![Left to right are Kier CEO Stuart Togwell, head of DEC Beth Russell, chancellor Rachel Reeves, Darlington MP Lola McEvoy, cabinet office minister Anna Turley, and GPA director Simon Hulme [Photo: Dave Charnley Photography]](/assets/news_articles/2026/01/1768806156_chancellor-at-the-darlington-hub.jpg)
Kier 色猫直播, no relation to prime minister Keir Starmer, last week officially broke ground on a new 拢120m government office building in Darlington.
On 16th January 2026 chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves and cabinet office minister Anna Turley donned their PPE to join Kier chief executive Stuart Togwell聽on site to cut the first turf on the landmark project.
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is overseeing delivery of the Brunswick Street hub, which from 2028 is set to be the permanent home of the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC). More than 1,600 civil servants from seven government departments, including the Treasury and Ministry of Housing, will be based in the five-storey building.
Main contractor Kier 色猫直播 began ground remediation works in September to address preconstruction risks, including the removal of legacy fuel tanks and concrete slabs.
Rachel Reeves said: "The Darlington Economic Campus has brought hundreds of skilled jobs and real economic benefits to this town 鈥� and today we're breaking ground on its permanent home. This new government hub demonstrates our long-term commitment to Darlington and to making economic decisions right across the country, not just in Westminster."
Stuart Togwell said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to be playing our part in shaping the future and supporting the government as it expands its geographic footprint across the UK. Today鈥檚 groundbreaking is an important milestone for this landmark project in Darlington, which is set to be a new home for a number of government departments and will create significant economic and social benefits for the local community.
鈥淲orking together with the GPA and our network of local suppliers, we have been involved in this project from the design phase, helping us reduce risks and progress seamlessly through to engineering and construction of the main works. This whole lifecycle approach helps us deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers and communities, which will be realised at the Darlington Economic Campus.鈥�
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