Andy Burnham wields axe to Whitehall jobs as civil servants moved to offices of regional mayors

He announced that as a first step in his devolution revolution Whitehall officials will be posted to the offices of regional mayors.The Government billed the move as the “largest transfer of Whitehall capacity to local leaders yet”.Andy Burnham and Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve RotheramPA ArchiveMr Burnham hosted an online meeting of regional mayors through his new No10 North headquarters in Manchester.Speaking afterwards, he said: “No10 North is putting more power into every postcode across the country so communities can unleash and unlock their own potential.“I'm bringing together Mayors from different political parties to work on these challenges, because people deserve problem-solving rather than point-scoring.”His No10 fixer, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh added: “The days of Westminster hoarding power are over. Cabinet minister Louise HaighGettyFrom the autumn, high-performing civil servants will be seconded into mayoral authorities around the country.The move aims to build capability and capacity and accelerate the transfer of power to local areas, No10 said.In an initial pilot, every mayoral authority will receive between five and ten civil servants on a 6–9-month secondment. Read MoreAndy Burnham is cutting thousands, if not tens of thousands, of jobs in WhitehallAs part of the announcement on Friday:* A new Civil Service Fast Stream pilot will be set up in Yorkshire and the Humber, providing more opportunities to build successful careers in regions outside London* The Future Leaders Scheme, a civil service programme to develop high potential individuals, will be expanded to include mayoral and local authority officials* A digital devolution programme will be launched to unlock government data and build AI, digital and data capability in mayoral authorities* Ministers will work with mayors to fast-track major sports-led regeneration projects and bring forward jobs, investment and housing in the regionsCommunities Secretary Angela Rayner said: “We want to see more power and resource shifted away from Westminster and back into the hands of our communities where it belongs.“We’re also giving our mayors the tools they need to push on and deliver on what matters for their community, whether that’s new transport links, more safe and secure homes, regeneration projects, or everything in between.”But it has been criticised as running counter to the PM’s devolution pledge by taking decision-making away from local councils.It has also led to warnings that more homes could be built on greenbelt in commuter areas around the capital.