icon

Governance

The History of Parliament was established by a declaration of Trust made in 1940 (shown in the image above). The Trust operates under this document, subject to subsequent variations in March 1956, January 1967, October 1971 and July 1996. The History of Parliament is a registered charity (registration number 306034). Since 1951 it has received public funding, originally from the Treasury. It is now funded principally through two sets of Grant-in-Aid provided by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, currently in the proportion 67:33. The Grant-in-Aid is provided subject to the approval of the House of Commons Commission (for the Commons) and the House of Lords House Committee (for the Lords). A Financial Memorandum, agreed in 1995, governs the financial and administrative arrangements for the activities of the Trust and its relationship with the House of Commons Commission, and accountability for the Grant-in-Aid.

The overall management of the Trust is the responsibility of the Trustees. At no time are there more than fifteen Trustees. Trustees (other than the Treasurer, and some of those appointed ex officio) are normally, though not necessarily, members of either House of Parliament. New Trustees are appointed by a majority of Trustees. Should a majority not be reached, the Speaker of the House of Commons can appoint new Trustees. The Chairman of Committees in the House of Lords, the Chairman of Ways and Means in the House of Commons, the Clerk of the Parliaments in the House of Lords) and the Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons, all serve ex officio. The Secretary to the Trustees is appointed from the Clerk’s department of the House of Commons.

The responsibilities of the Trustees include:

- The determination of the programme of activity and monitoring of its progress and delivery;

- The arrangements for the administration and management of the Trust’s affairs;

- The appointment of a Treasurer and Secretary and the employment of staff as required;

- The determination of any conditions of service of people engaged, including any special provisions - e.g. sick pay arrangements;

- The raising of funds to cover the activities of the Trust and the appointment of the Director.

The Trustees normally meet at least four times a year to receive reports from the Treasurer and Secretary, to review the activities of the Editorial Board (see below) and the Trust, to fulfil their obligations in connection with applications for grant-in-aid and to agree a report to the Commission.

Trustees

The History of Parliament is governed by a charitable Trust composed principally of members and officers of both Houses of Parliament.

The current trustees are:

    The current trustees are:

    Professor the Lord Norton of Louth (Chair)

    Dame Clare Moriarty, Treasurer

    Ms Sarah Davies, Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords

    Dame Eleanor Laing, Chairman of Ways and Means, House of Commons

    Patrick Vollmer, Director of Library Services and Librarian, House of Lords

    Sir Chris Bryant MP

    Lord Clark of Windermere

    Jonathan Djanogly MP

    Rt. Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng, MP

    Lord Lisvane

    Gordon Marsden

    Rt. Hon. Chris Skidmore MP

     

      Secretary

      The Secretary to the Trustees is Dr Adam Evans.

       

      Editorial Board

      The current editorial board are:

      Professor Jane WintersSchool of Advance Study, University of London (Chair)

      Dr Paul Cavill, University of Cambridge

      Professor Kenneth Fincham, University of Kent

      Dr Perry Gauci, Lincoln College, Oxford

      Professor Julian Hoppit FBA, University College, London

      Professor Helen Parr, University of Keele

      Professor Gordon Pentland, University of Edinburgh

      Professor Laura Stewart, University of York

      The Trustees appoint an Editorial Board of scholars to advise them and the Director of the History of Parliament on the History of Parliament’s academic policy, practice and related matters, and to guarantee the intellectual rigour and scholarly standards of the work. The Board’s terms of reference are determined by the Trustees. Among other things, the Board

      - oversees the appointment of new staff and internal promotion of members of the research staff.

      - reviews the output of the History of Parliament over each six-monthly reporting period (members of the Board read and comment on articles drafted by History of Parliament staff).

      - advises on and assists with other academic projects undertaken by the Trust.

      - advises on the policy of the Trust in relation to any other matters, which may include, inter alia: the selection and definition of academic projects; the content and presentation of the work of the History of Parliament; publication; and making the work of the History of Parliament more widely known.

      - Members of the Board may also be called upon to act as part of a panel under the History of Parliament’s disciplinary procedure for staff.

      The Board consists of a maximum of seven members, appointed by the Trustees for up to three four-year terms. It normally meets four times a year, in advance of Trustees’ meetings.

      The History is an Associate body of the Institute of Historical Research (www.history.ac.uk) and the School of Advanced Study (www.sas.ac.uk), University of London.

       

      The History of Parliament Plan

      The first History of Parliament Plan was issued in July 2003, together with a Project Plan for the newest section, that covering the House of Lords. A Review of its activities in the previous year is published annually. Download the most recent review below.

      History of Parliament Plan 2014 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2015 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2016 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2017 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2021 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2022 - Download (pdf)

      History of Parliament Plan 2023 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review

      The History’s Annual Review, describing its activities over the calendar year.

      Annual Review 2013-2014 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2014-2015 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2015-2016 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2016-2017 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2017-2018 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2018-2019 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2019-2020 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2020-2021 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2021-2022 - Download (pdf)

      Annual Review 2022-2023 - Download (pdf)