Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 23
18th Report - The financial sustainability of the British Council
Published 30 Oct 2026
Public Accounts Committee Financial sustainability of the British Council All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
British Council told us that it does not see flexibility in the turnaround plan to deal with any small- or large-scale crises should they arise.50 The FCDO, however, told us that options remain available if some elements of the turnaround plan do not perform as expected, including changes to teaching operations and greater use of digital delivery.51 It told us that the revised turnaround plan is based on more conservative assumptions than the previous plan and has been subject to external reviews.52 The FCDO emphasised that it will put a stronger governance and more regular oversight in place to monitor delivery of the plan.53 Managing workforce reductions, asset sales and country closures
From: Public Accounts Committee, 18th Report - The financial sustainability of the British Council (HC 100), 30 October 2026
Government response
Government response awaited: deadline 30 December 2026.