Budget 2021: Darlington 'Treasury North' move welcomed

The new "second headquarters' will be home to 750 senior civil servants

Local businesses and officials have welcomed the news that a "significant part" of the Treasury is to relocate from London to Darlington.

The new base, which Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget, will be home to 750 senior civil servants.

Heather Scott, leader of Darlington Council, described it as "fantastic news for the area".

Peter Gibson, Darlington's Conservative MP, said it showed the government had "faith and trust" in the town.

The chancellor had been approached by civic leaders from across the north, with Bradford, Leeds and Newcastle also thought to have been in the running for the move.

In a recorded message shared on social media prior to the budget announcement, Mr Sunak said the decision had been made after "a lot of thought and energy", and he was "really excited about it".

LIVE: Chancellor unveils Budget

Karl Pemberton, chair of the North East branch of the Institute of Directors, described it as "one of the most important announcements for the North East in decades".

He said: "This will help 'level up' our area - where the government leads others should follow."

What's so special about Darlington?

Duncan Leatherdale - BBC News Online

Two and a half hours up the East Coast railway line from London sits Darlington.

Visitors alight in the Victorian station, protected from the elements (yes of course we get rain "oop north" but also plenty of sunshine) by the ornate metalwork archways spanning the platforms.

The railway transformed Darlington into a bustling town, and that heritage is celebrated with a large locomotive made from bricks.

A short walk takes you to the market place, which is lined by imposing Victorian-era banks and shops, and features a picturesque market hall accompanied by its striking clock tower.

Cosy old pubs, romantic restaurants, an elegant theatre and a modern cinema can all be found in the streets leading from the centre, which give way to large parks and tree-lined avenues of stately bay-windowed houses.

Half an hour to the north are the steep cobbles of Durham, and to the south the boutique-laden tourist honeypot of York.

Should you wish to escape to the great outdoors, a short drive will take you into the rolling hills of the Durham and Yorkshire Dales, or up on to the windswept North York Moors and the North Sea beyond.

It really is a rather darling town.

The Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, said it would give Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool a "seat at the top table of government".

He added: "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.

"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."

Jessie Joe Jacobs, the Labour candidate in the upcoming mayoral election, described it as "great news" which would "reverse 10 years of cut backs on civil service staffing in the North East".

She said: "It'll bring jobs and investment to the town, increase footfall and spending on the high street.

"But it must be just the start of a sustained push to bring new, quality jobs here to build a better future for the [Tees Valley] after a decade of decline."