The Treasury says it is making “significant progress” in establishing its presence in the government’s Darlington Economic Campus.
In its latest annual report, the Treasury says that in at the end of March, 242 of its officials were working in Darlington, up from 224 in December.
The department has an overall target of having 335 full-time equivalent staff in Darlington by the end of March 2025 – including graduates and apprenticeships as well as experienced hires.
Of the hub’s current staff, the vast majority (85%) have been recruited, with only 15% relocating from London since 2021.
About a third (30%) of the new recruits were previously working in the civil service, with 70% new to government.
In the report, the department’s permanent secretary, James Bowler, says the Darlington campus has “continued to go from strength to strength”.
He adds that “HM Treasury remains committed to ensuring that staff can build sustainable careers outside of London”.
The campus is expected to accommodate about 1,400 civil servants in total, including staff from other departments such as the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology. More than 700 Department for Education staff are already based in the area.
The Treasury says it is continuing to base roles at all grades out of the campus, alongside a second permanent secretary and director general.
Staff at the campus “make significant contributions to policy work”, including on the Budget, as well as leading on areas such as energy policy, financial services, tax and pensions, and investment.
Offering the Darlington campus as a location in recruitment campaigns is one of the ways the department says it has sought to improve its socio-economic and geographic diversity, “by promoting a career in the civil service to communities that may not have considered it previously”.
The campus has provided a range of work experience opportunities and been involved in regular recruitment events, the report adds. And it says the Treasury has “fostered relationships with schools, universities, charities and businesses to embed the campus into the town”.
The Darlington hub is currently based at the Feethams House office complex, but is due to move in the coming years to a site on Brunswick Street at the edge of Darlington town centre. Subject to planning permission being granted, construction is expected to start at the end of this year and be completed in 2027.
The government submitted a planning application for Brunswick Street in March, saying at the time it would spend around £118m on the project.
The Treasury says it is continuing to work with the Government Property Agency and other departments on the development and design of the new site. The report says that “core to the design will be building on the success of Feethams House where all departments are able to share space, sitting alongside and collaborating with each other”.
Overall, the average number of Treasury staff rose by 4% in the last financial year, from 3,609 in 2022-23 to 3,765 in 2023-24. This included 2% growth in staff numbers at the core department and agencies, compared to an increase of 12% in staff at arm’s length and other bodies.
The department’s overall staff costs also rose by 13% – from £263m to £297m.