FRUSTRATION has been sounded after Stockton failed to make a Treasury base shortlist promising hundreds of civil service jobs.

Darlington has been touted as a new site for 750 Treasury jobs. Calls for Middlesbrough town centre, Middlehaven, and Stockton’s new 'riverside park' to become the base have been aired by council leaders and MPs alike.

A cross party group of MPs and council leaders across the Tees Valley has written to the Government urging them to choose the region as part of the 'levelling up' agenda.

But Stockton’s leader Cllr Bob Cook was disappointed his town hadn’t made the cut.

The Labour chief said: “We had written to the Chancellor and he’s missed a good opportunity to get a riverside location in Stockton. It’s better in the Tees Valley than elsewhere but I still think they’ve missed an opportunity.”

Demolition of the Castlegate Shopping Centre, in Stockton, is due to take place next year to make way for a country park and a riverside campus of offices at the southern end of the High Street.

An extra £5m of borrowing for the ambitious £37m scheme was backed by councillors as part of wider budget plans on Wednesday night.

Leaders had touted the town centre project to accommodate a base for civil service jobs.

Calls for Teesside Airport’s south side business park to become a base have been sounded in the past.

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough said: “I note the news reports that Darlington is on the shortlist to house the Northern Campus.

"I would of course welcome the jobs coming to the Tees Valley if Darlington is successful as there will be wider economic benefits for the whole area and this economic vitality will be critical as Tees Valley recovers post-Covid.

"However, I want to know why Middlesbrough has been ignored.

"I have made repeated representations to Rishi Sunak over the last year and he and his officials haven’t even done me the courtesy of a reply.

"There is absolutely no transparency over this process whatsoever.

"We’ve no idea how various proposals are being assessed.

"All the respected evidence such as the Centre for Cities shows that Middlesbrough is the obvious economic choice but as ever, decisions are being made on the basis of Tory party political interests and not sound economics.”