Four years ago, The Northern Echo asked the Government to put its money where its mouth is by moving the Treasury to Darlington.
It was a message to show true levelling up - and turn endless promises into action by making the region a powerhouse where central Government decisions are made.
Fast forward a few years and we have seen several major milestones, including marking 1,000 staff at the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) and plans being green-lit for a new Treasury office to be built at Brunswick Street.
And while a Labour landslide at last year’s General Election may have seen the Government change hands, the commitment to the campus seemed strong last July.
But today, four years to the day since 'Treasury North' was announced, The Northern Echo has revealed that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has spent just two working days at the DEC since Labour’s election victory - leading some to call Labour’s commitment to the North into question.
Ms Reeves - who previously branded the campus a “real success story” - said she wanted to use the town’s Treasury offices “regularly”, and even urged ministers to do the same.
But her mere two working days in Darlington have been branded “disappointing”.
The phrase “levelling up” has been a topic of conversation for years, having first been coined following former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s election win in 2019.
The years that followed saw discussions around Treasury officials being moved to the North, followed by murmurs that Darlington could be the chosen location.
And, after the country was brought to its knees following the Covid pandemic, all eyes turned to then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget.
The Northern Echo campaigned for the Treasury’s base in town in the lead up to the Budget, saying it would be “totemic” and a “sure sign that the Government really is reaching out to the provinces”.
We argued there would be “no bigger example of real movement” - and just hours ahead of the Budget, Darlington became the frontrunner, before Mr Sunak himself confirmed the relocation.
Darlington fought off rivals including the likes of Newcastle, Leeds, and Bradford to get the campus, with Mr Sunak at the time saying “redrawing our economic map means rebalancing our economic investment."
The news was welcomed by politicians at the time, with Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen saying it gives Darlington a “seat at the top table of Government”.
In the years that followed, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ex-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were said to have regularly visited Darlington for work.
Plans - which were recently green-lit - were also made by the Conservative Government for a second headquarters on Brunswick Street.
The five-storey building, on the site of a former car park next to the Darlington East End club and opposite St Cuthbert's church, was approved by Darlington Council last August, and poised to house 1,400 civil servants.
It was hoped Labour would, like the Conservatives, commit to the campus and continue to support it in the lead up to the 2024 election.
Things looked positive just days before the election win after Darren Jones, now Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said the party would continue to use the site.
He told The Echo: “There are very senior Treasury civil servants who are based out of Darlington and if I end up being a Treasury minister the week after next I’ll be expected to come up here a bit to do some of my work.”
But now, after the news that Ms Reeves has only spent two days at the site as Chancellor so far, politicians have urged the Government to continue to back the DEC.
While the Treasury says Ms Reeves remains "fully committed" to the DEC, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said senior ministers should be "fully engaged" and will "continue to push for investment and a real presence from decision-makers".
Former Darlington MP Peter Gibson argued Labour is “simply ignoring the North” in a statement to The Northern Echo, claiming the Chancellor had "failed to capitalise on this incredible legacy from the last administration".
Darlington Council say the DEC is a "thriving" hub - employing hundreds of people in high-quality public sector jobs, therefore representing a "long-term commitment to the town".
It is great news that the Government continues to house officials in our town, and continues the Conservatives' previous plans to expand with the new campus.
But for it to stay thriving, the Chancellor must prove she really is committed - and show the importance of key Government decisions being made in Darlington.
The way to do this? By being there for more than two days.
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