The BBC reports that a new Downing Street branch, called No 10 North, is operating from Heron House in Manchester, and Whitehall officials willing to move are being offered relocation packages. A Re:State blueprint linked to Andy Burnham recommends recruiting about 300 staff within 18 months and moving some teams from Treasury, Cabinet Office and the housing ministry. A longer-term Digital Campus in Ancoats is planned for completion by 2032, and the report suggests a dedicated secretary of state and junior minister based in Manchester.
No 10 North Set Up In Manchester — Whitehall Officials Offered Relocation Packages
Construction of the Digital Campus in Manchester will not be completed before 2032 [Getty Images]
Civil servants based in central London have been offered relocation packages to encourage moves to a newly established Downing Street branch in Manchester, the BBC reports.
According to a source close to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the new office — dubbed No 10 North — is already operational with an initial base at Heron House in central Manchester. Heron House also houses offices for the intelligence service GCHQ, and specialist police officers have been seen guarding the building.
Planned Long-Term Hub
Officials say the longer-term home for No 10 North is expected to be a purpose-built government Digital Campus in the Ancoats district of Manchester. That campus is under construction and is not scheduled for completion until 2032.
Recruitment And Staffing Plans
A blueprint published by the Re:State think tank — an organisation Burnham was linked with before leaving the Greater Manchester mayoralty — outlines a recruitment plan to bring staff from across Greater Manchester and the wider North of England. The report recommends recruiting roughly 300 staff within 18 months.
The plan envisages transferring teams from Whitehall departments, including the Treasury, Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which are now led by ministers from the North. The BBC has been told officials willing to relocate are being offered relocation packages.
Moves From Local Government
It is also expected that a significant number of staff will move from Andy Burnham's former mayoral team at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). Sources say at least three senior GMCA figures have agreed to work at No 10 North; some GMCA employees said they learned of colleagues' moves only after seeing them on television welcoming the new prime minister to Downing Street.
Governance And Next Steps
The Re:State blueprint recommends creating a dedicated secretary of state responsible for No 10 North, supported by a junior minister based in Manchester. No formal ministerial appointments for these roles have been announced.
Few official details have been confirmed to date. Further formal announcements and details are expected as ministerial appointments are finalised and may be set out in forthcoming parliamentary statements, including in the House of Lords.
Sources: BBC reporting; Re:State blueprint.
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