Governance
The Hansard Society is a charity and our governance rules are set out in our Articles of Association. The Society is governed by a Board of Trustees and the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament are honorary Co-Presidents. Our Annual Reports and Accounts provide our financial records and an assessment of our work in the previous calendar year.
Charitable status
The Hansard Society is a charitable company limited by guarantee in England and Wales. It was incorporated on 25 August 1999 and registered as a charity on 17 December 1999.
The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company. The company is governed under its Articles of Association.
Legal responsibility for the management and stewardship of the Hansard Society is vested in the Board of Trustees. Day-to-day management of the Charity is delegated to the Director and senior staff. The Society’s auditors are haysmacintyre.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees meets at least four times per year. The Society does not operate standing sub-committees but convenes these on an ad hoc basis as required.
The Rt Hon the Baroness Taylor of Bolton is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Trustees are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association. The Chair and Treasurer are appointed on a yearly basis at the Annual General Meeting. Other members of the Board of Trustees are appointed for terms of three years, after which they may put themselves forward for reappointment for a further three-year term. In some circumstances, Trustees may be co-opted for a further period.
Honorary Co-Presidents
Underpinning our commitment to non-partisanship, the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament - the House of Commons Speaker and the Lord Speaker - serve as Co-Presidents of the Society.
These are honorary positions, reflecting the Society’s unique ‘critical friend’ relationship with the Westminster Parliament.
The Speakers are very supportive of the work of the Society, but they have no formal role in or responsibility for its administration, governance or activities. However, the House of Commons Deputy Speaker (Chair of Ways and Means) regularly chairs the Society's Annual General Meetings on behalf of the Commons Speaker.
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2023
Read our latest Annual Report to:
find out what we achieved to tackle problems with delegated legislation, particularly through our work on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill;
learn which 22 countries our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, contained articles about in 2023;
discover how we started the Parliament Matters podcast and how it is growing;
learn about our plans for the future.
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2022
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2021
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2020
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2019
Annual Report and Accounts Year to 31 December 2018
