Information Commissioner’s Office will move headquarters from Wilmslow in autumn next year
The UK’s regulator for all matters data protection is moving home. Since it was first established in 1984, the headquarters of the Information Commissioner’s Office has been based in Wilmslow, in Cheshire. However, With the upcoming expiry of lease at the current premises, Wycliffe House, the organisation had to assess a range of options.
Photo by Fran Serra / Unsplash
In autumn 2026, it will move into premises in the new Circle Square development on Manchester’s Oxford Road.
The ICO is the national data protection authority, an independent body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to oversee matters pertaining to data protection laws.
The legislation it now covers includes the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and Investigatory Powers Act. It also covers such regulations as privacy and electronic communications, general data protection, environmental information, INSPIRE, eIDAS, NIS and re-use of public sector information. Earlier this week, the ICO officially upbraided Greater Manchester Police for ‘serious shortcomings’ in the way the force stored and handled CCTV footage.
(Bit awkward, now they will be neighbours.)
When it was founded 41 years ago, the ICO consisted of a data protection registrar and 10 staff. There are now more than 500 employees, based in the office in Wilmslow as well as in offices in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Jen Green, Executive Director – Strategy and Resources at the ICO, says: ‘Our relocation to Circle Square will create a working environment that better supports how we operate now and into the future. The new space will provide a more flexible, collaborative setting for our teams, with improved access to the facilities and connections we need.
‘Wilmslow has been a welcome home for the ICO for 40 years, and we will continue to have a small presence in the area beyond next year. Moving to Manchester puts us close to universities and other organisations working in data and digital, and will also support our efforts to attract new and diverse talent and strengthen the way we engage with the wider sector.’
In related news:
London’s loss: Manchester wins in major public sector relocation
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