Andy Burnham will today become the first Prime Minister to work from No. 10 North as he declares the days of power being hoarded in Westminster are over. Operating from Heron House – across from the town hall in Manchester city centre – No. 10 North will be the government’s new situation room for growth, bringing the levers of local economic growth and devolution together under one roof for the first time.
The Prime Minister is expected to work from No10 North each week so that decisions about the country’s economic future will no longer exclusively be made in Westminster. Other ministers will also work from No10 North on a regular basis.
The Prime Minister will chair the first meeting of the revived National Economic Council at No. 10 North on Friday, bringing together senior ministers and regional mayors to put devolution at the centre of the Government’s mission.
Regional mayors will be invited to sit around the table, cementing devolution at the centre of economic decision-making and backing the Prime Minister’s pledge to rewire Britain so that decisions are taken with local leaders.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “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.
“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.”
Ahead of the first meeting of the National Economic Council, the Prime Minister will speak to leading Business Representative Organisations including the Federation of Small Business, CBI and the BCC to discuss how Government and business can work together to unlock growth, investment and create jobs across the country.
The NEC’s attendees will flex according to the issues under consideration, bringing together business leaders, trade unions and other partners where their expertise can help drive delivery.
Local economic growth, devolution strategy and local growth policy are being brought together so that government departments, mayors, combined authorities and business can work from a single plan rather than competing ones.
The meeting comes off the back of a series of interventions made to ease the cost of living and back local high streets.
This week the government has announced:
- The removal of VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October, saving a typical household around £45 a year.
- The £2 cap on bus fares in England will kick in from January 2027.
- A 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England from April 2027.
