Fair Trading
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We fund the delivery of our charitable objectives from our grant-in-aid from UK Government and also through partnerships, contracts and revenue-generating activities. We recognise that in carrying out our activities there may be an impact on other parties, including suppliers, competitors and partners.
The British Council adheres to all applicable legal requirements in our trading activities. We ensure operational and financial separation between State funded activity and revenue generating activity through robust accounting firewalls and appropriate organisational structures. We endeavour to conduct all our trading activities in a fair and transparent manner to prevent negative impact upon competition.
This policy shall apply to commercial trading, charity trading and other British Council activities including grant-funded services.
The British Council is committed to:
- conducting all trading activities in a fair and reasonable manner in line with our Charitable Objectives
- carrying out trading activities in compliance with applicable Competition and Charity Laws
- ensuring our trading activities do not jeopardise the reputation and brand of the British Council.
We will provide adequate and appropriate resources to implement this policy and will ensure it is communicated and understood.
The British Council will review this policy at least every three years to reflect new legal and regulatory developments and ensure good practice.
The status of this document is British Council policy. It was approved by Martin Davidson, Chief Executive, on 1 November 2011 and is due for review on 1 November 2014.
Fair Trading policy (pdf 28kb) is also available to download.
Fair Trading Complaints Procedures
The British Council engages in trading activities with the objective of supporting its charitable objects. The principles by which the British Council undertakes trading activity or interacts with the commercial market are set out in the Fair Trading Policy.
Read the complete Fair Trading Complaints Procedures (pdf 41kb)
