CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown has predicted Manchester will be a winner in the race for 21,000 civil service jobs - and revealed departments are already expressing a preference for the city.

Mr Brown's words, during an exclusive interview with the M.E.N., are the clearest boost yet for our campaign to make the region the Whitehall of the North.

"More jobs will come to Manchester with civil service relocation," said Mr Brown.

"Each department is examining how to decentralise and move jobs. They will include the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise and are already speaking of different departments coming to Manchester.

"Departments are keen on Manchester and the north west. Manchester is a city that is showing itself to be one of the most dynamic in the country.

"The merger of the universities has created a new focus for education in the city and thousands of students are now here. Many of those want to stay in the city and they will need new jobs."

Job creation

Mr Brown's words were hailed as "fantastic news" by Neil Fountain, chief executive of Midas, the inward investment agency spearheading the drive for a major slice of the jobs.

Midas recently launched the second phase of its recruitment drive and is lobbying key figures at major departments and influential MPs.

Marketing director Colin Sinclair said: "Manchester city-region has a huge amount to offer public sector organisations looking to move out of London, and we are working closely with a number of departments, agencies and regulatory bodies to support them in every way we can. It is important to stress that this is a long game. We are looking to secure future investment and job creation and are keen to see it evolve over the next five years.

"The past 12 months have seen the BBC, Ofsted and the National Union of Students commit to Manchester, and we believe they will be followed by further major gains for the area."

Midas has been focusing on parts of Whitehall which already have a footprint in Greater Manchester, including the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Highways Agency, Inland Revenue, Immigration and Nationality and Valuation Office.

They have pointed out that the average gross wage here is '42 a week less than the British average of '513.80. The airport is Britain's busiest outside London and houses are less than half the cost of those in the capital - '106,332 on average compared with '260,658.

Individual Whitehall departments are expected to start revealing relocation plans later in the year.

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