British Council

British Council
Founded1934; 90 years ago (1934)
FounderBritish government
TypeCultural institution
Headquarters1 Redman Place, Stratford, London E20 1JQ, England, United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
ProductBritish cultural and language education
Key people
Paul Thompson (chair)
Scott McDonald (chief executive)
Revenue (2020–21)
£924,965,472[1]
Expenses (2020–21)£1,015,114,434[1]
Websitewww.britishcouncil.org
British Council Delhi launch of Mix The City Delhi, 6 April 2017
British Council building in Hong Kong

The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh language in Argentina[2]); encouraging cultural, scientific, technological and educational cooperation with the United Kingdom. The organisation has been called a soft power extension of UK foreign policy,[3][4] as well as a tool for propaganda.[5]

The British Council is governed by a Royal Charter. It is also a public corporation and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Its headquarters are in Stratford, London. Its chair is Paul Thompson and its chief executive is Scott McDonald.[6]

  1. ^ a b "THE BRITISH COUNCIL - Charity 209131". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Welsh Language Project | British Council". Archived from the original on 22 August 2014.
  3. ^ Biswas, K (7 July 2021). "The subtle art of soft power". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  4. ^ Baker, Luke (26 June 2020). "Britain rescues its 'soft-power' branch after heavy COVID blow". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  5. ^ Beeley, Sir Harold (November 1971). "The Changing Role of British International Propaganda" (Online). The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. CCCXCVIII (Propaganda in International Affairs). Sage Publications: 124–129. doi:10.1177/000271627139800114. JSTOR 1038927. S2CID 146718416. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022. Britain's international propaganda is conducted through three principal agencies: the official Information Service, the External Services of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the British Council.
  6. ^ "Senior Leadership Team | British Council". britishcouncil.org. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.