Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Executive definition

What does Executive mean? In local government practice, “Executive” refers to the political leadership that takes day-to-day decisions on council services, typically senior councillors holding portfolio responsibilities. In England (and many Welsh authorities) it is a statutory body under the Local Government Act 2000: either a leader and cabinet or an elected mayor and cabinet. It exercises “executive functions”, with decisions (including key decisions) subject to publication, transparency rules and overview and scrutiny (including call-in), while full council sets the budget and policy framework. In Wales, executives are similarly provided for under the 2000 Act and Welsh regulations, though councils may instead operate a committee...

UK arm’s length bodies: legal status, governance and accountability of NDPBs, executive agencies and non-ministerial departments, with examples and critique of current classifications and reform proposals

Published by a LexisNexis Public Law expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note examines the character and standing of three kinds of public body: ‘non‑departmental public bodies’ (NDPBs), government Executive agencies, and non‑ministerial departments. Each sits within government yet is not a conventional minister‑led department (save that executive agencies form part of such departments). Collectively they are described as ‘arm’s length bodies’, reflecting their operation at a degree of remove from ministers.

By way of illustration, the Department for Education presently works with 17 agencies and public bodies, including two non‑ministerial departments (Ofqual and Ofsted), two executive agencies, nine executive NDPBs and one advisory NDPB. These figures may vary over time.

Non-departmental public bodies

A non‑departmental public body (NDPB) performs a function within central government but does not belong to a government department. NDPBs function at arm’s length from ministers, although a minister remains answerable to Parliament for each one. The NDPB label is not a legal category but an administrative one, employed by successive governments to identify those public bodies...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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