Taxpayers have funded nearly £50,000 for the establishment of the Prime Minister's No. 10 North office in Manchester, according to figures released by the Cabinet Office. The expenditure, which covers office fit-out costs, has drawn criticism from groups like the TaxPayers' Alliance, who have labeled the initiative a "vanity project."
The total spending of just under £49,000 includes over £10,000 for physical branding of the office space, nearly £2,000 for crockery, and approximately £1,000 for a replica of the Downing Street door. Additionally, nearly £20,000 was spent on IT infrastructure, with almost £9,000 allocated for works to the office space itself. Further costs included just over £6,000 for events equipment, lighting, and flagpoles, and nearly £1,000 for the relocation of 24 meeting chairs.
The Cabinet Office stated that the costs for setting up and running No. 10 North are covered by existing budgets within the department, asserting that there is no additional cost to the taxpayer. However, the figures released in response to a Freedom of Information request from the website Reason did not include details on staff costs, ministerial travel, security expenditure, or ongoing operating costs for the scheme. The Mail on Sunday has previously reported that tens of millions of pounds may be required for security for the new office.
William Yarwood, campaigns director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, questioned the assertion that the project incurs no additional cost, stating, "Taxpayers will roll their eyes at ministers insisting this vanity project costs nothing because it comes from 'existing budgets'. Branding offices, shipping replica doors and moving meeting chairs to Manchester is still public money, no matter which departmental pot it comes from." He added that the office "already looks like another gimmick dressed up as reform, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund the government's political stage sets."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to work at No. 10 North in Manchester on a weekly basis. The Mail on Sunday also reported that the top civil servant overseeing the office is spending approximately £800 weekly on commuting from London, where they reside in a townhouse valued at £2.2 million.
A government spokesperson defended the initiative, stating that "No 10 North will drive growth in every postcode of the country, for example by working with Mayors and local government to spend more of the money raised in their areas."