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Civil servants employed by government departments situated in London are being offered relocation incentives aimed at encouraging a move to the North of England, the BBC reports. This development coincides with the initial unveiling of plans for the new No 10 North office, which sources close to the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham reveal has already begun operating.
According to information received by the BBC, the Northern branch of Downing Street will fall under the supervision of cabinet minister Louise Haigh, a close ally of Burnham. Haigh, who holds the position of first secretary of state, is expected to head a newly established Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC). This entity will oversee critical decision-making bodies within the government, including No 10, No 10 North, and some teams within the Cabinet Office. Baroness Angela Smith, Leader of the House of Lords, has described No 10 North as set to become a “dominant driver of the UK’s economy.”
The current temporary location for No 10 North is Heron House in central Manchester, a site that also accommodates offices for the intelligence agency GCHQ and is protected by specialist police officers. In the long term, the base is anticipated to move to a new government “Digital Campus” under construction in Manchester’s Ancoats district, scheduled for completion in 2032. A recently released report authored by the Re:State think tank—an organization Burnham was involved with until stepping down as mayor of Greater Manchester—provides further insight into the project’s prospective structure.
This report outlines a recruitment strategy aiming to attract around 300 new employees from Greater Manchester and the broader North of England within 18 months. It suggests relocating teams from various Whitehall departments, such as the Treasury, Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, all currently led by ministers representing Northern constituencies. Civil servants from Whitehall who have expressed willingness to move to Manchester are reportedly being offered relocation packages. Moreover, it is expected that a notable number of staff from Burnham’s former mayoral team at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will transfer to No 10 North. The BBC has learned that at least three senior GMCA figures have already committed to joining No 10 North, although some GMCA employees were reportedly surprised to learn of these moves only after seeing media coverage of their colleagues welcoming the new prime minister in Downing Street.
No 10 North is positioned to play a central role in Burnham’s vision of devolving powers from Whitehall and Westminster to regional governments. As a result, strategic decisions related to devolution and local economic growth will increasingly be made outside of the Treasury, now led by Chancellor John Healey, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government under Angela Rayner. However, both departments will retain certain functions in these policy areas
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