Downing Street has confirmed that a northern branch of its operations, known as No 10 North, is located in Manchester and already up and running. BBC News

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to spend his first day working from the site. He will chair a meeting of the National Economic Council, a group of senior government figures who coordinate the country's economic response. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, is also expected to work from No 10 North for the first time on that same Friday. BBC News

The National Economic Council was first launched in 2008 to respond to economic challenges around the UK. Normally, a Cabinet minister chairs its meetings from Whitehall in London. This time, a directly elected mayor will chair it from Manchester. That is a notable change in how things are done, even though the committee's formal job description has not changed.

Burnham has said he wants to base himself at No 10 North one day a week. BBC News That would make him a regular presence in a building branded as a Downing Street outpost, rather than someone who drops in for a one-off event.

Ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh will also work from the Manchester site regularly. Up to 300 civil servants, the staff who carry out the practical work of government, are expected to join No 10 North by the end of next year. BBC News

Whitehall officials have already been offered moves to the Manchester site. BBC News The scale of the planned staff presence, combined with ministers committing to regular working patterns there, suggests the government wants real decision-making to happen outside London, not just a few jobs moved north.

The broader context here is about how power has been gradually shifting away from Westminster. Over several years, Greater Manchester has gained more control over transport, housing and skills training through deals with central government. Burnham has pushed for even more financial independence for his region. No 10 North puts government ministers and civil servants in the same building as the mayor's team. That could give Greater Manchester a way to shape decisions from inside government rather than lobbying from outside. Whether this model spreads to other parts of England with elected mayors will be a key test of whether the whole approach is a lasting change or just an arrangement with one region.

Rayner, as Deputy Prime Minister, has led the government's planning and devolution agenda through Parliament. Powell is the Leader of the House of Commons and the MP for Manchester Central. Haigh is a senior minister in her own right. All three have direct ties to northern constituencies. Having them in the building from the start, and hosting the National Economic Council there rather than in a London cabinet room, gives the arrangement its first high-profile test.