THE Natwest call centre in Chatham Maritime has created 800 jobs. The bank, now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland, announced the historic landmark shortly after a London conference designed to raise the profile of Medway as a business location.

The purpose-built customer service and telephone centre close to the Medway tunnel was completed four years ago. Initially, the bank took on just over 200 people, but demand has soared since then and the building is now close to full capacity. Although call centre operations have been facing increasing competition from cheaper locations, notably India, Locate in Kent, the agency that promotes Medway as a great place for business, still sees the county as a good place for call centre operations.

More that 80 high-powered business people attended the Medway event at Lloyds of London, including CBI director-general Digby Jones. The decision to build the centre in Chatham followed months of talks with Medway council and Locate in Kent.

Rob Pike, the Royal Bank of Scotland’s telephony director, said: "As part of our continued commitment to customer service we took the decision to expand our capacity. Thanks to the effectiveness of the existing operation at Chatham Maritime and the availability of local skills, it was an obvious choice for expansion."

Paul Wookey, chief executive of Locate in Kent, said: "The creation of 800 high quality jobs over the last four years has been excellent news for the area and further enhances Medway's portfolio of leading financial services companies.”

Medway Council's cabinet member for regeneration and renewal, Cllr Jane Chitty said: “The news will have a significant impact on the Medway economy and provide career opportunities for local people, and helping many to avoid the time and cost of commuting to London.” The announcement takes the number of people employed in Kent and Medway's business and financial services sector to more than 88,000.