The Governance RegisterEdition 2026 · Compiled 30th August 2026

The British Council

Registered charity 209131 Registered since 1963

Public bodyNDPB-executive · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Operates: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia And Herzegovina

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Board DNA

How this board is put together, from Charity Commission trustee records and Companies House - deterministic, no AI.iBoard compositionCounted from the dated Charity Commission trustee register: the current board only, past trustees excluded.

3y median 2.5y
average tenure
6y
longest tenure

Trustees past 6 years

8.7y
average years in governance

First-time vs portfolio trustees

First-time (9)

Portfolio (3)

5
company-linked trustees

Sector coverage iSector coverageThe charitable fields this board's trustees govern in elsewhere, by Charity Commission classification. Excludes this charity.

Education/training 12Arts/culture/heritage/science 9Overseas Aid/famine Relief 9Accommodation/housing 1General Charitable Purposes 1Other Charitable Purposes 1Religious Activities 1The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives 1

Commercial experience iCommercial experienceThe industries this board's members are company directors in, by Companies House SIC code. Excludes this organisation's own company.

Education 5Property 5Business services 4

Succession forecast iSuccession forecastThe number of board seats likely to open in the next twelve months - summed across the board from each dated trustee’s tenure - and the profile worth recruiting next. From the filed record, deterministic.

🔒 Succession forecast is a Pro feature - the board seats likely to open in the next year and the ideal next trustee. Explore Pro →

Health of the organisation facts side by side - the conclusion is yours

Income v spending, filed accountsiIncome v spendingTotal gross income and expenditure from filed annual returns, Charity Commission, last 5 years.
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
incomespending£1010.4m latest income · spending exceeded income in 2024 and 2025
ReservesiReserves12 x free reserves / annual expenditure, from the Part B annual return. The sector median is computed across all Part B filers in the same income band.

0.0 months of spending held in free reserves · median for charities its size: 3.5 months

9446 from 11131 in 2021
EmployeesiEmployeesHeadcount as filed in Part B annual returns, per financial year. Shown exactly as filed; year-on-year figures may be filed on different bases, so a comparison is only shown when the filings are plausibly comparable.
24%
Income from governmentiIncome from governmentGovernment contracts plus government grants as a share of total gross income, latest Part A annual return.
54 days
Latest accounts filed after the due dateiFiled after the due dateDate the accounts were received minus the reporting due date, latest filed cycle, Charity Commission register.

Related organisations iRelated organisationsTwo groups, both deterministic from public records. Related organisations share two or more trustees with this board - a real structural link, such as a subsidiary or sister charity. Connected through a shared trustee share exactly one person - a genuine connection, but not the same group. A board with no shared trustee at all may still appear here when it is active in the same charitable field.

Connected through a shared trustee

Also active in the same field

Deterministic, from public records.

Contact

Websitewww.britishcouncil.org
EmailCEO.Office@britishcouncil.org
Phone(0)161 884 0291
Address1 Redman Place, Stratford, London, United Kingdom, E20 1JQ

Finances

£1,010,444,268 latest income

YearIncomeSpending
2021£924,965,472£1,015,114,434
2022£896,655,974£942,310,549
2023£873,334,827£925,158,978
2024£989,335,930£1,054,737,848
2025£1,010,444,268£1,053,798,262

What it does

What

Education/trainingOverseas Aid/famine ReliefArts/culture/heritage/scienceOther Charitable Purposes

Who

The General Public/mankind

How

Makes Grants To IndividualsMakes Grants To OrganisationsProvides ServicesActs As An Umbrella Or Resource BodyOther Charitable Activities

Charitable objects

THE OBJECTS FOR WHICH THE BRITISH COUNCIL IS ESTABLISHED AND INCORPORATED ARE TO ADVANCE, FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, ANY PURPOSE WHICH IS EXCLUSIVELY CHARITABLE AND WHICH SHALL:(A) PROMOTE CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OTHER COUNTRIES;(B) DEVELOP A WIDER KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE; AND(C) ENCOURAGE EDUCATIONAL CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OTHER COUNTRIES, SUPPORT THE ADVANCEMENT OF UNITED KINGDOM EDUCATION AND EDUCATION STANDARDS OVERSEAS, AND OTHERWISE PROMOTE EDUCATION.

Governing document: ROYAL CHARTER GRANTED 07/10/1940AS AMENDED BY SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTER DATED 26/11/1993AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 22/07/1976AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 05/10/1983AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 27/10/1993AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 04/12/1984AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 16/07/2002AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 08/06/2011AS AMENDED BY ORDER IN COUNCIL DATED 15 DEC 2021 as amended on 26 Oct 2021

Trustees (12)

12trustees
60median age
0aged 70+

Connected charities (5)

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