Esther McVey has hit out at government for allowing jobs to be moved out of Wilmslow in favour of Manchester – and warned there is more to the north than just big cities.
Ms McVey said the decision to relocate the Information Commissioner’s Office from Wilmslow to Manchester was a mistake.
Speaking in Parliament she said: “When the minister is moving civil service jobs outside London can I remind him that there is much more to the North than just Manchester and Leeds. So can I ask, why the government is moving the Information Commissioner’s Office away from Wilmslow to Manchester, and what impact assessment has been done on the economy of Wilmslow in making that move.”
The ICO's head office has been in Wilmslow since its creation forty years ago but will relocate to Manchester in Autumn 2026.
Ms McVey added: “This has come as a shock to the local area. This organisation is an important anchor tenant for the town and has a positive impact on the high street. I am extremely disappointed by the decision and I see no reason for needing to move.
“I’m making the case to ministers that the ICO should remain in Wilmslow and that moving it out will have an impact on the local economy, something government appear not to have considered or assessed.”
Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden failed to address whether an impact assessment had been carried out, instead saying: “We will try to bring things together in a way that creates real expertise, and I do not believe that is just about cities, I also believe it is about other urban and semi urban areas too. The technology that allows us to move jobs outside London also allows us to do that.”
Ms McVey has since tabled parliamentary questions to establish how much the move will cost and for the rationale behind the decision not to renew its lease in Wilmslow as had been the case in previous years. She has also written to the ICO asking for them to reconsider the decision.
