According to a UK government news story published on 3 September 2026, the Prime Minister appointed Ian Bancroft as Trustee and Chair of the Wales Committee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund board. The appointment is a three-year term on the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund Board, commencing 1 September 2026. The announcement was issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The source says Bancroft was a public servant for more than 35 years, most recently as chief executive of Wrexham County Borough Council from 2018 to 2024. It lists heritage projects he has led in England and Wales, including Wigan Pier, Greenfield Valley, Bailey Hill, the North East Wales Archive, Stori Brymbo, the Football Museum of Wales and the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site. It also says he is vice chair of Sport Wales, chair of the Electoral Management Board Wales and a member of the DCMS UK Town of Culture Advisory Panel.

Trustees of the National Lottery Heritage Fund are remunerated at £20,749 per annum, according to the announcement. It says the appointment followed the Governance Code on Public Appointments and that Bancroft declared no significant political activity in the past five years.