Brunswick site preferred home for Darlington Treasury base

As the recruitment drive hits a major milestone with over 110 Treasury members of staff in post, Rishi Sunak visited the town and said the project was 'one of the things that I am most proud that I've done in this job'.

That news comes as the Chancellor unveils Brunswick and Central Park as the remaining two contenders for the permanent site of the Darlington Economic Campus - with the Brunswick site as the preferred location - as the Treasury reaches the final stages of the Government Property Agency’s procurement process.

Read more: Council 'will not lose out' despite having to repay £1.7m for Treasury base

The large empty Brunswick site next to the former Cricketers Hotel on the A167 had been used as a car park. It had received little attention as the plans were being drawn up, with most people presuming the campus would be a short distance down the road between Darlington College and the Teesside University campus.

But the Chancellor told The Northern Echo: "There's been a very comprehensive process that the government property agency ran, they've engaged with all the local partners to figure out what the best option is and we've also spent a lot of time talking to the team - what do they want, what's important to them?

"Also, we have to figure out value for money and what's deliverable but and one thing that came out really strongly is everyone wanted to be in a location that would make them feel connected to the town and part of the community.

"So I think our preferred site, as well as doing all the practical things, like being deliverable, being good value for money, being able to make sure we have a purpose- built campus that has the right amount of space everywhere, is a nice place to work as well.

"I think it allows people to feel connected to the town because that's something that's important to us."

He paid partricular tribute to council leader Heather Scott for 'an absolutely superb partnership' as the plans were drawn up.

Coun Scott said later: "It’s going to be great for the town centre and Darlington as a whole. One of the most pleasing things is that, of the first 100 jobs, around 80 of them have gone to local people. I think there was a misconception that the majority of Treasury jobs in Darlington would be for people relocating from London, but that’s definitely not the case and I would encourage more local people to apply for jobs at the Treasury.”

Mr Sunak told The Northern Echo: "It has just left with an enormous amount of optimism about the project. The government is committed to levelling up, which means making sure that people have fantastic opportunities wherever they live in our country.

"Today is a perfect example of levelling up in action - providing jobs which over a while will be hundreds of Treasury jobs, over 1,000 civil service jobs and six departments here in Darlington, and all the opportunity that comes with that for people in the region.

"It signifies what we're about as a government and the places that we care about. But also harnessing all that talent from all of the region means that we will be better in government about making decisions that better reflect the needs of our country."

The department has now 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 and a key example of how the Government is delivering on its promise to level up. 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 Darlington college students before taking part in a panel session with Director General Beth Russell, and the Campus’ first and most recent hires.

The Brunswick site

Beth Russell, Director General, Tax and Welfare, said: “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.”

Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, who was also at the event, said: “Securing the Treasury’s new Economic Campus for Darlington means local people from across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool can work at the heart of government without leaving the place they love and call home.

“I am delighted more than 100 Treasury roles have now been filled and, as promised, the vast majority have been taken up by local people, proving that there’s no need to move to a big city to secure a good-quality, well-paid job in the civil service.

“This is only the beginning, with hundreds more upcoming jobs in the Civil Service giving local people huge opportunities to succeed.”

The new starters include people from all walks of life, with a range of experiences and career history. This includes a former Met Police detective, a BBC documentary producer, a luxury car dealership manager and a member of the RAF. The roles range from entry level to experts and senior leaders, across all areas of policy.

This milestone follows a major recruitment campaign over the past six months as part of a drive to diversify policy making, widen opportunities to communities across the country and broaden access to skills and talent.

It comes just a year after the Chancellor announced Darlington would be the home for the Campus, which will have more than 1,100 new roles based there by 2025.

Alongside the Treasury, it will house teams from 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 who already have a base in Darlington. 

Recruitment is ongoing for teams working alongside the Treasury across these Departments.

More than 2,000 Civil Service jobs have already been moved out of London to support the government’s levelling up agenda.

One of the recent local recruits who will be working in the correspondence team, said: “As a recent graduate from Newcastle I spent a fair amount of time considering what career options were available to me and assumed I'd have to move down south to find a suitable position.

“So the opportunity to work at the Darlington Economic Campus and effectively be at the centre of government without having to relocate became a really attractive prospect.”

Another staff member who relocated from London to work in the public spending group said: “The past few years have made a lot of us re-evaluate what are priorities are – the Darlington Economic Campus provides fantastic opportunities to continue working within the civil service, without the need to be based in London for Treasury roles. 

“I have really welcomed the opportunity to work in a smaller town and enjoy what living in County Durham offers – from a greener environment and more leisurely pace of life, to being able to walk to my workplace. It’s really the small things that matter.”

Staff are currently using Bishopsgate House as an interim office and will move into a longer-term temporary office in Feethams House later this year ahead of the new permanent site being ready.

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