Public Services
The Public Services Sector represents a diverse and vibrant group of organisations. But now, more than ever, the need is to reduce operational costs and increase efficiency by rationalising the civil and public estate through the adoption of modern working practices and through the sharing of services.
As the well-established base for a number of public service providers, such as the Department for Education (DfE), the Disclosure and Barring Service, Student Loans Company, National Skills Academy for Process Industries, Consumer Council for Water, and the new National Biologics Manufacturing Centre, Darlington provides a first class location for the clustering and co-location of public service providers in the North East of England.
From front facing public services to back office hubs, Darlington’s excellent transport infrastructure, skilled and loyal workforce, and our wide range of sites and premises has all the key ingredients you’ll need.
2hrs 23m's
Journey time by rail to London from Darlington
£521m
economic contribution by the sector in 2016
"We have found a very good supply of trained/skilled people and this was very important to us as we had to increase our staff numbers by over 600 in just over a year".
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The Darlington Public Sector Hub
In 2015 the £8 million state of the art Bishopsgate House, built specifically for the DfE, was opened. Situated immediately behind Darlington Town Hall together they form a public sector hub, believed to be the largest and one of the first of its kind in the North East, between local and central government.
The new offices allow both the Council and the DfE to share facilities and work collaboratively, providing efficiency savings for the public purse.
Transport Connectivity
Darlington's railway station is part of the main East Coast Rail Network and provides rapid and regular connections southwards to London (twice an hour direct to Kings Cross taking less than 2.5 hours) and northwards to Edinburgh in a little over two hours. There are also direct connections to Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham through Transpennine Express, as well as regular east-west connections.
Darlington offers shorter journey times to London compared to Durham and Newcastle.