Occupants
Throughout its history, Millbank has been home to many high profile political and other organisations. From 1995 the Labour Party rented two floors in the base at the south of the site for use as a general election campaign centre, including the ground floor, which had a lecture theatre, and also a meeting space that was used for press conferences. Labour ran its 1997 General Election campaign from these offices; after the election, the party vacated its headquarters at John Smith House, Walworth Road SE17, to move to Millbank. Just five years later, however, the £1 million per annum rent forced the party to vacate the tower and relocate to 16 Old Queen Street.
The United Nations also had offices in Millbank Tower, but moved out in June 2003, also citing high rents. Other public bodies have continued to occupy the building, including the Central Statistical Office, the predecessor of the Office for National Statistics, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, the Local Government Ombudsman, the UK India Business Council and the Ministry of Justice Records Management Service. Since 2006, the Conservative Party have based their campaign headquarters at 30 Millbank, in the same complex as Millbank Tower.
Other floors in the tower are occupied by various organisations and commercial companies, including Environment Agency, Altitude 360 London, free software promotion company Canonical Ltd., - the company that sponsors the Ubuntu project; the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the UK India Business Council, the Audit Commission (soon to be wound up by Eric Pickles), event caterers Salt and Pepper, Private Food Design, the firm Lewis PR, and the London office of the Open Society Foundations.
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Famous quotes containing the word occupants:
“I weathered some merry snow-storms, and spent some cheerful winter evenings by my fireside, while the snow whirled wildly without, and even the hooting of the owl was hushed. For many weeks I met no one in my walks but those who came occasionally to cut wood and sled it to the village.... For human society I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)