The Secretary of State has reappointed Dr Nigel Fletcher, Sir David Natzler and Jonathan Scherbel-Ball to the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives (ACNRA) for a term of 4 years, commencing on 17 January 2026 until 16 January 2030.
The Secretary of State has appointed Eleni Bide and Johanna Higgins for terms of 4 years, commencing on 22 January 2026 until 21 January 2030.
Dr Nigel Fletcher
Dr Nigel Fletcher is a political historian and author. He is currently the Ken Young Memorial Research Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London. He previously taught political and contemporary history for 7 years at King’s College London, where he remains a Visiting Fellow. In 2010, he co-founded the Centre for Opposition Studies, a cross-party research group, and he frequently writes and broadcasts on political and constitutional issues.
Sir David Natzler
Sir David Natzler is a retired senior parliamentary official. He was appointed Clerk of the House of Commons in 2015, retiring from that office in 2019. He joined the House of Commons Service in October 1975 and, over the course of his career, served as Clerk to a number of select committees, including Defence (1989–1995) and Trade and Industry (1997–2001). He then held various senior management positions, including Secretary to the House of Commons Commission, Clerk of Legislation and, from 2011 to 2014, Clerk Assistant.
Jonathan Scherbel-Ball
Jonathan is a media and information law barrister at 5RB Chambers in London, practicing in these fields of law in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Attorney General’s “A” Panel of Counsel and has served as a part-time Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) since 2024.
Eleni Bide
Eleni Bide is currently the Head of Library and Archives for The Goldsmiths’ Company. Within this role, her professional practice includes teaching, writing and media work on the history of goldsmithing. Eleni also sits on the Committee of the Silver Society and edits The Goldsmiths’ Review.
Johanna Higgins
Johanna Higgins is the Northern Ireland Commissioner for the Criminal Cases Review Commission. She is a barrister and Bencher of the Inner Temple, London, also called to the King’s Inns, Dublin and the Bar of Northern Ireland.
She was in private practice as a Barrister in Northern Ireland between 1994 and 2000. Following this, she was a Lawyer with the Law Centre NI and later a Senior Public Prosecutor. She sat on the board of the Historic Buildings Committee in Northern Ireland. In 2020 Johanna was given a 4 year appointment by the House of Commons as a member of the newly founded Independent Expert Panel. She was elected as a member of the Royal Historical Society in 2018 and is completing a project for Bloomsbury Cultural Histories.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Board members of the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives are remunerated at £386 per day.
These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
Dr Nigel Fletcher has declared that he formerly served as a local councillor in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the Conservative Party until May 2022, when he was not re-elected. Since May 2022, he has not canvassed for or publicly spoken on behalf of any political party, nor has he engaged in any other declarable political activity.
Eleni Bide has declared that she delivered leaflets on behalf of the Labour Party candidate for Lewisham West and East Dulwich (Ellie Reeves) during the general election campaign in May 2024. She has declared no other political activity.
Sir David Natzler, Jonathan Scherbel-Ball and Johanna Higgins have declared no political activity.
Notes to Editors
DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. To find out more about Public Appointments or to apply visit the HM Government Public Appointments Website.
