Conclusion 13

In addition to the disagreement between the British Council and the FCDO over whether the British Council is a commercial organisation, there have been other areas of tension between the organisations. The British Council has expressed its frustration over the slow pace of the loan renegotiation process, claiming that more regular, high-level engagement with ministers may have led to better progress. The British Council has also been frustrated by discussions over country office closures, telling the National Audit Office that the FCDO needed to make a decision about whether it would support the British Council with funding to allow it to operate in countries that are loss making or accept that closures are necessary.33