Appointment details

National Council Members

Summary

• Organisation: Arts Council England
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Number of vacancies: 3
• Time commitment: 20 day(s) per annum
• Length of term: 3 or 4 years
• Application deadline: 7pm on 15 June 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   16 May 2025

2. Application deadline

   7pm on 15 June 2025

3. Sifting date

   23 June 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   14 July 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

We are seeking to appoint new members to Arts Council England’s National Council, their non-executive board. 

On Monday, 9 June at 10:30 – 11:15am, join Arts Council England Chair Sir Nicholas Serota for an online information session about the roles sign up here: https://forms.gle/hWBLDE1VXhTVdBuR7

Introduction from the Chair

Dear Applicant, 

Thank you for your interest in this role. 

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture in England. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries and aspire to help people from all over the country to experience art and creativity. We do this by investing in artists and organisations that make and deliver exceptional, inspirational work for our communities. 

This is an opportunity to join our National Council, the Board of Trustees for Arts Council England. National Council sets the strategic direction for the Arts Council and  ensures the  organisation is well governed and successfully delivering our priorities. 

National Council’s key responsibilities are to advance the Arts Council’s mission and strategy, shape the organisation’s strategic path, and ensure effective management practices and responsible resource handling are at the heart of the work the organisation undertakes.  

As a National Council member, you will also undertake crucial investment and policy decisions, including decisions on our regular funding programme for arts organisations, museums and libraries across England, the National Portfolio Investment Programme (NPIP).  

The successful applicant will join us mid-way through our current ten-year strategy “Let’s Create”, guiding us to deliver the strongest results from the key objectives in our Delivery Plan. We want  children and adults to have the option to be creative and undertake artistic activities throughout their lives, and to create cultural communities which ensure that people can access art and culture close to wherever they live, and residents can thrive through a collaborative approach to culture.  

Our goal is for England to be a creative and cultural country, ensuring that our cultural sector is innovative, collaborative and international.  

We are strongly committed to improving the diversity of the Council. Its ability to represent England’s diverse national identity and include a range of voices is key to ensuring that the Arts Council’s programmes meet the creative and cultural needs of everyone. We particularly welcome applications from people from the global majority and people with experience of disability. 

I wish you the very best of luck with your application. 

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England.  

Appointment description

As a member of National Council, the successful candidates will become trustees of Arts Council England, and alongside other members of National Council will be expected to:

• Uphold the Arts Council’s mission and objectives.
• Set the strategic direction of the organisation and make key investment and policy decisions.
• Ensure that the Arts Council has effective management arrangements and is managing its resources responsibly.
• Individual council members may be asked to advocate for the cultural sector and represent the work of the Arts Council. 
• From time-to-time council members may be asked to lead or assist with specific aspects of policy development. 
• Council members are expected to remain up to date with developments in the sector including opportunities, challenges and risks, drawing the Chair of the Arts Council and its senior executives’ attention to the issues as appropriate. 

National Council members are expected to attend at least six meetings each year. Council members may also be asked to participate in a number of committee or panel meetings each year. National Council meetings generally take place during the working day in Birmingham.

Council members may also be invited to join or Chair a committee which reports to National Council, such as our Performance and Audit Committee, Race Advisory Committee or Disability Advisory Committee.  

Organisation description

Arts Council England (ACE) champion creativity and culture across the country, develop talent in every corner of the nation, and support artists, practitioners and cultural organisations to work in partnership and to be world-leading in their fields. ACE’s Strategy for 2020-30, Let’s Create, is an invitation to those who share ACE’s beliefs to come together and create new opportunities for every person in England to become creative and enjoy brilliant culture.

ACE believe creativity and culture not only inspire us, but they bring us together and teach us about ourselves and the world around us, helping us feel proud of the place we live in. In short, they make life better.

ACE support combined arts, dance, libraries, literature, museums, music, theatre, and visual art. Through a range of funds, ACE provide both short- and long-term investment for individual artists and arts projects, arts organisations, museums, galleries, and libraries.

