Two hundred new jobs have been guaranteed for Plymouth

Councillors have welcomed 200 new civil service jobs for Plymouth.

The city council’s Labour leader Tudor Evans praised the work of its economic development team to secure the expansion of the Valuation Office Agency.

He highlighted the news at a meeting of the full council to set next year’s budget and council tax – which endorsed a rise in bills to cover the soaring cost of social care.

The agency will be moving in to an office building at Crownhill Court bought by the city council.

The building near the Crownhill junction of the A386 Tavistock Road will be used for one of its two UK customer service centre hubs.

It means the agency will triple its Plymouth workforce to more than 300.

Cllr Evans told the council: “The new 200 civil service jobs will help raise our income levels in this city.

“That is fantastic, and I pay tribute to our team in economic development.”

The agency has now signed a lease for the previously empty building which was bought by the council in 2018 through its Asset Investment Fund.

It is now being refurbished ready for the new occupier.

The agency is expected to use half the building, with the rest still available for rent.

The Valuation Office Agency  has more than 3,200 staff managing lists of council tax bands for 26 million homes, and the rateable value of more than two million commercial properties for business rates.

The council owns properties worth more than £250million, which bring in more than £15million to help fund services.

They include Ballard House, Friary Retail Park, Bell Park, Plympton, and the Royal Mail Regional Mail Centre.

The council is also involved in ‘direct developments’ where it buys land to build industrial units and work spaces.

The investments are part of a council strategy to operate in a more entrepreneurial way and generate income to improve its finances.