Burnham sets up ‘No. 10 North’ to shift power from London

Manchester: British PM Andy Burnham has opened a government office in Manchester, dubbed “No. 10 North”, as part of his push to decentralise power and spread economic growth beyond London.

Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, plans to work from the office at least one day a week alongside aides, experts and civil servants. “,” Burnham said.

He wants to replicate across Britain the decentralised approach he championed during nine years as Manchester mayor, giving communities greater control over housing, transport, training and public services.

Burnham also announced that mayors would be allowed to retain a greater share of income and business tax revenue from their areas, calling it the “biggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation”. Critics, however, have called No. 10 North a gimmick.

It is a fundamental change to the way the country thinks about growth and investment. Andy Burnham, Britain’s PM