British Council
Introduction
The British Council was established in 1934 and was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940.
The Council is a registered charity. Its aim is to promote a wider knowledge of the UK and the English language, and to encourage cultural, scientific, technological and other educational co-operation between the UK and other countries. It pursues these objectives through cultural relations and the management of projects and programmes in overseas aid.
The Council is funded by grants-in-aid from the FCO and dfid. It also earns income from its enterprises activities, including the teaching of English, the administration of British examinations overseas, and the management of projects under contract. It focuses its work on the following sectors: English language teaching; information and publishing; education; the arts; design and literature; science, engineering and technology; governance and law; social development; and health.
The Council operates in 228 towns and cities in 109 countries. It employs some 6,000 staff, including 1,400 teachers in 136 teaching centres and satellites in 51 countries.
Approximately 1000 staff in the UK provide management and professional services for the Council's overseas operations and also implement those Council programmes which take place in the UK.
The Council is governed by a Board comprising between 15 and 30 members. Its membership reflects the Council's principal areas of interest and the constituent parts of the UK. The Board delegates to the Director-General and Board of Management responsibility for the Council's day-to-day operations.
| | Number of Staff | | | Expenditure (£m) |
| 1995/96 | 6864 | | 1995/96 | 421.9 |
| 1996/97 | 6634 | | 1996/97 | 423.4 |
| 1997/98 | 6052 | | 1997/98 | 426.5 |
The Council publishes an Annual Report containing summarised accounts, together with a trustees' annual report containing the full annual accounts and the report on those accounts by the National Audit Office as the Council's auditors. Copies of both documents are available free of charge.
Achievements for 1996/97
The Council undertook a radical streamlining of its operations in the UK and overseas. In the UK, this resulted in a reduction of 25% in staffing at the Council's headquarters, a much greater emphasis on working with UK partners outside the Council, and the contracting out of some professional services that were previously provided in-house. UK costs have been reduced by £5 million a year.
Similar restructuring programmes have been undertaken in the larger overseas operations.
Despite a 10% cut in government funding, the Council is maintaining its operations in 109 countries world-wide through improvements in efficiency. It has continued to expand self-funded work such as English teaching (extended to three new countries in 199697) and examinations (10% increase in candidates in 199697 over previous year).
The Council established itself on the World Wide Web during the year, with comprehensive information on its services in all countries now available on the Internet.
The Council's commitment to the principles of the Citizen's Charter is demonstrated by the following:
- publishing financial and operational performance targets and measures;
- continuous improvements in efficiency and effectiveness;
- standards for reception and enquiry point staff;
- a code of conduct for all staff;
- a code of best practice for the Board; and
- an equal opportunities policy and action plan.
Plans for 1997/98
The Council sees major opportunities for strengthening the UK's profile, standing, and commercial prospects in the key emerging markets of East Asia and Latin America, and in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. They will be achieved through greater efforts to widen knowledge of the English language and encourage overseas students to choose to study in the UK, and by promoting the UK's capabilities and strengths in technology, culture and good governance.
Key Performance Targets
|
| 1994/95
| 1995/96
| 1996/97
| 1997/98
|
Key Measure
| Set
| Achieved
| Set
| Achieved
| Set
| Set
|
Private Sector Sponsorship of Council Activities (£m)
|
8.5
|
7.4
|
7.5
|
7.1
|
7.8
|
8.6
|
Cost-sharing by partners for Council arts events overseas (%)
|
|
77
|
80
|
82
|
83
|
84
|
Media response to arts events rated good/excellent (%)
|
|
59
|
65
|
62
|
65
|
70
|
No. of Examinations at Council Centres overseas (000's)
|
331
|
352
|
365
|
407
|
435
|
500
|
Class Hours taught in Council Teaching Centres (000's)
|
859
|
842
|
893
|
905
|
991
|
1,066
|
No. of UK English language teaching institutions accredited
|
|
314
|
320
|
325
|
330
|
350
|
Corporate overheads as % of Operating Income
|
|
9.1
|
8
|
8.5
|
6.4
|
6.5
|
| 
