LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- As British Prime Minister Andy Burnham begins a new week in office, attention is turning to whether No10 North, one of the most prominent initiatives of his early premiership, can shift decision-making beyond London.
Burnham chaired a meeting of the National Economic Council at the Manchester-based office on Friday and met officials, regional leaders and business representatives. He described it as "the place where Whitehall meets the rest of the country" and a "situation room for growth."
The British government said Burnham would work there each week, while other ministers would use the office regularly. Its significance, however, will ultimately be judged by whether government funding and authority move north with the prime minister.
MORE THAN A SECOND OFFICE
No10 North is based at Heron House in central Manchester and forms part of the newly created Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. It will coordinate policies on regional growth, devolution and investment involving government departments, regional mayors and businesses.
According to the government, its main vehicle will be the National Economic Council, which brings together ministers, mayors, trade unions and business groups. The structure gives regional leaders a more direct route into central economic decision-making.
A Cabinet Office document published on July 22 gives the office a more formal role. Responsibility for local economic growth and devolution strategy will be transferred from the housing and communities ministry, while local growth policy will move from the Treasury. The changes bring functions previously divided across Whitehall into the same operation.
SYMBOLISM MEETS WHITEHALL
Burnham has said No10 North will end an era in which "power and resources have been sucked into the centre." The office reflects his argument that excessive control by Whitehall has weakened regional economies and delayed major infrastructure projects.
But experts have argued that a new address alone cannot change how Britain is governed. Spending decisions remain heavily influenced by the Treasury, while transport, housing and industrial projects require cooperation across several departments.
Ian Scott, a professor at the University of Manchester, said No10 North remained largely symbolic and that its eventual agenda was still unclear.
In a July 19 opinion column, the Financial Times warned that Burnham's devolution drive could disappoint without a detailed strategy and a decisive transfer of power.
A NATIONAL MODEL OR A NEW CENTER
Locating the office in Manchester also carries political risks. Other cities may see the initiative as shifting influence from London to Manchester rather than distributing it more widely across Britain.
Kirsty Fairclough, a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, said Manchester had spent decades building the institutional capacity to lead, including an established combined authority and long-term partnerships among government, businesses, universities and cultural organizations.
She added that other cities had different governance histories, making the model difficult to reproduce uniformly.
Fairclough said the initiative would gain wider acceptance only if it came to represent what empowered regions could achieve, rather than an attempt to make other places follow Manchester. Devolved institutions would also need to survive changes in political leadership rather than rely on Burnham's personal profile, she added.
Northern leaders have broadly welcomed the new government's emphasis on devolution. In an open letter on July 21, mayors and local leaders from the Great North called for a partnership offering regions greater powers, investment and financial freedoms, indicating that support for No10 North will depend on concrete commitments from the government. ■