AIBU to wonder how a government can be based in Manchester?

[dottiedodah]

Andy Burnham is proposing to govern from Manchester when he starts on July 20th.How can this be so ? Surely all previous governments have been based in London?

He's quite clearly going to govern from the centre-left. Mutualising utilities and building 1.5m new council houses is hardly socialism. And there has been no hysteria from the markets following Burnham's speech this morning.

Geographically, in the whole of the UK you are a southerner. Even just geographically in England you are a midlander.

But culturally you can be a northerner if you like.

Electric air taxis will be launching in 2028.

they’ll all be zooming up and down in those

Surely all previous governments have been based in London

No. Gainsborough was briefly the capital and government base 😁

but on a more serious note….

Looks like Burnham doesn’t want to move down south, think his wife has a high flying job (getting council contracts) in Manchester. So I can see his reluctance.

Not sure there is enough government buildings for all the SPADs, etc. and I assume Parliament will stay in London. So it does seem bonkers for everyone else to have to slep up and down between the two cities. What happens if Kemi or Farage become PM in a bit? Will they move government to Essex?

But the BBC moved operations to Salford….aka West Manchester for cheaper rent, etc. so maybe there’s something in it. Teams will work well for cross city meetings.

@ThunderThunderThunderThunderCatsyou’re basically a non southerner 😁

It's not a done deal but it's highly likely. Who would you like to be PM if not Andy Burnham?

The department making devolution happen is moving to Manchester. That's it.

I honestly think it’s a done deal.

And timed to coincide with the white working class children in education being failed report.

Bringing back more hands on education and careers. Industry, plumbers, electricians etc. Much of the north was always the industrial base for the country in the past.

Is the plan to make everyone already in their roles in London relocate or to pay everyone out on redundancy and then employ all new candidates?

He's proposing to move the functions of the cabinet office that are oversseing devolution to Manchester. That's it. Not the entire government.

By the way, your mind would be blown by the Netherlands - Amsterdam is the capital but literally none of the government is based there.

BykindOpalPoet Thank you .was just a bit confused ,never heard of a govt operating outside a capital city is all.Thanks to all for your replies .

He’s suggesting it be governed in both Manchester & London. Most corporate business or companies these days have multiple locations to save travel costs. It makes perfect sense to not drag every MP down to London every single week when they’re based in the north.

Government has frequently not been in London,

on the obvious level in Anglo Saxon times it was Winchester. Under most medieval kings it was where the king was and he went on tours of the kingdom “progress” most summers.

more recently in the Second World War many departments were evacuated (my grandma worked for the civil service and her department was sent to Blackpool)

distributing government stuff more equally around the U.K. has been policy for quite a long time hence dvla in Swansea, Dwp in Newcastle, passport offices scattered around the country etc etc.

And there has been no hysteria from the markets following Burnham's speech this morning.

Because they know it is not going to happen.....

At least he knows where Manchester is. That’s more than some in Westminster. As to whether it will happen or become another great cock up that’s another matter.

Would that be the same one Gove started to be based in Wolverhampton that was then scrapped?!

😂

I certainly didn’t get that impression from what he said. As I understood it, he intends to take a good deal of power from Whitehall and spread it instead among local authorities, who he feels are much better placed to understand and deal with local issues, and alleviate local problems.

He reasons that that’s how he’s been successful in Manchester, so the same method ought to work elsewhere.

Sounds to me like a new broom sweeping clean - I hope he succeeds.

IdaGlossop .wasnt meaning to be rude ,just never heard of a govt doing this .Not very well atm and found it confusing .Not being rude to anyone from Manchester!

A lot of Government business is already located in the North. Many Government departments relocated from London to Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds.

He is on a sticky wicket with some of his ideas though. He knows he needs to raise taxes. But will abdicate responsibility for that to local authorities. Nothing to do with him you see.

Except people aren’t that compliant and stupid these days.

Manchester and liverpool are at the bottom of the English North. The centre of the U.K. is in Lancashire.

Same with moving our national broadcaster. That will never work.

Gove's devolution proposals were far less radical. For example, they didn't involve devolution of revenue-raising, or the partnership model Burnham has put in place in Manchester.

Oh my god. I despair

Because the internet exists... Also the beer is probably is probably cheaper than the parliament bar, so they may actually be motivated to attend.