UK privacy watchdog starts over with new board and Manchester HQ

Britain's data protection watchdog has acquired a new legal identity and governance structure, although the familiar ICO initials are staying put. On September 30, the Information Commission replaced the Information Commissioner as the statutory regulator. The organization itself will be known as the Information Commission's Office and will continue using the ICO name. The change is more than a bureaucratic rebrand. The former regulator was a "corporation sole," meaning its statutory powers and responsibilities were vested in one person: the Information Commissioner. Those functions have now transferred to a corporate body overseen by executive and non-executive board members. The new structure was created by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in June 2025. The government says it will modernize the watchdog's governance without changing its existing regulatory functions. The transition follows an awkward final few months under the old structure. …