Boards and advisory groups

Departmental Whitley Council

The Departmental Whitley Council is the formal consultative body between The National Archives’ senior managers and its three recognised trade unions. The council acts as a formal link between staff and management.

Meetings take place every three months and are chaired by the Chief Executive and Keeper and attended by the Director of People, Inclusion and Change, representatives from HR and elected members from the trade unions.

Discovery Board

The Discovery Board brings together experts from across The National Archives to review proposals related to Discovery, our catalogue.

They consider vital issues related to Discovery such as:

• Data protection
• Strategic fit and consideration of user needs
• Financial viability
• Impact on other projects

The board also considers proposals for:

• Digitisation and cataloguing projects
• Proposals for solutions to digital records challenges
• Significant functional changes to Discovery

Membership of the board consists of:

• Senior records experts
• Technical development leads
• Cataloguing and digitisation specialists
• Research and user participation managers
• Public and commercial services department heads

The board is chaired by the Chief Digital and Information Officer and meets once every month.

Cataloguing Panel

The Cataloguing Panel is a cross-departmental group of colleagues with oversight of The National Archives’ cataloguing programme. It reports to the Discovery Board.

The panel is responsible for:

• Maintaining an overview of the growth, maintenance and adequacy of catalogue content.
• Monitoring project work to enhance the catalogue data for our existing collections and identifying where projects require additional support.
• Sharing information between departments about new and upcoming physical and digital accessions.
• Sharing information between departments about digitisation.
• Providing expert input into the development of relevant policies and practices.
• Advocating for best practice in cataloguing and data curation.
• Reviewing user feedback on cataloguing initiatives.

New and improved catalogue descriptions should:

• Reflect good practice by being accurate, clear and meaningful.
• Enable online searching and comply with standards.

User Group and Forum

We also listen to what the people using our services have to say through the User Advisory Group.

This allow us to get direct feedback from our service users to improve our offerings based on their needs.

Advisory Council on National Records and Archives

The Advisory Council on National Records and Archives advises the Secretary of State on public access to records and the care of archives and manuscripts.

Reclosure Panel

Our Reclosure policy describes the circumstances in which information in open records may be subsequently closed by The National Archives. It applies to records (including digital records) that have been transferred to The National Archives for preservation as archives.

Any records which are reclosed will have been carefully assessed by the Reclosure Panel composed of members of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. The Reclosure Panel is chaired by the Director for Public Records Access and Government Services.

The National Archives publishes annual figures for records presented to the Reclosure Panel. The latest figures can be found below.

Explore The UK Government Web Archive for figures and meeting minutes prior to 2025.

AI Steering Board

The AI Steering Group brings together senior colleagues from across The National Archives to provide oversight of the use of artificial intelligence, ensuring risks are managed in line with The National Archives' AI Policy and wider organisational responsibilities.

The group reviews proposals for AI use, considering whether risks are understood, proportionate and appropriately controlled. This includes consideration of:

• Data protection, information governance and lawfulness
• Ethical and responsible use of AI
• Security, risk and organisational control
• Strategic fit and impact across the organisation

The group also maintains oversight of how approved AI use develops over time, supporting transparency, proportionate assurance and organisational learning as use evolves, in line with The National Archives' policy‑led approach to AI risk management.

Membership of the group includes senior representatives from digital and technology teams, information governance, security, legal, HR and relevant business areas.

The AI Steering Group is chaired by the Chief Digital and Information Officer and meets regularly.