MP Nigel Adams, who spelt out the cuts, says it is wrong to say council can only make impact with offices in-country
The British Council, the British government’s cultural arm and a key instrument of British soft power, is to close 20 offices across the globe as part of a restructuring programme made necessary by cuts to the aid budget and shortfall of income.
The British Council confirmed that “due to the impact of Covid on our commercial income, which we previously used to subsidise our offices overseas, and an overall decline in our funding compared to pre-Covid, we face a significant funding gap”. It added that as a result, it “will need to look at delivering our work in 20 countries remotely or digitally”.
