Burnham’s No 10 North ‘will be based on brownfield site on edge of Manchester’

A civil service base that is under construction in Manchester has been earmarked for Andy Burnham’s No 10 North, according to reports. The northern centre of government will be in Ancoats, on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, but the site is not due to be completed before 2028, according to the Manchester Evening News . Burnham, who is widely expected to succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, has pledged to shift part of his operation north. He has called for a radical overhaul of the “broken” Westminster system of government, and has said he would split his time living between London and Greater Manchester . The business case for the Manchester Digital Campus in Ancoats was formally signed off by the Treasury in March. It is being built on brownfield land and will bring together about 8,800 people from multiple government departments, with a focus on digital work. The site is aiming to be fully operational by 2032 and will provide approximately 900,000 sq ft of purpose-built workspace across two buildings. Burnham’s team is understood to be looking for an interim office in the city to use in the meantime. As Manchester mayor, Burnham was based in the Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. The city council is located in the town hall, which is undergoing a huge renovation project costing upwards of £500m. The Grade I-listed building closed in 2018 for repairs, which are now scheduled to be completed by spring 2027. …