Prime Minister Andy Burnham has formally launched No 10 North, a new government operation based in Manchester designed to reshape economic decision-making and advance devolution across the United Kingdom. The office, located at Heron House in Manchester city centre, aims to decentralize power from London and place it in the hands of regional leaders and local experts.
No 10 North will serve as a hub for economic policy, bringing together parts of the Cabinet Office, Treasury, and Housing Ministry under a single department intended to become the "dominant driver" of the UK economy. Burnham, who is set to work from the Manchester office on a weekly basis, also plans for other cabinet ministers—including Louise Haigh, first secretary of state, Lucy Powell, education secretary, and Angela Rayner, communities secretary—to spend part of their time at No 10 North. Several civil servants are relocating to the site, with Heron House hosting approximately 30 officials initially.
Central to this initiative is the revival of the National Economic Council (NEC), a body originally established by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the 2008 financial crisis to coordinate emergency economic responses. Burnham aims to repurpose the NEC to oversee economic growth efforts in collaboration with regional mayors, business leaders, and trade unions. The council will meet regularly, with attendance varying depending on the agenda, to foster collaboration between government and local authorities. Burnham underscored that the era of centralized control is ending, stating that “No one in government loses when power is shared.”
No 10 North is intended to unify local economic growth strategies and devolution objectives, aligning them with a national plan rather than allowing competing regional agendas to fragment efforts. The prime minister emphasized that his government seeks to overcome barriers to regeneration, including challenges in council house building and public transport infrastructure, with a broader goal of achieving comparable living standards across all UK regions.
Despite these ambitions, some observers have expressed skepticism about the actual powers No 10 North will hold, questioning whether it can enforce devolution deals in areas unwilling to participate or if its role will be largely symbolic. Unions representing civil servants have welcomed the restructuring but flagged the practical challenges staff might face when relocating.
Burnham’s office in Manchester, which shares the building with GCHQ’s northwest hub, is being positioned as a “situation room for growth.” The prime minister’s effort to move key decision-making closer to the local level marks an unprecedented shift in how the UK government operates. However, the effectiveness of No 10 North and its impact on longstanding centralization practices remain to be seen as the administration moves forward with the initiative.