Establishment Matters

Scope and Content

Material in DCA/3 provides a fascinating insight into the practical business of running the Design Council. Establishment matters cover a wide range of issues from the provision of stationery and typewriters, to the acquisition of premises, cleaning arrangements, appointments, and salary structures. It is here that the physical manifestations of policy decisions made by Council were worked out.

Files numbered DCA/3/1155 contain the Minutes of weekly Heads of Divisions Meetings. These run from the later 1950s through to the 1980s. Reviewed in conjunction with the Minutes of Council meetings (in DCA/1), they shed light on the means by which Council policy was developed and put into effect: Minutes in DCA/1 show how Council decisions were arrived at, whereas those in DCA/3 reveal the application of these decisions. Other files cover practical matters such as the provision and equipping of office space, the impact of urban redevelopment on Council premises, the shape and costs of staffing structures.

Arrangement

The surviving files have been retained in their original numeric order as allocated by the Council"s Registry. This means that records in a series do not necessarily have consecutive file numbers, and may not be located together.