HM Revenue and Customs has announced plans to open a new regional tax office in Stratford as part of a ten-year modernisation programme.

Earlier today, the tax-collecting department revealed that it will be replacing 137 local tax offices with 13 regional centres.

Altogether, 43 offices in the London, South-East and East of England region will close between 2016 and 2028, including the Custom House branch which is due to shut by 2020.

The plans aim to bring together its workforce from across the region into two large modern new offices in Stratford and Croydon.

As part of the plans, HMRC expects between 5,000 and 5,300 full-time equivalent employees to work in the Stratford centre and 2,500 to 2,800 full-time equivalent employees in its Croydon base.

Lin Homer, HMRC’s Chief Executive, said: “HMRC is committed to modern, regional centres serving every region and nation in the UK, with skilled and varied jobs and development opportunities, while also ensuring jobs are spread throughout the UK and not concentrated in the capital.

“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.”

The Stratford office is expected to open by 2020.

HMRC aims to save £100m a year by 2025 through these plans.