A MULTI-million pound development that will secure hundreds of civil service jobs for a North-East town was given the official go-ahead by councillors tonight (Thursday, May 2) Members of Darlington Borough Council said the new Department for Education (DfE) building, to be built in the heart of Darlington for 480 staff, could boost the town centre economy and would benefit the whole town.

Councillors praised the efforts of those involved in the campaign to save the jobs of the civil servants working at the Mowden Hall site for Darlington, in particular the team of council officers who worked for weeks to come up with the proposals.

The DfE announced its decision to stay in Darlington and take up the council’s offer of a purpose-built facility last month, after it had previously announced plans to move staff to better facilities in Newcastle or Durham.

Now that the council has officially agreed to the proposals, work to develop the 32,000sq ft town centre offices can begin, with the DfE expected to move into its new home in November next year.

Councillors approved £9.3m of capital funding, to be funded by prudential borrowing, to build an office block to DfE specifications, sited to the rear of the town hall.

It will be paid for by DfE rent for an initial 15-year period.

Councillor Stephen Harker, cabinet member for efficiency and resources, said: “It’s exceptionally good news for a number of groups in the town, not just the workers from Mowden Hall who have had months of uncertainty about the future of their jobs.

“Clearly it’s excellent news for the local authority and the borough as a whole. There’s also the added benefit of an extra 300 or 400 people who previously worked on the outskirts of town who will now be based in the town centre, using its shops and services.”

Council leader Bill Dixon said the DfE decision was never a foregone conclusion and added: “It was not a beauty parade, it was a cat fight from start to finish.”

Councillor Heather Scott, leader of the Conservative group, praised the work that had been done to secure the jobs and called for more cross-party work to achieve more benefits for Darlington.