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Andy Burnham is set to lead his inaugural meeting at the newly established No 10 North office in Manchester later this Friday. This facility is part of the prime minister’s broader initiative to decentralize authority, shifting power away from Whitehall and Westminster towards various regional hubs throughout the United Kingdom.
The North West branch of Downing Street will serve as a base not only for Burnham but also for ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh, who will regularly operate from the site. By the end of next year, the office is expected to house up to 300 civil servants. On Friday, Burnham will chair a session of the National Economic Council, a cabinet committee originally launched in 2008, which focuses on responding to the UK’s economic challenges. This meeting will convene senior ministers and regional mayors with the goal of prioritizing devolution in the government’s strategy to improve Britain.
The prime minister emphasized the importance of redistributing resources, stating, “For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve.” He added, “The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.” As part of this shift, strategic decisions concerning devolution and local economic growth will move from the Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to No 10 North, though those departments will continue to have involvement in these matters. Greater Manchester MP Angela Rayner is also expected to work at the new site for the first time on Friday.
Burnham’s first day in charge from No 10 North will include discussions with business leaders, including representatives from groups such as the Federation of Small Business, the Confederation of British Industry, and the British Chambers of Commerce. The aim of these talks is to explore ways to boost growth and investment. Labour intends to develop a plan that builds on existing devolution and local growth policies, enabling closer collaboration between civil servants, mayors, councils, and businesses. In his first week as prime minister, Burnham has taken steps to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures, including announcing a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues effective from next April. Nonetheless, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized these efforts as “too small,” urging Burnham to address pressing issues like high energy costs for businesses and gaps in defense funding. Badenoch remarked, “When you are mayor of Manchester, you are handed a big pot of someone else’s money, and you decide where to spend it… Andy Burnham needs to do better. He is behaving like he’s still the mayor of Manchester. He is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom, he needs to start acting like it.”
No 10 North is based in Heron House, located in central Manchester, a building that also accommodates offices for the intelligence agency GCHQ. The prime minister plans to work from this location on a weekly basis. Security is already in place, with specialized police officers guarding the premises. While Heron House is currently serving as the headquarters, the long-term plan is to establish No 10 North at a new government complex under construction in Manchester’s Ancoats district, which is scheduled for completion in 2032.
Efforts to relocate more civil servants from London have been ongoing for several administrations. Targets were set last year to reduce the number of civil service roles based in the capital by 12,000. Recent statistics reveal that approximately 19.6% of civil servants remain in London, a proportion that has been declining steadily over the past four years. However, only 13.5% of senior civil service positions are outside London compared to 34.7% held within the capital. According to reports, Whitehall officials who agree to move to Manchester will be offered relocation packages to encourage the transition
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