Esther McVey is demanding answers over government claims relocating the Information Commissioner’s Office from Wilmslow to Manchester is based on cost, skill, age and diversity.
She said the move had been shrouded in secrecy, which was ironic given the ICO promotes transparency and oversees Freedom of Information on public bodies. She said it would cost the taxpayer significantly more each year and suggestions over diversity were discriminatory to the people of Wilmslow.
Speaking in a debate she secured in Parliament, Ms McVey said: “What was the problem with the skills, diversity and age of the people and staff in Wilmslow? What is the Minister and the ICO saying about Wilmslow and Cheshire? Let us remember that it was Wilmslow where the organisation grew from ten employees to 1,000 employees, hundreds of them from in and around the Wilmslow area.
“What exactly does Government and the (Information) Commissioner mean when they say the “diversity” of the workforce? That sounds discriminatory to me against the people of Cheshire, Wilmslow and Tatton. In fact, I have heard that the Government are trying to include a socioeconomic duty into the Equality Act 2010, basically discriminating against the UK’s middle classes.”
Claims regarding costs were also dismissed as untrue by Ms McVey. She said if the ICO simply wanted a smaller office many were available in Wilmslow.
She pointed to figures that show the huge cost to the taxpayer of moving the organisation. Based on 250 employees (the approximate size of the Manchester staff) each needing about 100 square feet, the expected cost in Wilmslow would have been anywhere between £375,000 and £625,000, yet in Manchester, with the added service charge, it would cost between £937,000 and £1,312,000 – an increase in cost ranging between £562,000 and £687,000.
Ms McVey said: “Whilst the Commissioner and Minister might not care about the waste of taxpayers’ money, I do, my constituents do and the taxpayer picking up this bill does. These questions matter to staff and the local area, and getting answers has been nothing short of an uphill battle.”
Ms McVey added: “For the people who work there, the decision to relocate is not a minor disruption - it affects their livelihoods, housing, commuting patterns and personal finances. And Wilmslow, the town that helped build up the ICO and helped it flourish – will suddenly and inexplicably have it removed – reducing jobs in the area and trade for local businesses. And yet despite the scale of the impact of this relocation, there has been no explanation as to why this move is happening.”
Ms McVey criticised the fact no impact assessment had been done on how relocating would affect Wilmslow and its local economy. She said she will continue to push for answers from the ICO and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, (the government department that has oversight of the organisation.
The ICO's head office has been in Wilmslow since its creation forty years ago but will relocate to Manchester in Autumn 2026.