Politicians urge Government to continue to back Darlington Treasury
It comes after The Northern Echo revealed Chancellor Rachel Reeves had spent just two working days at the Treasury’s northern campus since Labour’s election victory last July.
They say the campus – which was described by Ms Reeves as a “real success story” when she promised to use it “regularly” last year – needs to have a “ministerial buy-in” for it to work.
The Treasury says Ms Reeves remains “fully committed” to the DEC, which has been described as “thriving” by Darlington Council.
But the news of Ms Reeves’ two days at the DEC prompted Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to say senior ministers should be “fully engaged” – and that he will “continue to push for investment and a real presence from decision-makers”.
Among those to voice their upset was former Darlington MP Peter Gibson, who argued Labour is “simply ignoring the North”.
He told The Northern Echo: “The DEC is a landmark of the Levelling Up Agenda which has delivered so much for Darlington, not least of which the 1,000 jobs at the heart of Government based in our town.
“It is disappointing that the Chancellor, and indeed the Prime Minister, have failed to capitalise on this incredible legacy from the last administration.
“To my mind it just goes to show that Labour simply ignore the North as they always have.”
The disappointment was mirrored by Jonathan Dulston, leader of the opposition at Darlington Council, who claimed Labour “don’t see this as a priority”.
He said: “During my time as Leader of the Council I had many conversations with the Chancellor and then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the success of the DEC.
“I was clear that if it was going to work it had to have ministerial buy in. Rishi Sunak was visible almost every other week and set the standard with his ministers to do the same.
“Levelling up was about decision making coming away from Westminster and having ministers working from Darlington sent a strong message that things were changing and that the North is as important as the south.
“I am disappointed that the new labour ministerial team don’t see this as a priority and continue to do business from London.”
Mr Houchen added: “Senior ministers should be fully engaged in making the Darlington Economic Campus a success, and I’ll continue to push for investment and a real presence from decision-makers to ensure our region gets the support it deserves.”
The Treasury’s move to Darlington, first announced in 2021, was touted as a project to show true levelling up in action by making central government decisions up North.
Last year, a major milestone of 1,000 staff at the site was marked – with plans still in place to build a new Treasury office at Brunswick Street.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ex-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were said to have regularly visited Darlington for work – and so it was hoped Labour would do the same.
Labour committed to the campus in the lead up to the election – and just six days after the victory, Ms Reeves said she wanted to use the town’s Treasury offices “regularly” and even urged ministers to do the same.
But now, pressure is mounting on the Chancellor to show the same level of support as her predecessors, and stick to her word about regularly using the site.
Despite this, Darlington Council maintain that the DEC is “thriving”.
A spokesperson said: “Darlington Economic Campus is a thriving hub, employing many hundreds of people in high-quality public sector jobs and represents a long term commitment to the town.”
Darlington MP Lola McEvoy declined to comment.
The Northern Echo has contacted the Labour Party for comment, but it did not respond.