No 10 North expands power shift

What's happened

The No 10 North operation in Manchester is expanding to bring devolution and local growth decisions closer to postcodes across the country. Burnham chairs the NEC from Manchester, with regional mayors and business leaders involved as scrutiny grows over costs and reach.

What's behind the headline?

Analysis

• No 10 North is designed to accelerate devolution by placing decision-making in the hands of local leaders and civil servants across more postcodes.
• The move is framed as balancing power between North and South, and between local economies and Westminster.
• Critics worry about costs, scope, and whether the North can sustain long-term influence without becoming a token gesture.
• The plan’s success depends on effective collaboration with mayors, business groups, and unions, and on delivering tangible improvements in local growth and living standards.
• Forecast: if the NEC coordinates well, expect faster project delivery in infrastructure and housing; if not, tensions over funding and regional disparities will grow.

How we got here

No 10 North has moved from London to Manchester as part of a broader push to devolve power from Whitehall. The NEC has been revived to coordinate economic policy with local actors, and a potential permanent site in Ancoats is under development for completion in 2032.

Our analysis

BBC Business: No 10 North will shift strategic decisions out of the Treasury; The Mirror: Burnham calls the North the nerve centre; The Guardian/Independent: Burnham argues for devolution and sea-change in governance; All sources converge on a central claim that power is moving north to drive growth, with caveats about costs and scope.

Go deeper

• Will No 10 North deliver tangible gains in local living standards within 12 months?
• How will funding for regional projects be allocated between Whitehall and Northern bases?
• What roles will regional mayors play in NEC meetings and decision-making?

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