TAX office bosses have ended hopes that they can be persuaded to keep nearly 2,000 jobs in the Bradford district.

Chiefs at HM Revenue and Customs today insisted their decision to centralise thousands of jobs in a new regional hub in Leeds city centre was final.

The move will see tax offices in Bradford and Shipley close, with the loss of the jobs to the district.

When the closures were announced yesterday, Shipley MP Philip Davies and council bosses had pledged to try to convince HMRC to set up the hub in Bradford instead.

But an HMRC chief today said Bradford had already been considered and dismissed as a candidate to host the new centre.

Dorothy Brown, HMRC's director for personal tax operations, said Bradford was one of many potential towns and cities they had assessed against their criteria.

But she said Leeds city centre had won out because of a range of factors, such as its transport links and digital infrastructure, adding that it was "not a decision we have taken lightly".

She said Leeds' planned high-speed rail link to the capital had also worked in its favour, saying: "The fact that HS2 is planned to come to Leeds is obviously something in the future that would be of benefit."

Mrs Brown said HMRC hoped to transfer as many existing staff members as possible to the new centre, which would open in around 2020. A site for it has not yet been found.

It is also planning to take on an extra 500 to 800 staff - jobs which could go to Bradford residents, she said.

Mrs Brown said: "Leeds being close to Bradford is also a benefit in this decision because whilst we absolutely appreciate it is disappointing for Bradford, we do want to give a very clear message to Bradford that we want the benefit of this regional centre to be felt across the region, not just in this one city."

But Bradford Council leader David Green today offered the HMRC a purpose-built public sector hub in the heart of Bradford and challenged its senior officials to visit the city to see the opportunity for themselves.

Plans to build a public sector hub on the site of the Jacobs Well council office were unveiled earlier this year, and Cllr Green said this could be ideal for the HMRC.

He said: "I challenge senior management to come to Bradford to discuss what we have to offer prior to making any final decision."

Mr Davies also pledged to keep fighting for the new hub to be in the Bradford district, saying he was due to speak to HMRC chief executive Lin Homer to give her "a piece of my mind" and had already spoken with Treasury Minister David Gauke.

He said: "As far as I am aware, they haven't even got a site in Leeds, so how they can work out that where they are going is the best place to go, when they haven't even got anywhere, is bizarre."