News

# Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announces new members of public records advisory body

Seven new members have been appointed to the Advisory Council on National
Records and Archives, the independent body which advises the government on
access to public records.

Published 30 May 2025

The appointments were made by Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media
and Sport.

The council advises her on historical public records when they are being
transferred to The National Archives under the 20-year rule.

Requests from government departments for some records to remain closed under the
Public Records Act come under the council’s remit, along with exemptions under
the Freedom of Information Act.

The council challenges government departments to provide evidence to justify
such requests.

It also provides advice to Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives.

The new board members are:

* Alexandra Jones, Director of Anti-Money Laundering at the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
* Sally McInnes, former Head of Unique and Contemporary Content at the National Library of Wales and a former Director of the Digital Preservation Coalition.
* Prof Sally Sheard, Executive Dean of the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool. Prof Sheard is a health policy analyst and historian.
* James Strachan, Chief Executive of Eastleigh Borough Council, who is responsible for information governance at the Council.
* Aruna Verma, Campus Dean at The University of Law, Moorgate.
* Simon Wessely, Regius Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), part of King’s College London.
* James Bamberg, historian and author formerly responsible for BP’s archives.

The new members have been appointed to the Advisory Council for four years,
until March 2029.

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