Andy Burnham’s Number 10 North has gone on a multi-million pound hiring spree with dozens of new jobs being advertised.
The office in Manchester, set up by the prime minister in July, has launched 50 external job adverts, including a “rewiring the state deputy director”.
It is the latest sign of how pivotal the government outpost – designed as a sister office to London’s Downing Street – may prove to Burnham’s aim to devolve power across the country.
Government sources say the roles will be paid for out of existing budgets.
The new recruits “will work with mayors and councils to identify barriers holding places back”, but the Conservatives have described the office as a “gimmick”.
There will be no redundancies elsewehere in the civil service as a result of the hiring spree, the has been told, with some jobs expected to be relocated and other vacant roles closed.
The new roles, all based in Manchester, cover areas including strategy, communications, engagement, private office and policy.
News has calculated they total up to £2.8m for basic salaries alone, excluding employer pension contributions in the civil service of 28.97%.
No10 North now has 120 members of staff, nearly half of the 280 staff who work in No10 London.
Among the highest paid of the roles are a “rewiring the state deputy director”, with a salary band of £86,000 to £117,000, who will “lead the Rewiring the State Unit… shaping the government’s approach to devolution across departments”.
The government said it was launching a recruitment campaign for staff who would “bring fresh perspectives and knowledge of the places they serve, moving decisions closer to the people they affect”.
No10 North “is driving the most significant transfer of power out of Westminster in a generation,” the government added in a statement.