<p>A review of the Arts Council England (ACE) was publicly announced by the Cabinet Office on 23 September 2023 as part of their annual<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-bodies-review-programme/list-of-public-bodies-for-review-in-202324" target="_blank"> list of Public Body Reviews</a>.</p><p>To date, the first stage Self Assessment Model has been completed by both the ACE and Sponsor Team. Following this, the DCMS Secretary of State affirmed her decision to conduct a full review of the public body.</p><p>The review will be led by an independent Lead Reviewer, which the Public Body Reviews team are working towards appointing and announcing at the earliest possible date. Private Office and Spads have been well informed during this process. Guidance on the review process is available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-bodies-review-programme" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>The Cabinet Office announcement was widely circulated in the arts world media at the time, though the process of securing a Lead Reviewer has taken some time, likely leading to this question about the timeline for the review.</p><p>The review time frame is subject to many influences including Lead Reviewer availability, availability of stakeholders from which to gather evidence, complexity of subject matter etc and so providing timeframes for them is unhelpful.</p><p> </p>