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Andy Burnham's No10 North Launches Major Hiring Initiative to Advance Devolution Strategy
Andy Burnham's No10 North office in Manchester has initiated a large-scale hiring campaign, advertising 50 new roles to advance the government's strategy of devolving power across the UK. The initiative, which costs an estimated £2.8 million in basic salaries, aims to reshape government policy and bring decision-making closer to local communities.
BBC Politics
Andy Burnham's No10 North, the government's new office in Manchester, has commenced a significant hiring spree, advertising 50 external positions to bolster its mission of devolving power across the country. The office, established in July as a sister entity to London's Downing Street, is central to the government's effort to decentralize decision-making.
Government sources confirmed that the new roles will be funded through existing budgets. The positions cover various departments, including strategy, communications, policy, and private office support. Among the highest-level appointments is a "rewiring the state deputy director," whose role is to lead the Rewiring the State Unit and shape the government's approach to devolution across departments.
The government stated that the recruitment campaign seeks staff who can bring "fresh perspectives and knowledge of the places they serve," with the ultimate goal of moving decisions closer to the people they affect. Officials assert that No10 North is driving a major transfer of power out of Westminster in a generation.
No10 North currently employs 120 staff members, representing nearly half of the 280 employees at No10 London. BBC News calculated that the basic salaries for the new roles alone total approximately £2.8 million, excluding the civil service's 28.97% employer pension contributions.
Politically, the initiative has drawn criticism from the opposition. Conservative Party deputy leader Alex Burghart dismissed the expansion as "Manchesterism is just more bureaucracy at taxpayers' expense," while Tory shadow cabinet minister Mike Wood expressed concern over a lack of transparency regarding headcounts and office attendance.
No10 North is scheduled to relocate from its current temporary base in Heron House to a permanent government office on First Street in spring 2027. This new location will be situated within a city center building shared by other government departments, including the Cabinet Office.
Beyond hiring, the office has already served as a hub for regional governance, hosting summits for local mayors and facilitating meetings, such as the one between Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Prime Minister Burnham in September.