The Liberal Democrat Headquarters is the principal centre of operations and offices of the British Liberal Democrats. As of July 2021, the headquarters of the party are located at 1 Vincent Square, in Westminster. [1] [2]
Scottish Liberal Democrats have their own headquarters, which are located at Clifton Terrace in Edinburgh, whilst the Welsh Liberal Democrats' headquarters are based at Bute Street, in Cardiff. [3]
From its formation in 1988, the Liberal Democrats were based in 4 Cowley Street, a Grade II listed Edwardian mansion built in 1905. [4] The party signed a new lease on the building in 2000. Prior to the Liberal Democrats occupying the building, it had been the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party since 1981, and before that had also been the London and North Eastern Railway headquarters. [4] [5]
In March 2011, the party announced they were planning to vacate Cowley Street. At the time, the party had been reducing staff numbers after entering government due to the loss of Short Money, though it denied that the move had been forced due to poor finances, stating that "more modern and more appropriate buildings" were needed and that "Cowley Street does not meet the staff numbers we have got." [5]
The headquarters relocated to an office on a single floor of 8-10 Great George Street, Westminster in May 2011, close to Parliament Square. The Independent described the office as "minimalist" compared to the previous Cowley Street "rabbit warren", and compared it to offices seen in political comedy The Thick of It . The party intended for the open plan design to facilitate better communications. [6] The building was first built in the 1930s with an 1800s Beaux-Arts exterior. [7]
In October 2019, Westminster City Council gave planning permission for 8-10 Great George Street, which was still occupied by the Liberal Democrats at the time, to be converted into a 134-bed hotel. [7]
The headquarters moved to a single floor of 1 Vincent Square in 2021. [1] It is also used by the English Liberal Democrats.
The office space totals 3,700 square feet (340 m2). [8] According to Siân Waddington, Director of Operations, it has been designed to give staff flexibility and enable "debate and collaboration", whilst reflecting the Liberal Democrats’ mission to create a “fairer, greener, more caring Britain”. [8]
Scotland Yard is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had its main public entrance on the Westminster street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became the public entrance, and over time "Scotland Yard" came to be used not only as the common name of the headquarters building, but also as a metonym for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) itself and police officers, especially detectives, who serve in it. The New York Times wrote in 1964 that, just as Wall Street gave its name to New York's financial district, Scotland Yard became the name for police activity in London.
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office. Consequently, the name "Whitehall" is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government, and as the geographic name for the surrounding area.
Millbank Tower is a 119-metre-high (390 ft) skyscraper in the City of Westminster at Millbank, by the River Thames in London, England. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including the Labour and Conservative parties, and the United Nations.
Smith Square is a square in Westminster, London, 250 metres south-southwest of the Palace of Westminster. Most of its garden interior is filled by St John's, Smith Square, a Baroque surplus church, the inside of which has been converted to a concert hall. Most adjoining buildings are offices, with the focus on organisations lobbying or serving the government. In the mid-20th century, the square hosted the headquarters of the two largest parties of British politics, and it is now hosts much of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Local Government Association. It has a pedestrian or mixed approach to the four sides and another approach to the north.
St James's Park is a London Underground station near St James's Park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is served by the District and Circle lines and is between Victoria and Westminster stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The areas located south of the River Thames are within the historic county of Berkshire.
Vincent Square is a grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England. It is London's largest privately-owned square, covering 13 acres, lined with mature trees including London Planes. In among a network of backstreets, it chiefly provides playing fields for Westminster School, who own it absolutely; otherwise, it functions as a green lung and a view for the homes, hotel and other organisations adjoining. Nine of its adjoining buildings have been given strict statutory architectural recognition and protection. The Liberal Democrat Headquarters, housing one of Parliament's three largest political parties, is based at 1 Vincent Square.
Gwynedd Council, which calls itself by its Welsh name Cyngor Gwynedd, is the governing body for the county of Gwynedd, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council administrates internally using the Welsh language.
Denbighshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Denbighshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall in Ruthin.
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council headquarters are at the Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats is a liberal, federalist political party in Wales, part of UK Liberal Democrats. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who has served as an MS for Mid and West Wales since May 2021. The party currently has one elected member in the Senedd and one Welsh seat in the UK House of Commons. It also has several members of the House of Lords. The party had 69 local councillors serving in principal authorities as of the 2022 local authority elections, up 10 from 2017.
81 Newgate Street is a 10-storey office building on Newgate Street in the City of London, opposite St Paul's tube station. It opened in its current state in June 1984.
The 2010 United Kingdom student protests were a series of demonstrations in November and December 2010 that took place in several areas of the country, with the focal point of protests being in central London. Largely student-led, the protests were held in opposition to planned spending cuts to further education and an increase of the cap on tuition fees by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government following their review into higher education funding in England. Student groups said that the intended cuts to education were excessive, would damage higher education, give students higher debts, and broke campaign promises made by politicians.
Christopher Francis Fox, Baron Fox, is a British Liberal Democrat politician.
4 Cowley Street is a Grade II listed house in Westminster, London SW1. Previously the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Democrats, it is now a residential building.
Jane Winifred Dodds is a Welsh politician who has served as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats since 2017. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire at the seat's 2019 by-election, but was an MP for only three months before being defeated in the general election later the same year. In May 2021, Dodds was elected to the Senedd on the Mid and West Wales list. She is the only Liberal Democrat MS in the Senedd.
Cardiff Bus Interchange (CBI) is a bus and transport interchange in the centre of Cardiff and forms part of The Interchange development, which also includes Wood Street House at the northern end with 318 for-rent apartments, two floors of office space, and four retail units on the ground floor.
Great George Street is a street in Westminster, London, leading from Parliament Square to Birdcage Walk. The area of the current street was occupied by a number of small roads and yards housing inns and tenements. In the 1750s these were demolished and Great George Street laid out with "houses only as are fit for the habitation of persons of fortune and distinction". Part of the street was demolished in 1806 and is now part of Parliament Square. Between 1898 and 1915 the entire north side of the street was demolished for the construction of the Government Offices Great George Street. The street houses the headquarters of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, whose building includes the only surviving 1750s façade, and the Institution of Civil Engineers. The street formerly housed the National Portrait Gallery.
Nye Bevan House, was a large office development located in the Blythswood Hill area of Glasgow, Scotland. It formed part of the complex of buildings known as Strathclyde House which collectively served as the offices and meeting place of Strathclyde Regional Council from when it was formed in 1975 until it was eventually abolished in 1996.
The Labour Party Headquarters, often referred to as Labour HQ, is the principal centre of operations and offices of the British Labour Party. The current headquarters are located in the Southworks building on Rushworth Street in Southwark. "Labour HQ" is also used by the news media to refer to those deemed in charge of the party.