San Francisco Frontiers - UK PM Burnham back in Manchester to kickstart English 'devolution'

Unveiling No 10 North in the northwestern city of Manchester, Burnham -- who replaced Keir Starmer as premier on Monday -- pledged power would "flow" away from London's Whitehall governing district to spur economic growth.

"It's not just a new office," he told staff at the city centre site, flanked by senior officials including new finance minister John Healey.

"This is the place where Whitehall meets the rest of the country."

The former Greater Manchester mayor says the thriving city-region -- which has outscored Britain's national performance in various areas, including economic growth -- provides a model for other parts of the country.

He aims to work from No 10 North at least one day a week, dismissing criticism it was a "short-lived gimmick".

"It creates that sense of a more balanced country and that big things can be done from here," Burnham insisted, while conceding power would "always be concentrated" in the capital.

Devolution experts appear unconvinced.

'De-concentration' is "something done in even very centralised states and in itself doesn't signify any transfer of power", academic and policy adviser Alan Trench told AFP.

"At most, it transfers public sector jobs and the lives and incomes of those who hold them."

- 'Badly needed' -

The UK -- comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- saw significant constitutional reforms in the late 1990s that created devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

London also obtained a directly elected mayor and scrutinising assembly.

But England itself remains one of Europe's most centralised nations despite the creation of some regional mayors and other bodies in the last decade, experts say.

"Nowhere in England has any devolved law-making power," Trench noted.

University of Glasgow professor Nicola McEwen said English devolution had been "very asymmetric", hindered by London largely viewing it as something that "happens somewhere else".

Burnham experienced the limits of the current system during his nine years as Manchester mayor, with his previous powers there limited to a few policy areas like transport.

Now in charge nationally, he has ordered departments including the finance ministry to make "targeted transfers of overarching strategic functions" to No 10 North, a minister told parliament this week.

It will sit within a new Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC), led by civil service head Antonia Romeo -- who is London-based.

Burnham will also re-establish the National Economic Council, created in 2008 to deal with the global financial crisis.

He was due to chair its first meeting on Friday at No. 10 North with ministers and regional mayors.

- 'Deeply ironic' -

McEwen said handing No 10 North a strategic role was "positive" but success would still hinge of Whitehall agreeing to cooperate.

Trench said something like OPMC was "long overdue".

However, University of Aberdeen politics professor Michael Keating noted it was "deeply ironic that to deal with centralisation you set up a central government department that's going to decide exactly who gets what".

Under "real" devolution "you get out of their way", he said.

Keating fears trying to create "a counterweight" to the finance ministry -- known as the Treasury -- in No. 10 North is doomed to fail.

"That has been tried before," he told AFP. "The Treasury always wins. They'll not let go of the purse strings."

Others noted relocating civil servants was neither bold nor original.

Around 80,000 government staff already work in northwest England, Burnham's spokesman acknowledged this week.

Burnham, who met the nationalist leaders of Scotland and Wales on Thursday, has said little about further devolution -- other than ruling out supporting independence referendums.

While Scots voted to remain in the UK in 2014, the ruling Scottish National Party is pushing for a re-run.

Wales has never held such a vote but the pro-independence Plaid Cymru party won the May elections there.

T.Rivera--SFF