Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Whitehall resistance to devolution is “over for good” ahead of his first meeting at the new No 10 North base in Manchester. Mr Burnham is expected to work from the site once each week during his premiership, with his first day on Friday July 24.
First Meeting Agenda
He will chair a meeting of the National Economic Council, a Cabinet committee first launched in 2008 to respond to economic challenges. Regional mayors including the North East's Kim McGuinness have been invited to attend. The panel’s attendees will vary according to No 10 North meeting agendas and could include business leaders and trade unions, the Government said.
Location and Future Plans
No 10 North is currently housed at Heron House, near Manchester’s Albert Square, a building which is also home to GCHQ’s Manchester and North West hub. Other ministers will also work there on a regular basis, say Downing Street officials. A long-term base for No 10 North in another part of Manchester won't be set up until 2032.
Burnham's Statement
“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,” Mr Burnham said. “No 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better – the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around. The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.”
Reactions and Other Regions
Earlier this week, North East mayor Kim McGuinness urged the new Prime Minister to “be bold” and hand local leaders far greater ability to enact change in their communities. She wrote: “To take us towards a new era of power in the regions, the people of the North East need system change, immediate interventions to tackle the cost of living, and long-term changes that give them hope of a better future. Devolution in these three areas will allow people to see that their place is improving. It is that local delivery which should define your premiership. People trust results they can see.”
The Prime Minister has faced questions about whether his focus on the North would draw attention away from other regions, such as the East of England. Speaking in Harlow, Essex, on Thursday, he said: “The whole purpose of No 10 North is to put more power into every postcode in the land, including the postcodes of Harlow. How do we get power out of Whitehall and Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can make a difference and turn things around?” Mr Burnham told ITV Anglia: “I see the same challenges up and down the country. There’s a lot of communities that feel a little bit forgotten, that don’t get the attention and the investment they deserve. And those communities can be found as much in the East of England and the South West as they can be found in the North of England.”
No 10 Downing Street in central London remains open. First Secretary of State Louise Haigh, an ally of Mr Burnham's and an MP in Sheffield, said: "Today marks a fundamental re-balancing of where power sits in our country. No10 North has been set up to drive economic growth in every postcode and put power in the hands of every community. Through this department, this Government will ensure that the places overlooked by Westminster for decades are given a real voice. No.10 North is open for business."
