Hundreds of jobs are set to be created after a major government department opened a large base in Manchester.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has taken space in Marble Street, with the new hub accommodating up to 400 staff.
The move is part of DCMS's wider expansion across the UK with staff based to be in Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Loughborough and Darlington.
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The Darlington Economic Campus, a new shared site in the North East for the Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Department for Education, will have almost 200 DCMS staff based there.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: "The days of London-centric decision making belong in the past. It’s an exciting time for DCMS as we expand our regional offices and tap into a more diverse talent pool.
"Our strength comes from our people and this will allow us to recruit the best, wherever they may be, to deliver the wide range of DCMS policies which drive growth and enrich lives all over the UK."
The new DCMS Manchester HQ will contain the head office for Building Digital UK (BDUK) which recently announced it was becoming executive agency status.
BDUK is behind Project Gigabit, the government’s £5bn plan to roll out faster broadband to hard-to-reach and rural areas and deliver gigabit-capable connections to 85% of UK homes by 2025.
Councillor Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, added: "This is welcome news. Not only is it a reflection of Manchester’s role as a northern epicentre for culture, media and sport - and our thriving tech sector - it is also a move which should help stimulate further innovation and investment in the city and beyond.
"The city is at the heart of a huge and diverse talent pool and tapping into will benefit the Government as well as bringing hundreds of jobs and other opportunities here."
Cllr Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for culture, said: "A new DCMS office in the centre of Greater Manchester will create hundreds of good quality jobs in the city-region for our residents.
"The city-region is the fastest-growing digital and tech hub in Europe, and Greater Manchester is a great fit for the new Building Digital HQ. This is also a step in the right direction of redirecting decision-making from London to our regions."
Tim Newns, chief executive, MIDAS, Greater Manchester’s Inward Investment agency, added: "We’re incredibly excited about DCMS establishing its primary base outside London in Manchester, one of Europe’s leading digital cities.
"Digital has never been more important as a primary driver of growth across both Greater Manchester and the UK’s key industry sectors.
"However, DCMS also reflects other critical industries to Greater Manchester including Culture, Media and Sport, all of which we excel in and are the cornerstone of the Greater Manchester Strategy and Economic Vision."
