Whitehall officials offered move to No 10 North in Manchester

Whitehall officials offered move to No 10 North in ManchesterImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Construction of the Digital Campus in Manchester will not be completed before 2032ByJudith Moritz, Special correspondent and Daniel Wittenberg, senior producerPublished8 minutes agoCivil servants based in central London have been offered relocation packages to encourage them to move to the North of England, the BBC understands.A new branch of Downing Street - known as No 10 North - is already up and running, according to a source close to new PM Andy Burnham.The initial location will be Heron House in central Manchester, in the same building which houses offices for the intelligence service GCHQ. Specialist police officers have been seen guarding the building.It is likely that the longer term base for No 10 North will be at a new government "Digital Campus" which is under construction in the Ancoats area of Manchester. It is not due for completion until 2032.Few details about the new branch of Downing Street have been officially confirmed.However, a good indication of what it could look like comes from a new report, released on Tuesday. The blueprint has been authored, external by the Re:State think tank which Burnham was involved with until he stepped down as mayor of Greater Manchester.Burnham's 'Manchesterism' got him to No 10 - but will it work for the UK?Published4 days agoWho's in Andy Burnham's cabinet?Published4 hours agoNew 'No 10 North' plan will rebalance power in Britain, Burnham promisesPublished29 JuneIt sets out a possible recruitment plan that would bring in new hires from across Greater Manchester and the wider North of England.In total, the report suggests around 300 staff should be employed within 18 months.It proposes transferring teams from Whitehall departments, including the Treasury, Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – all of which are now being led by se...