Croydon has been selected as one of the centres for a new Revenues and Customs tax centre which will employ up to 2,800 staff when it opens within the next 18 months.
In a coup for the town, it has been identified as one of 13 regional centres in a reorganisation which will see HMRC close its existing 170 offices.
However, it is unclear whether new jobs will be created with existing HMRC staff being moved from local offices. Among those earmarked for closure is their office at Southern House in Wellesley Road, Croydon, where 600 staff are employed.
Croydon has been selected because of the availability of comparatively cheap, modern office space and HMRC is currently in negotiations with landlords and contractors in the town over potential locations.
Lin Homer, chief executive of HMRC, said: “HMRC has too many expensive, isolated and out-dated offices. This makes it difficult for us to collaborate, modernise our ways of working, and make the changes we need to transform our service to customers and clamp down further on the minority who try to cheat the system.
“The new regional centres in Stratford and Croydon will bring our staff together in more modern and cost-effective buildings in areas with lower rents.
“They will also make a big contribution to the economy of the region providing high-quality, skilled jobs and supporting the Government’s commitment to a national recovery that benefits all parts of the UK.”