GOV.UK blogs

Changes we’re making to our API service

At the Office for National Statistics, we are continually improving our digital products and services and James Male, Senior Product Manager, shares our plans to retire an API and how to get the data from an alternative ONS API.

Wraparound childcare: Everything you need to know about before and after school childcare

We’re expanding wraparound care for primary school children across England by increasing the number of places available, to support working families. But what exactly is wraparound childcare? We explain everything you need to know, from what it is to how you can …

Appeals Service: London Borough of Barnet pilots new Householder Appeals system

Oliver Blower and Tom Sedgman are leading the improvements to the Planning Inspectorate's Applications and Appeals Service. In this post, they are announcing an exciting milestone in our ongoing efforts to modernise the appeals process.

How are we tracking mpox in the UK?

In this blog post, we will explore the methods used by our teams which help us to monitor the spread of mpox and determine the counter measures needed if we see cases of clade I mpox in the UK.

How technology has enabled large scale, rapid population level recruitment into research on possible food poisoning in the community: the third infectious intestinal disease study (IID3)

Thanks to the use of patient- and practice-facing technology, this study has succeeded in achieving large scale, rapid population level recruitment into research about diarrhoeal illness and possible food poisoning in the community.

Inside the RPA: Emily Edwards

In a series from the Rural Payments Agency’s customer team, we are featuring video interviews and blogs from some of the key people whose roles are focussed on delivering and improving the services provided to customers. In the fourth video and …

Activating data for national benefit and transformed public services

In the latest CDDO blog, read more from Craig Suckling, Chief Data Officer for UK Government about a mission-led data strategy and our areas of strategic focus for CDDO.

National Coding Week 2024

Meet Chrissie Hopson, a Senior Developer at the Student Loans Company and GSE member This week is National Coding Week and this year the focus is on celebrating working on projects and products that improve lives.  One such person is …

Getting winter ready: a case study

We recently met up with Tom, a dairy farmer in Cornwall, who had made some major changes to his farm infrastructure. Tom acted to bring his slurry storage into compliance with the Silage, Slurry and Fuel Oil regulations and to …

It’s nearly time for the biggest government science and engineering event of the year 

Government Science and Engineering (GSE) Conference 2024  The Government Science and Engineering (GSE) Conference 2024 will take place on 18 September at the Science Museum in London and online.  Hosted by Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, and …

Coverage following the first meeting of the Floods Resilience Taskforce

Today we are looking at coverage of the first meeting of the new Floods Resilience Taskforce and the key takeaways

Authorised Corporate Service Providers: what you need to know

We'll soon be required to verify the identity of anyone who’s submitting information to the public register, including those acting on behalf of a company. Find out how this could affect you.

6 things that might surprise you about being a graduate engineer at Sellafield

Shona, one of our current graduate engineers, provides 6 insights into her experience as a graduate at Sellafield Ltd.

Martyn's Law Factsheet

This factsheet was updated in September 2024.  The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law, was included in The King’s Speech on 17 July as part of the programme of legislation the Government intends to pursue in this …

Join the public policy design community

Head of Policy Design, Andrew Knight, invites people to join the UK public sector's most innovative community.

Protecting consumers and supporting the meat industry

Through our Call to Evidence, we want to hear from the meat industry, but we would also like to hear from any other groups or individuals who have a view on food safety, animal welfare, or consumer rights.

The different types of fish monitoring

My name is Dan Hayter and I work for the Environment Agency as a fish and eel specialist in the National Monitoring Field Team and the Fisheries, Biodiversity and Geomorphology team based in East Anglia. There are many elements to …

A call for plant health experts to support Defra’s research

Defra scientist Alex Gidley explains why independent research reviews are so important, and asks for more volunteers to help us do this.

Introducing the FSA’s Interim Chief Executive Katie Pettifer

This is my first message to you as Interim Chief Executive of the FSA and I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me from my previous role as the FSA’s Director of Strategy and Regulatory Compliance.

It's a great time to be in forestry

As part of our new Forestry Careers campaign, David Bole, Head of Sector Capacity and the Green Economy at the Forestry Commission, shares the excellent and varied opportunities the forestry sector offers.

