Prime Minister Andy Burnham will spend his first day in office working from the northern branch of Downing Street in Manchester as part of an initiative to relocate power away from the capital.
No. 10 North is intended to facilitate a shift of authority and resources to regions outside of London. Ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh are also slated to regularly work from this new site, with an anticipated expansion of up to 300 civil servants by the end of next year.
Burnham is scheduled to chair a meeting of the National Economic Council, a cabinet committee established in 2008 to address national economic challenges, at the Manchester location. He stated that for decades, power and resources have been concentrated centrally, leaving many communities feeling neglected. "The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good," Burnham remarked.
The No. 10 North facility will see strategic decisions regarding devolution and local economic growth moved from departments such as the Treasury, led by Chancellor John Healey, and Angela Rayner's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, though both departments will retain input.
Burnham's initial week in the prime minister's office has included measures aimed at alleviating the cost of living crisis. One such measure is a planned 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues, effective from April of the following year.
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has voiced criticism, describing Burnham's plans as "too small." She urged him to address high business energy costs and defense funding gaps. Badenoch commented that while being mayor allows for discretionary spending of allocated funds, the role of prime minister requires a broader national perspective. "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," she said.
Burnham is expected to engage with business leaders from organizations including the Federation of Small Business, the Confederation of British Industry, and the British Chambers of Commerce. These discussions will focus on strategies for fostering growth and investment. The Labour party aims to develop a plan integrating existing devolution strategies and local growth policies to enhance collaboration among civil servants, mayors, councils, and businesses.