Policy paper

Wilton Park 2023 Public Body Review: terms of reference

Updated 17 January 2024

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Background

Wilton Park was established in 1946. It has been an Executive Agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and then the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), since 1991.

A Framework Document agreed between the FCO and Wilton Park in April 2019 describes the core objectives of Wilton Park as being to:

• contribute to analysing, understanding and advancing the agenda on international issues
• contribute to the achievement of HM Government (HMG) priorities and inform the policymaking of HMG and the international community, and
• support the FCO in pursuit of its objectives (to protect our people, project our global influence and promote our prosperity)

Wilton Park are in the process of updating their Framework Document with the FCDO. A draft suggests the following objectives:

• build networks of influence to address complex global challenges; and support the UK’s international priorities
• support the UK government and partners in their efforts to shape an open international order that upholds stability, security and prosperity
• serve as a strategic UK asset for conducting ‘patient diplomacy’, building links between the UK and key international partners with a 25-year time horizon

For the purposes of this review, ‘performance’ will be measured against the 2019 objectives. ‘Future purpose’ will be assessed against the draft 2023 objectives. The Framework Document also sets out governance arrangements, key responsibilities, and the broad framework within which Wilton Park will operate.

Wilton Park has c.80 employees and annual total operating expenditure of c.£7 million. It covers operating costs through a combination of a core grant from the FCDO, UK and overseas stakeholder sponsorship, fees charged for events, and additional revenue-generating activity. Most events take place in Wiston House, a leased 16th century Grade I listed building in the South Downs. In recent years, Wilton Park has hosted events in other venues in the UK and overseas, and expanded to hybrid and online events.

COVID-19 supressed income generated through events: in 2021 to 2022 total operating income was c.£5.4 million and the FCDO provided additional funding of c.£1.5 million to cover losses (in addition to FCDO core/Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations of c.£1.3 million, discretionary payments of c.£1.2 million and a capital budget of £0.8 million).

Wilton Park publishes its own Annual Report and Accounts, which are consolidated with those of the FCDO. The FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary (PUS) is the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) of the FCDO and has designated the Chief Executive as Wilton Park’s Accounting Officer.

Wilton Park is overseen by a Board, appointed by The Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development Affairs. The Board Chair also chairs an Advisory Council, drawn from diverse sectors, which provides advice, critique and oversight of the content and policy work of Wilton Park. Wilton Park is managed on a day-to-day basis by a Chief Executive as Accounting Officer and a Senior Management Team. The Chief Executive is appointed by the PUS of the FCDO for a fixed 3-year term, on a renewable basis.

Previous reviews

Wilton Park has been subject to regular review, most recently in the Tailored Review of Wilton Park in 2018. This concluded, inter alia, that:

• Wilton Park should retain its status as an Executive Agency and, under current lease arrangements, retain Wiston House as its home
• Wilton Park should improve its HR expertise; review the mix of skills and expertise in its Advisory Council; conduct a Board Effectiveness Review; and undertake an assessment of how digital technology could be used more effectively
• Wilton Park and the FCO should: undertake a joint assessment on progress since the Stokes Review in getting Wilton Park into the ‘bloodstream’ of the FCO; and undertake a review of the Framework Document to ensure that the content and requirements set out in it are sufficiently clear, particularly on pay and conditions of Service

Scope and purpose of the review

In line with the Public Bodies Review programme guidance, Wilton Park conducted a self-assessment in early 2023. The findings of this assessment, alongside significant maintenance and cyber costs, informed a Ministerial decision in March 2023 to conduct a full independent review.

Key themes for the review, informed by the self-assessment, are:

1. Efficacy (1): assurance that Wilton Park has a clear future mandate and strategy that meets FCDO and broader HM Government needs.
2. Efficacy (2): whether any viable alternative or parallel delivery models might provide greater financial flexibility to enable Wilton Park to operate more effectively, including in its ability to reinvest in Wiston House and meet evolving IT requirements.
3. Efficiency: how Wilton Park might increase income generation and make efficiency savings of at least 5% of Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit by 2026 to 2027.
4. Governance and accountability: whether changes to arrangements and processes could strengthen governance and the relationship between Wilton Park and the FCDO.

The review will also address the wider questions raised in Cabinet Office guidance on reviews of public bodies (see guidance on the undertaking of reviews of public bodies and requirements for reviews of public bodies), and assess the extent to which previous recommendations have been implemented effectively.

Department and public body arrangements for review

David Rutley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Americas and Caribbean, is the Minister responsible for the review. He has appointed the Lead Reviewer and agreed the terms of reference. He will receive the final report and decide which recommendations are to be implemented.

Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the FCDO, is responsible for ensuring that the review adheres to the key principles for the Public Bodies Review programme.

Melinda Bohannon, FCDO Strategy Director, is the senior FCDO sponsor for Wilton Park.

The review team will work collaboratively with Wilton Park, the sponsor team and other stakeholders throughout the review.

Lead Reviewer

The Lead Reviewer is Lorraine Wilkinson, the Corporate Management and Group Finance Director in HM Revenue and Customs. She will lead the independent review team and agree final recommendations.

Review team

Members of FCDO’s Projects Task Force, an internal consultancy, will form the core of the review team. No members of the review team will be drawn from the Sponsor Team or from Wilton Park.

Evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement

Both quantitative and qualitative evidence will be collected through: data analysis; internal and external stakeholder interviews; desk-based research; and site visits.

The review team will engage a broad range of stakeholders including Wilton Park Board members, employees and clients, and FCDO staff and management. The review team will also draw on the self-assessment model completed by Wilton Park earlier this year.

The sponsor team and Wilton Park will be asked to provide access to documentation required for the review including (but not limited to):

• board and committee minutes
• performance analysis
• finances
• lease agreements
• cyber policy
• strategy plans

Challenge

The review team will test emerging findings and recommendations with stakeholders and experts, internal and external to the FCDO and Wilton Park.

Deliverables

The review is expected to conclude within 3 months, at which point the review team will provide a report, incorporating key findings and recommendations. Minister Rutley will determine the final timing and manner of publication.

Timetable

The indicative workplan for completing the review is as follows:

• June 2023: written ministerial statement announcing review
• June to July 2023: evidence gathering by the review team
• July to August 2023: drafting and submission of the final report

Lorraine Wilkinson, Lead Reviewer, 27 June 2023.