THE chair of the Public Accounts Committee says there is “real concern” about the loss of experienced staff should a Teesside tax office close.

Meg Hillier told HMRC permanent secretary Jon Thompson at a Parliamentary hearing that many of the workforce at George Stephenson House, in Thornaby, had worked there 20 or 30 years and would not move to a regional centre in Newcastle.

The MP said: “The loss of expertise will be huge.”

Treasury Secretary Mel Stride is reviewing the decision to close George Stephenson House from 2021.

But Stockton South MP Dr Paul Williams said it was unlikely the Government would change its mind, despite evidence of harm to Teesside and stated Labour would reverse HMRC plans to shrink its estate.

The Treasury has admitted its initial calculation of the commute time between Stockton and Newcastle was an underestimate.

Dr Williams, who along with Simon Clarke, the Tory MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, recently met Mr Stride and HMRC officials, said: “I expect the minister to conduct a proper impact assessment and will hold him to account for this.

“I’ll continue to do my very best to fight against these changes. But my feeling is that the Government are likely to press ahead despite the evidence of harm to Teesside.”