Oversight of the centrally managed work of Britain Yearly Meeting is in large part entrusted to committees.

There are different types of committee: standing committees, which are established for an unlimited duration, and ad hoc committees, which may be set up for a specific purpose as occasion requires and are usually expected to complete their task by a set date. A smaller committee with a very specific task may be called a group. All committees and groups have terms of reference, which are available from the Recording Clerk.