Whitehall officials will be posted into the offices of England's regional mayors from the autumn, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Friday, in what Downing Street described as the largest transfer of central government capacity to local leaders yet attempted.
The announcement was made through the first "virtual situation room" convened by No10 North, the prime minister's Manchester base, and timed to mark one month since the office opened at Heron House on 24 July. Under an initial pilot, every mayoral authority will receive between five and 10 "high-performing" civil servants on secondments lasting six to nine months, with 18 mayoral strategic authorities expected to take part and two further authorities currently forming that could benefit later.
Mr Burnham said the scheme would help communities "unleash and unlock their potential", adding that No10 North was "putting more power into every postcode".
"I'm bringing together mayors from different political parties to work on these challenges, because people deserve problem-solving rather than point-scoring," the prime minister said.
No total headcount was published by Downing Street, and estimates diverge. PA Media reported that around 90 civil servants would take up posts in the regions, while the Guardian put the figure at 100; the per-authority allocation set out in the government's own press notice implies a range of between 90 and 180.
Mayors will be able to request the particular skills they need. The package also includes a Civil Service Fast Stream pilot in Yorkshire and the Humber, with applications opening alongside the next intake in October and successful candidates starting in September 2027; an expansion of the Future Leaders Scheme to mayoral and local authority officials; a Digital Devolution programme to build a common data-sharing model between Whitehall and mayoral authorities and expand AI and data skills training; and a Stadium Regeneration Accelerator aimed at sports-led regeneration.
Downing Street said mayors had "called for stronger local capability, faster decision-making and a closer partnership with government", following requests made at the first meeting of the National Economic Council at the end of July. The commitment to an enhanced secondment programme was set out in Rewiring the State, the Cabinet statement published on 31 July, which promises new strategic authority powers over skills, employment support, transport, housing and innovation, alongside fiscal devolution including a share of local income tax from 2028.
Louise Haigh, the first secretary of state, said "the days of Westminster hoarding power are over", and that the government had "kickstarted the biggest transition of power and resources in a generation". Communities secretary Angela Rayner said No10 North was "at the heart of our devolution revolution".
Caroline Simpson, deputy chief of staff at No10 North and a former chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, told Politico that England remained "one of the most centralised countries in the Western Hemisphere", with "very little true devolution", and said a "major transfer of powers, resources and functions" would take place before the next general election.
Agency copy framed the announcement as the first step in Whitehall job cuts, with PA reporting that thousands, and possibly tens of thousands, of civil service posts are set to move out of London — a figure not contained in any official document.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, said briefings about headcount reductions raised unanswered questions over numbers, locations and a "potentially compulsory change of employer", adding that the government "is entitled to change the way the country is governed, but it also has a duty to be a good employer".
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon said seconding officials into mayors' offices was "a staffing announcement, not a transfer of proper power", with no new funding attached. Conservatives have previously criticised No10 North as a gimmick and questioned its long-term cost.
Capacity varies sharply between authorities: West Yorkshire employs close to 1,000 staff, while Hull and East Yorkshire has fewer than 100. A fiscal devolution roadmap and a white paper setting out the full reform timetable are expected alongside the Budget on 28 October.
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