In November 2015, HMRC announced a modernisation programme aimed at helping it ‘become a tax authority fit for the future’. By 2027, 137 HMRC offices will have been closed, with staff concentrated in 13 new regional centres.

HMRC estimates that this will generate estate savings of £100m a year by 2025. Each of the new regional centres will be equipped with the latest digital infrastructure and training facilities needed to build a more highly skilled workforce to ‘meet the challenges of bringing in more revenue from those evading tax and improving its customer service to the honest majority’.

At the time of the announcement, the precise location of most of the regional hubs had still to be decided, with HMRC yet to negotiate terms with landlords and contractors in a number of locations. With buildings now identified for the regional centres in Croydon, Newcastle and Birmingham the project is moving ahead at speed.