How cutting-edge AI technology could hold the key to forecasting the pollen count

On the roof of a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) lab, at Chilton’s Harwell Science Campus in Oxfordshire, a new chapter in artificial intelligence (AI) and pollen monitoring is unfolding. In this blog post we’ll explore how our team of Toxicologists are working to better understand and monitor what we’re breathing in and how this may impact our health.

Empowering the digital journey: Building digital proficiency in the public sector

A reflection on the success of our cross-departmental Digital Upskilling sessions in 2024.

New projects to boost Earth Observation data capability

The UK Space Agency has announced two new projects to enhance Earth Observation Data Capability.

The effect of COVID-19 prevention measures on Infectious Intestinal Diseases

COVID-19 changed many of our eating habits and behaviours. It also provided a unique opportunity for us to study how restrictions influenced the transmission of Infectious Intestinal Disease (IID).

Mastering design iterations: The power of documentation

Have you ever struggled to remember the context behind a particular design iteration? In the fast-paced world of UX design, decisions are made quickly and iterated even faster. But, as the designs evolve, it’s easy to lose track of the …

New Horizons for the UK in space

The UK Space Agency's Deputy CEO Chris White-Horne visited Egypt to attend the New Space Horizons Conference for Africa & the Middle East in El Alamein.

Schools and trusts can now list all roles on Teaching Vacancies and Find a Job

Will Bourke from the Teaching Vacancy Service explains in this blog about the improvements made to the service, which means schools and trust can now list all of their vacancies, including school business professional roles, for free.

Secondment opportunity - Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

UKCEH is looking for a combined Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff to join our team of talented individuals, contributing to scientific discovery and making the world a better place through generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, …

Addressing the gaps in service delivery content

Our mission: Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) is redesigning the products and services we provide to other government departments to support the delivery of their services. This includes updating existing standards and guidance, so that more services are implemented …

Wet winters leading to more macroalgae in Solent, but nutrient reduction offers hope for the future

If you spend time on or around the water of the Solent’s harbours, you will likely have noticed high levels of bright green macroalgae, on the shore or in the water. Wet winters are causing an increase in green macroalgae …

Asking questions about screening inequalities

Survey results will hopefully help focus future screening inequalities research where it is needed most.

Reflections from two recently appointed RPC committee members

The two most recently appointed members of the RPC offer their initial impressions.

Game-changing life support system for Mars missions

The UK Space Agency backs breakthrough in life support technology, which could support long-duration missions and sustainable presence on the Moon and Mars.

Can we really build a windfarm in two years?

The MMO’s Strategic Renewables Unit (SRU) was established in 2021 to enhance MMO’s role in renewables deployment by supporting improvements to renewables rollout beyond individual cases. Recently, the assertion has been made that if it wasn’t for delays with consenting …

Inside the RPA: Gareth Jones

In a series from the Rural Payments Agency’s customer team, we’re featuring video interviews and blogs from some of the key people whose roles are focussed on delivering and improving the services provided to customers. In the third video and …

Adaptive funding: 8 ways to make funding effective in solving complex problems

As government programmes continue to tackle many complex challenges, there is an opportunity to evolve our delivery approaches to ensure they are optimally structured to deal with complexity. This post discusses the idea of ‘adaptive funding’, influenced by agile methodologies.

From Intern to Innovator: Alliyah's Inspiring Civil Service Journey

Alliyah fulfilled her aspiration to work in the public sector when she secured a place on the Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Scheme. Since then, she has advanced quickly, becoming a permanent team member and continually expanding her skills and knowledge in her role. She reflects positively on her journey and values the experiences she has gained with the team.

Read her story.

Improving our trustee guidance on making decisions

Our Assistant Director of Policy, Sam Jackson, talks about the improvements made to our decision-making guidance for charity trustees.

Coverage of the introduction of the Water (Special Measures) Bill

Today we are looking at coverage following the introduction of major legislation to crack down on water bosses polluting Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas

Meet Dr Ted Hayden, Director of GO-Science

Recently, the GSE team had the opportunity to engage in a discussion with Dr Ted Hayden on his career journey and his current position as the Director of the Government Office for Science (GO-Science). GSE team: Hi Ted, thank you for …