Department for Culture Media and Sport
public appointments
Public bodies assist Ministers and Departments to make or apply their policies - particularly in areas where the expertise and understanding of those outside government and specialists are needed. DCMS is responsible for some 70 public bodies, which are funded by - but independent of - the Department and are run by boards.
All organisations function best if the people running them bring a wide range of skills and experience to the board table. That’s why DCMS is encouraging talented and appropriately skilled individuals, with flair and creativity, to apply to join our boards. And that means women as well as men.
DCMS is responsible for over 600 appointments to the boards of the public bodies that we fund. Each year more than 100 people are appointed, or reappointed, to these public bodies - organisations that cover a wide range of sectors from gambling to galleries, broadcasting to the performing arts, film to football.
Such organisations include the BBC, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Commission, National Museums Liverpool and Sport England.
They are all in the business of making people’s lives more fulfilling, more stimulating and more enjoyable.
DCMS believes appointees to our boards should not only be the best people for the job, but should also be in touch with and reflect the communities they serve. At present only a third of our board members are women, yet women are employed across the cultural sector at every level. We need much better representation at board level.
We also want to see more people from ethnic minority backgrounds and disabled people on our boards. Everyone has a valuable contribution to make and our boards will become stronger, more dynamic and more effective as a result.
To find out more email: getonboard@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Commissioner for Public Appointments
The post of "Commissioner for Public Appointments", which is independent of Government, was created in 1995 in response to a recommendation by the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life. The Commissioner's role is to regulate, monitor, report and advise on the way in which Ministers make appointments to the boards of public bodies.
All DCMS public appointments are carried out taking account of the Commissioner's Code of Practice. The DCMS Annual Public Appointments Plan 2006-2007 (PDF 63kb) includes details of our appointments policy and future plans.
The DCMS Public Appointments Team manages appointments processes, ensuring that the Commissioner's Code of Practice is followed and that the process is conducted in an efficient manner. Details of how the process works.
The Cabinet Office is home to a central Public Appointments Unit (PAU). The PAU website provides general information about public appointments, how to get involved, the process and the range of bodies across all Government Departments. It also has information about public appointment vacancies at local and regional levels across the UK.
Guidance on Codes of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies RTF (271kb)
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