British Council to Shut Offices in Nine Countries
The Council is integral to the UK’s international cultural influence, through cultural exchange, education and language programmes
_02.jpg%3F2026-07-15T16%3A00%3A23.631Z&w=3840&q=100)
British Council in Madrid, 2015. Photo: Luis García
The British Council will close its offices in nine countries, The Independent has reported.
The Council is integral to the UK’s international cultural influence, through cultural exchange, education and language programmes, as well as delivering UK-funded development projects. It has undergone years of financial strain.
Seven of the countries that the Council will no longer have a permanent presence in have been confirmed as Botswana, Chile, Croatia, Mozambique, Peru, Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago.
The British Council cited operating costs, opportunities for growth, government priorities and expiring partnerships as motivators in their decision.
Related content
News

V&A Workers Set to Strike Despite Hydration Break Concession
Staff at the museum’s new East Storehouse have attacked museum management about access to water and toilets during shifts, while a wider dispute over pay and working conditions looks set to roll on through the summer
.jpg%3F2026-08-14T11%3A19%3A23.683Z&w=3840&q=100)
ICOM-US Backs Smithsonian Against Trump Pressure
ICOM-US has joined the American Alliance of Museums in defending the Smithsonian, weeks after its parent body strengthened its rules on museum independence

Aperture Reveals Programme for New Permanent New York Home
The photography publisher will open its 10,000 sq ft Upper West Side headquarters in September, four years after announcing plans for the permanent space

Elvira Dyangani Ose to Lead Zeitz MOCAA After Koyo Kouoh
The former MACBA director will take charge of the Cape Town museum’s artistic programme as it enters its first new chapter since the death of Koyo Kouoh

Sid Motion Gallery to Close After Ten Years in London
The South Bermondsey gallery will close this autumn, with founder Sid Motion saying its financial position no longer allows it to support its artists

Valerie Hillings to Lead Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The North Carolina Museum of Art director returns to the project she helped shape for almost a decade ahead of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's opening in December

Francisco Correa Cordero, Founder of Lubov, Dies
The Mexico City-born dealer founded New York gallery Lubov in 2016, building a reputation for championing emerging artists and experimental practices

Basquiat Works at Centre of Vancouver Fraud Lawsuit
A multimillion-dollar art collection including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Javier Calleja is at the centre of an ongoing lawsuit linked to the collapse of Vancouver property developer Coromandel Properties

Campaigners Fight to Keep CCA Archive Intact
Creative Scotland is exploring ways to preserve the archive of Glasgow's former Centre for Contemporary Arts after campaigners warned the collection should not be treated as a liquidatable asset
Royal Museums Greenwich Workers Vote to Strike
Prospect union members will strike on 11 and 12 August over pay and working conditions

Trump Orders Smithsonian Signage to Warn of Political Bias
The White House alleges that the Smithsonian and the NMAH “have directed the museum’s mission... toward extreme political activism, rooted in Marxism, to divide, dispirit and discourage Americans”

Gagosian Scales Back in London and Basel
The exits are the latest in a series of mega-galleries downsizing, including Pace’s layoffs earlier this year and David Zwirner’s Manhattan departure
