestone comes as more than 2,000 Civil Service jobs have already moved out of London to support the government’s levelling up agenda.
Mr Sunak visited the town to hear from the new recruits about how they have settled into their roles, as the government continues its promise to ensure those living outside of Westminster can be at the heart of government decision-making.
The Department has reached a third of its target to have up to 300 Treasury roles based at the new cross-government hub, as part of a drive to have more than 1,100 new roles based there by 2025.
The majority of staff have been recruited directly to the campus and the remainder are existing staff who have also chosen to relocate from London.
While in Darlington, the Chancellor held a Q&A session with Darlington Economic Campus staff, local businesses, stakeholders and students.
He also took part in a panel session with Director General, Beth Russell and the campus’ first and most recent hires.
The Chancellor also unveiled Brunswick and Central Park as the remaining two contenders for the permanent site of the Darlington Economic Campus, with the Brunswick site being the preferred location.
It comes as the Treasury reaches the final stages of the Government Property Agency’s procurement process.
The Darlington Economic Campus supports the government’s wider Places for Growth programme, which aims to move 22,000 Civil Service positions out of London and the South East by 2030.
Commenting, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said:
“It’s fantastic that so many talented people here in the North East and beyond have taken up the opportunity to work in the heart of government in Darlington with more than 110 Treasury staff now in post.
“I am delighted that we are in the final stages of finding a permanent site for our new campus, which is creating jobs for local people, spreading opportunity and levelling up.
“And that allows us to tap into a diverse range of skills and talent from right across the UK to better reflect the communities we serve.”
HM Treasury’s Director General, Tax and Welfare, Beth Russell added:
“I really passionately believe having the Economic Campus in Darlington is the right thing to do for the Civil Service and for the Treasury in particular, which has traditionally been one of the most London-centric of government departments.
“It provides an opportunity for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to work in the Civil Service to do so, bringing in a much wider range of people with different experiences and perspectives to improve our advice to Ministers and the services we provide the public.”
Alongside the Treasury, the Darlington Economic Campus will house teams from:
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
- Department for International Trade
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
- Competition and Markets Authority
- Office for National Statistics
They will be working alongside the Department for Education who already have a base in Darlington.
PSE365 will be hosting a Public Sector Levelling Up virtual event on 17 November, sign up here.
