Scottish Government
2
December 2025
Unpaid appointment with the British Council:
Application under the Business Appointment Rules from Louise Macdonald OBE,
former Director General Communities at the Scottish Government.
Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the
Business Appointment Rules[1] (the
Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission) on behalf of Louise
Macdonald OBE, formerly Director General Communities at the Scottish
Government. The application is for an unpaid role as a Chair of the Scotland
Advisory Committee at the British Council. Further detail on the content
of the application is in the Annex. The Commission’s advice is required as Ms
Macdonald is a former civil servant at SCS Pay Band 3. Her last day of service
was 3 October 2025.
The purpose of the Rules is to
protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable
concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by
the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to
information; and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the
employment of a civil servant.
The Commission’s advice is that the
appointment should be made subject to the following conditions:
- Privileged
information – Ms Macdonald should not draw on (disclose or use for the
benefit of herself or the persons or organisations to which this advice
refers) any privileged information[2] available to her from
her time in civil service.
- Lobbying –
For two years from her last day in the civil service, until 3 October
2027, Ms Macdonald should not become personally involved in lobbying[3]
the Scottish Government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of the
British Council (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and
clients). She should also not use, directly or indirectly, her contacts in
government and/or civil service to influence policy, secure
business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage the British Council
(including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients).
- Bids and
contracts – For two years from her last day in the civil service, until 3
October 2027, Ms Macdonald should not provide advice to the British
Council on a bid or contract relating to the UK government or its arm’s
length bodies.
The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the
Commission’s advice. It is Ms Macdonald’s personal responsibility to manage the
propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and regulations
they may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice.
Ms Macdonald must seek advice if she proposes to extend or
otherwise change her role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been
publicly announced or taken up, Ms Macdonald is obliged under the Rules to
inform the Commission who will publish this letter on its website.
Yours sincerely,
Gisela
Stuart
First Civil
Service Commissioner
Annex A:
The application
Applicant
assessment
- According to its website, the
British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural
relations and educational opportunities. It is a registered charity
incorporated and governed by a Royal Charter. The British Council Scotland
is the arm of the British Council that works specifically within Scotland.
To guide this work, the Scotland Advisory Committee functions as a
non-executive, advisory body that provides guidance on its overall
strategy.
- Ms Macdonald explained that as
Chair of the Scotland Advisory Committee her responsibilities will be to:
● Lead the group to fulfil its purpose
and objectives as outlined in the terms of reference;
● Chair group meetings, normally three
a year;
● Advise on the development of the
Scotland strategy;
● Act as an advocate for the British
Council’s work; and
● Attend two annual Board of Trustees
meetings to discuss strategy and ensure the global organisation reflects the
UK's four nations.
- Ms Macdonald was Director
General Communities at the Scottish Government between March 2023 and
October 2025. In this role she said she was responsible for tackling child
poverty, housing, planning, relationships with Local Government and the
third sector, public service reform, equality, inclusion and human rights,
social security, refugees, and asylum seeking and displaced people.
- Ms Macdonald said she was not
responsible for regulatory, funding or any other decisions affecting the
British Council at any time in her last two years in the civil service.
CSC
analysis
- Application level: As a Level 1 application for an
unpaid role, the Commission's analysis applies the principle that this
category of appointment is generally recognised as posing a lower risk to
government integrity.
- Risk of reward: Ms Macdonald said she was not
responsible for regulatory, funding or any other decisions affecting the
British Council during her time at the Scottish Government. The role is
unpaid, so is unlikely to have been offered as a reward for decisions made
in office.
- Access to information: As Director General Communities,
Ms Macdonald would have had access to a range of policy information and
likely retain some privileged knowledge about how government functions.
The Scottish Government did not note any specific information she holds
that would present an unfair advantage to her proposed employer. Further,
her former roles did not include responsibility for the Scottish
Government Culture Directorate, which carries out some partnership work
with the British Council. The standard conditions would appropriately
mitigate any remaining risk.
- Influence: As Director General Communities,
Ms Macdonald would retain contacts to civil servants that are still in
post that could provide an unfair advantage to the British Council. It is
significant that the role is part-time, unpaid, and advisory. The risk of
the perception of lobbying the government in order to influence policy
changes is mitigated by the standard conditions.