Burnham pitches No 10 North plan and biggest council housebuilding drive
Burnham used a Manchester speech to pitch No 10 North and a huge council-house drive, but it hinges on Westminster surrendering real powers.
Andy Burnham used a Manchester speech on Monday to pitch a “No 10 North” model that would shift some central government functions out of London and pair devolution with the biggest council housebuilding drive since the post-war period. Burnham said Britain had lost almost 1.5 million council homes since the 1980s, with roughly the same number of people on housing waiting lists.
After Keir Starmer announced he would resign as prime minister, Burnham set out a broader argument that Britain needs more than incremental reform. His version of devolution would hand more influence to elected mayors, move parts of Whitehall’s operation north and make Manchester a nerve centre for the machinery of government.
Burnham’s housing pledge built on a platform he had already set out in Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority had committed to 10,000 new council homes by 2028, with at least 1,000 in each borough, through a new Housing First Unit. Burnham also wanted the government to devolve power so mayors could suspend Right to Buy on new-build council homes and in areas of greatest housing need.
Greater Manchester has already delivered 10,000 new homes through its Housing Investment Loans Fund, while Manchester City Council had its best year for new home building since the early 2000s in 2025. Metro mayors can co-ordinate land, investment and local housing strategy, but they do not control national housing rules, the Right to Buy regime or the location of central government itself.
Mirte Boot of IPPR North backed the call for bold change and said the status quo was not working, but stressed that delivery would be the real test. Shevaun Haviland of the British Chambers of Commerce said businesses needed consistency, clarity and stability, and would judge the plan by whether it lifted investment, productivity and trade.
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