Boost for North as Treasury jobs go to Darlington

It’s likely to be quite a culture shock for civil servants used to doing business in London’s finest government buildings.

But hundreds of treasury jobs are to be moved to the northern market town of Darlington, the Chancellor announced yesterday.

Opening the new northern treasury campus in ‘Darlo’, as locals call it, was celebrated as a huge coup for the struggling region.

And the decision represents reward for ‘red wall’ voters who switched allegiances at the last election.

the tories won the seat from Labour for the first time since 1987 and they will hope to hold on to it for years to come.

the town, famous for the world’s first passengercarrying railway, has been more used to economic decline in recent years.

the decision by Marks & spencer to pull out in 2018 was a body blow to an already depressed high street. the pandemic has only made the problem worse and last June more than 12 per cent of shops were vacant.

However, Darlington’s historic centre still has its covered market, boldly billed as ‘the UK’s finest’ by the local authority.

Visitors can also take a look at the Brick train on the A66 which, as its name suggests, is a locomotive sculpted from bricks by artist David Mach.

Civil servants more used to West End shows will have to satisfy themselves with the Hippodrome, which opened in the 1970s.

Post pandemic, residents can look forward to shows by Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, geordie comic Chris Ramsey and a Fleetwood Mac tribute band.

But the finer things do exist in this part of the world. Just outside the town is the two Michelinstarred Raby Hunt, considered one of the north’s best restaurants. Although locals tend to flock to the Quays pub for its drink offers and karaoke, the Quakerhouse was the local CAMRA pub of the year last year.

A delighted Ben Houchen, the tees Valley Mayor who lobbied for the move, said the area would no longer be an ‘afterthought’.

Mr Houchen said: ‘ Our children will grow up with confidence that a top government job is within reach and that such a top career can be built right here in this great region.’