Hansard Society

What Hansard Society does

The Hansard Society is an independent UK charity founded in 1944 and headquartered in London, dedicated to strengthening parliamentary democracy. Operating as a non-partisan membership organisation with no public funding from Government or Parliament, it functions as Westminster's "critical friend," delivering research, analysis, evidence, and advisory support to parliamentary committees and public inquiries. Founded with Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee as its first members and governed by a Board of Trustees, the Society is staffed by a small core team of 1–10 employees and registered as Hansard Society Ltd, a company limited by guarantee (charity number 1091364).

The Society's product portfolio spans research, media, and digital tools. Core offerings include the Statutory Instrument Tracker® mobile app (available on iOS and Android for tracking delegated legislation), the weekly Parliament Matters podcast and bulletin (distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Acast, and RSS), the quarterly peer-reviewed Parliamentary Affairs journal (co-published with Oxford University Press since 1947), the Despatch Box blog, research reports and procedural guides, and events and training programmes. The Society also runs the Hansard Scholars alumni network and long-running educational initiatives including Mock Elections in Schools.

Its business model is a hybrid of earned revenue and charitable contributions. Approximately two-thirds of annual income derives from the International Education Programme and journal/publications sales. Membership is tiered at £50 Standard, £90 Premium (including the journal), £15 Concession, and £35 International. Remaining revenue comes from donations and grants from charitable trusts, foundations, research councils, and corporate sponsors. Customers include UK parliamentarians, members of the public interested in parliamentary reform, academics and researchers, and schools participating in civic education programmes.

Name

Hansard Society

Legal name

Hansard Society Ltd

Website

https://hansardsociety.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hansard Society is an independent UK charity, founded in 1944, that strengthens parliamentary democracy through research, publications, the Statutory Instrument Tracker® app, the Parliament Matters podcast, and the Parliamentary Affairs journal published with Oxford University Press. It serves parliamentarians, members, academics, and schools without government funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parliamentary Research and Civic Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

Keywords

• Parliamentary research
• Civic education
• Legislative monitoring
• Democratic engagement
• Policy publications

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. International Education Programme: Revenue generated from the Society's international education programme, which is one of the primary income sources representing approximately two-thirds of annual income.
2. Journal and Publications Sales: Sale of the quarterly journal Parliamentary Affairs (published by Oxford University Press) and other publications, representing approximately two-thirds of annual income.
3. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from Standard (£50), Premium (£90), Concession (£15), and International (£35) members, providing access to events, publications, and the Despatch Box newsletter.
4. Donations and Grants: Individual donations and grants from charitable trusts, foundations, research councils, parliaments, government departments, and corporate sponsors supporting specific projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Hansard Society is an independent UK charity that researches, publishes, and advocates on parliamentary democracy. It sells tiered individual memberships (Standard £50, Premium £90, Concession £15, International £35 per year) granting access to events, publications, and the Despatch Box newsletter, and runs the quarterly Parliamentary Affairs journal with Oxford University Press. It also produces the Parliament Matters podcast and bulletin, operates the proprietary Statutory Instrument Tracker® mobile app for monitoring delegated legislation, delivers events, webinars, and training, and conducts flagship research projects including the Audit of Political Engagement and Delegated Legislation Review.

Product overview

The Hansard Society operates a multi-product portfolio focused on strengthening parliamentary democracy in the UK. The core offerings include the Statutory Instrument Tracker® app (a digital tool for monitoring parliamentary instruments), the Parliament Matters podcast and weekly bulletin (providing parliamentary analysis), the Parliamentary Affairs journal (published with Oxford University Press), publications and briefings, and the Despatch Box Blog. The Society also delivers events, webinars, and training programmes, and conducts research through projects like the Delegated Legislation Review and Audit of Political Engagement. Revenue is generated primarily through membership subscriptions (Standard £50, Premium £90 including journal, Concession £15, International £35), supplemented by journal sales, education programmes, and publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Parliament Matters Podcast: Weekly podcast presented by Mark D'Arcy and Director Ruth Fox, providing analysis of parliamentary proceedings
• Parliament Matters Bulletin
• Statutory Instrument Tracker
• Parliamentary Affairs
• Despatch Box

Products and services

• Individual Membership (Standard, Premium, Concession, International)

Quantifiable outcome

• Providing evidence and advisory support to parliamentary committees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hansard Society partners with Oxford University Press to publish the Parliamentary Affairs journal, a leading peer-reviewed journal established in 1947. This partnership provides academic credibility and global distribution for the society's research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: A much larger UK-based international affairs think tank with a membership model, journals, events, and research outputs. Broader in scope (global affairs vs parliamentary reform) but operates the same charity + membership + publication + events playbook.
• British Academy: The UK national academy for humanities and social sciences, with a Fellow membership model and policy publications. Comparable as a scholarly society producing peer-reviewed publications and policy input to Parliament, but operating at much greater scale.
• Royal Society of Arts (RSA): A long-established UK charity with a Fellow membership model, research, events, and a journal. Comparable structure (charitable membership organization with publications and public events) but operating across broader social-policy themes.

Direct peers

• Institute for Government: An independent UK charity that produces research, analysis, and events on how government and Parliament work. Closely comparable in mission, funding model (charity with no government core funding), and audience (policymakers, civil servants, informed public).
• Constitution Unit (UCL): UCL-based research body conducting research on constitutional change and UK Parliament reform. Direct peer on subject matter (parliamentary/constitutional reform), research outputs, and evidence submissions to Parliament.
• Unlock Democracy: A UK democracy and governance campaigning charity. Comparable in size, mission (strengthening democratic institutions), and independent non-partisan advocacy model.
• Electoral Reform Society: An independent UK campaigning charity advocating for democratic reform. Comparable as a membership-supported, non-partisan advocacy organization operating in the UK democratic reform space.
• Political Studies Association: A UK learned society that supports the study of politics through journals, events, and member services. Direct peer to the Hansard Society's model of a scholarly membership organization with journals and conferences.

Others

• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): UK umbrella body for the voluntary sector. Not a direct competitor but adjacent — both are UK charities reliant on membership, donations, and grants, and NCVO provides relevant benchmarking on charity sustainability and governance.

Emerging players

• Transparency International UK: An independent UK charity working on anti-corruption and governance. Comparable as an advocacy-oriented non-profit that produces reports, evidence to Parliament, and policy recommendations in adjacent governance territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HansardSociety
• Xx.com/with_replies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hansard-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hansard Society