Policy paper

North Sea Future Board: terms of reference

Published 29 January 2026

Background

The North Sea Future Plan sets out the government’s framework for achieving its ambition for the future of the North Sea: 

• to be an internationally leading offshore clean energy industry, which ensures good, long-term jobs, growth and investment in tandem with a sustainable transition in oil and gas. 

The Plan committed the UK Government to establishing the North Sea Future Board (hereafter “the NSF Board”) - a Ministerial-chaired group of experts which will oversee coordination and planning for industry and government action to achieve this ambition.

Purpose and objectives

The NSF Board will be the central platform through which government, industry and other key stakeholders, including regional organisations and trade unions, work together to deliver our ambition for the North Sea. 

The NSF Board will provide external knowledge and expertise to manage the energy transition across the North Sea area. Members will use their experience and available levers to drive action where the board sees fit to support the delivery of its objectives. 

The NSF Board will:

a. review progress against the actions in the government response: “North Sea Future Plan”, so the clean energy transition is managed in partnership between central government, local organisations, industry and trade unions.
b. identify and address barriers to delivering a clean energy transition by recommending and implementing industry-led actions that accelerate progress and maximise value for UK growth.
c. help drive investment in all North Sea regions to build at pace the infrastructure and manufacturing sites that will create new jobs for a vulnerable local workforce and accelerate clean energy deployment.
d. identify and promote opportunities for supply chain companies to take advantage of the clean energy transition.
e. drive progress and engagement in the package of measures to retain the highly skilled oil and gas workforce in jobs in growth-driving industries.
f. advocate for the strategic importance of the North Sea by influencing local policy and encouraging action.

The NSF Board will not represent nor advocate for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), nor will members hold themselves out as doing so.

While the NSF Board may play a role in informing related government policy, DESNZ will be solely responsible for making its own policy and spending decisions. 

Membership

The NSF Board will be chaired by Minister Shanks (Minister of State for Energy in DESNZ).

Members will bring expertise and knowledge obtained by working in relevant organisations or locations but not necessarily act as representatives of organisations with which they might be affiliated. They have been chosen based on their personal expertise and knowledge as relevant to advising the government on the North Sea energy transition. We have looked to ensure we have voices from across a full range of sectors, locations and themes. 

Members will be appointed by Direct Ministerial Appointment for a period of 18 months. A full membership list will be published on gov.uk.

Members will not be employed by DESNZ or otherwise contracted by DESNZ in relation to this role. No fee, other compensation, nor reimbursement for expenses will be made to members. Members will not be issued with government IT. 

Members will be required to declare any relevant interests before joining and in relation to any discussion item for the NSF Board and may be required to be recused from participating if there are any conflicts of interest.

Other individuals from inside and outside government may be invited to join board meetings or specific agenda items on an ad hoc basis, when relevant. This may include DESNZ senior sponsor officials. 

Ways of working

The NSF Board will meet every quarter. It will be active for the duration of 18 months initially, but this may be extended. Outside of meetings members may be asked to complete work which helps deliver the objectives of the NSF Board.

Meetings will be held in a hybrid format. In person attendance at meetings is strongly preferred but virtual options will be available. Any discussion papers will be circulated by DESNZ at least 5 working days in advance of meetings. Readouts from the meetings will be circulated by DESNZ within two weeks of meetings taking place.

Each meeting the board will review progress against the NSF commitments as a standing agenda item. 

The board may on occasion receive non-public information. Such information is strictly confidential and shared with members of the board on the understanding that they will not be shared in any form. Membership of the board is conditional to agreement with this. 

The Terms of Reference, the role and purpose of the NSF Board and its members will be reviewed by DESNZ after 12 months. 

Summary minutes from meetings will be published on GOV.UK.

Roles and responsibilities

The Chair will commit to:

• take overall leadership of the board
• set strategic direction
• build consensus on the priorities and actions needed and work with members to galvanise action and momentum
• provide updates to the Secretary of State on the work of the board

If the Chair cannot attend due to unforeseen circumstances, the NSF Board will be chaired by a senior DESNZ official or senior NSTA official. 

Members will commit to:

• attending quarterly meetings, unless unforeseen circumstances arise
• share the latest intelligence from their areas of expertise
• take forward action in their sectors, via workplans agreed in the meetings
• be ambassadors for and within their sectors to drive positive action and change
• act in a way to enable a free, frank and substantive dialogue on the issues relevant to the NSF Board

If members cannot attend due to unforeseen circumstances, deputies will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Secretariat for the board

Secretariat support for the board will be provided by DESNZ, who will lead on the board’s logistics, (with some input from NSTA where there are any linkages with the NST Forum and Task Forces). 

The secretariat will coordinate the agenda and discussion papers for each meeting (drawing on inputs from relevant members or DESNZ teams in line with the topic for discussion). Representatives from the secretariat will attend the meetings in order to record actions and minutes. 

The secretariat will support the board on delivering actions arising from meetings.