From 2023-26 ACE will invest:

• £458.5 million per year in the National Portfolio - this includes National Portfolio Organisations, Investment Principles Support Organisations, Transfer Organisations and Creative People and Places organisations.

• £116.8 million of National Lottery funding per year in Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants, the open-access funding programme.

• £14.4 million of National Lottery funding per year in Developing Your Creative Practice, the programme to support individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development.

• £50 million per year in the Arts Council Development Funds which will focus on a variety of areas such as: capital investment programme, cultural education, digital culture network, museum development, arts council collection management, UK City of Culture and activities listed within out Delivery Plan.

Board composition

National Council

Arts Council England's National Council is their main governing body, or non-executive board. National Council members are also the trustees of the charity.

National Council is currently supported by five Area Councils which advise it on and promote the work of the Arts Council in the five English regions: London, the South East, South West, Midlands and the North. Together all Area Councils fulfil a similar role – ensuring that the work of the Arts Council continues to be informed by a diverse range of perspectives from artists, local authorities and other key stakeholders across the country. Chairs of each Area Council also serve as members of the National Council.

The role of the Arts Council’s National Council is to:

• determine and uphold Arts Council England’s mission and objectives

• be accountable to the Secretary of State for fiduciary matters and delivering the charitable objectives

• agree high level priorities and strategies

• approve Arts Council England’s Grant-in-Aid and National Lottery accounts

• monitor delivery of Arts Council England’s strategy against stated priorities

• advocate for the arts and culture

Collectively the Council is expected to embody:

• artists, arts and culture practitioners and managers

• finance and management expertise, public and private sector experience

• the Chairs of the Area Councils

National Council Members

The Executive Board

National Council is supported by an executive leadership team, which is led by Darren Henley, the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer. Darren Henley leads an Executive Board which includes two Deputy Chief Executives and four other Executive Directors. The Arts Council’s Executive Board is responsible for developing the long-term strategy of the Arts Council and for the day-to- day running of the organisation. Further details about our Executive Board are available on the Arts Council website.

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website 

Person specification

Essential criteria

All applicants should be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of Arts Council England and the context within which it operates. 
• Relationship building: ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, with the creativity and culture sector and other stakeholders. 
• Communication: strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenge and constructively challenge others in discussions.
• Judgement: effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations to support the delivery of Arts Council England’s objectives.  
• A demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion; and tackling inequalities to unlock the advantages of creativity and culture for everyone. 

Desirable criteria

We would particularly welcome applications form people with expertise or experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Artists and/or Creative Practitioners 
• Arts and Technology
• Business/Commercial 
• Change Management
• Children and Young People
• Creative Education
• Creativity and Criminal Justice
• Creativity, Health and Wellbeing
• Dance
• Developing community-led cultural activity
• Environmental Responsibility and Innovation
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• FE/HE Education
• Finance and Investment 
• International Cultural Exports
• Libraries 
• Museums
• Philanthropy

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

Candidates for the Midlands Area Chair of ACE should apply through the advert titled "Midlands Area Chair"; all candidates applying for Midlands Area Chair will also be considered for the "general" National Council Member roles - there is no need to duplicate your application.

Candidates that do not wish to be considered for the Midlands Area Chair role should apply through this advert.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

• Rosa Schiller-Crawhurst - DCMS Deputy Director for Arts and Libraries - Panel Chair
• Sir Nicholas Serota, CH - Chair, Arts Council England - Public Body Representative
• Heather Lee - Human Resources Director, Health Transportation Group UK - Independent Panel Member

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the DCMS public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Contact details

To discuss the role please contact David.Bryant@artscouncil.org.uk. 

To discuss the appointment process please contact publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk or fiona.darcy@dcms.gov.uk

Attachments

• Recruitment Pack

• DCMS Privacy Notice