GOV.UK blogs

Delinked Payments News

RPA will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in England with delinked payments in 2024. The 2023 scheme year will be the last year of BPS.  Delinked Payments Information Statement  We have finished sending out initial Delinked Payments Information Statements …

New data identifies amount of pollution from different sources in Windermere

Andy Brown, Environment, Planning and Engagement Manager at the Environment Agency, and chair of the Love Windermere partnership, explains how new data will help tackle pollution in Windermere and protect the lake for generations to come.

Department for Education: Our experience of joining GOV.UK One Login

In this guest blog, hear directly from Jane Farrington from the Department for Education about how her team implemented GOV.UK One Login to improve the sign in experience for apprenticeship services.

Sharing our expertise on access to justice on a global stage

Our Head of Insight, Luc Altmann, shares his experience of presenting at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice.

Celebrating a Decade’s Work Returning Fish to the River Derwent.

Since the River Derwent was dammed 300 years ago – at the start of the Industrial Revolution – its fish stocks dwindled. Devoid of fish since the mid-20th century, a project to open it back up to the likes of salmon began in 2013. Now, fish are flourishing along all 20 miles of the Derwent.

Our hidden marine mammals - the harbour porpoise

What is the first animal that springs to mind when you think of a UK marine mammal? A cousin to dolphins, harbour porpoises might not have been your first answer but there are many reasons to care about these fascinating …

DLUHC's Digital Planning Programme: 2023 in review

As we wrap up the year, it's time to look back through the 2023 highlights of DLUHC’s Digital Planning Programme.

2023: reflections on a busy year for social care nursing

It’s hard to believe another year has passed and there is still so much to do. For social care nursing, we have seen some real changes. We began some great projects in 2023 and we can now look forward with optimism as we work to embed and build on them further in 2024.

It’s time to take a look at our standards and guidance

Learn more about how the Transforming Government Services team at CDDO is redesigning the products and services offered to other government departments to support service delivery.

Desk Research in Discovery

Desk research can help you find your bearings at the start of a project. Finding information about your users’ habits and priorities will give you a good basis to work from when user research begins. In some cases, you may …

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Lyn Romeo: "As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey we have undertaken together over the last year. We have continued to relentlessly seek improvement in the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, friends and carers."

Adopting TCFD recommendations in the public sector (part 1)

As we in the Government Actuary's Department are preparing to produce climate-related financial disclosures for the first time, this blog post is the first in a series that will explore the adoption of TCFD recommendations in the public sector.

Championing kinship care

In this blog Hayley, Yvonne and Adelaide share their personal experiences of being kinship carers, from overcoming bumps along the way to helping the children and young people thrive. 

MoJ’s Data Strategy – one year on

Data is at the heart of the Ministry of Justice’s work. It helps us to measure the impact of policy interventions, gives us operational insight into prisons and probation, and gives us insights which help us to deliver better services …

Gender questioning children: Everything you need to know about new draft guidance for schools

In recent years, an increasing number of children have been questioning their gender. This is why we have published new guidance for teachers on how best to support these students in schools and colleges. In England, children can’t obtain a …

AI have a cunning plan - take aways from Think Data for Government

Matthew Benjamin, Programme Delivery Manager for Digital Partnerships at the ONS, takes the opportunity to share his thoughts on the Think Data for Government event, highlighting some of the successes, challenges and opportunities around increased data usage.

Three chapters added to UK NSC screening manual

Three chapters added to UK NSC screening in healthcare manual which gives an overview of best practice for implementing health screening programmes anywhere in the world.

How the children’s social care reforms will affect inspection

The Department for Education (DfE) has published several documents as part of the children’s social care reforms: The National Framework and Children’s Social Care (CSC) dashboard Working Together to Safeguard Children (‘Working Together’) The kinship strategy A data and digital …

Going underground: developing and testing an international standard for subsurface data

Dr Neil Brammall, NUAR Technical Product Owner, reveals his key learnings from the recent Open Standards code sprint event organised by the OGC and the role the NUAR data model has played in the implementation of key subsurface standards.

Response to Birmingham City Council council tax reports

An article in the Telegraph today claims that Birmingham City Council residents face a 10% rise in council tax, and that this has been confirmed by lead commissioner Max Caller. This is not correct. No decision has been made or …

Take a look at our Christmas-related creatures and plants on the Defence Estate

  It’s the most wonderful time of the year – but that doesn’t stop the hard work that goes on behind the scenes across the Defence Training Estate every day. Our ecology and environmental management teams work tirelessly alongside the …

Efficiencies and the power of integrating grant-making systems

By connecting Find a Grant, Apply for a Grant and Spotlight, we have further reduced the time, cost and potential for fraud and error in grant-making.

Environment Agency bathing waters storm overflow data

The Environment Agency has analysed Event Duration Monitoring data on storm overflows associated with bathing waters across England for 2023. This data, provided to the EA following the end of the bathing water season (May to September inclusive), is a …

Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery: an industrial past and a thriving future 

The Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery project covers a combined area of approximately 1,446 hectares in Lancashire. In this post, project manager Tony Da Silva shares an overview of the site, its history and the project team's ambition to support a thriving natural environment in which people, wildlife and agriculture can flourish.

Make a difference: helping older people cope with depression

Supporting and helping to improve the health of older adults is paramount. Depression is a common condition and while it is a problem all year round, as we approach the festive season, it does know harm to renew our vigilance and support of those who may feel particularly lonely or isolated at this time.

Your Grants 'Introducing you to...'

RPA offers a wide range of grants and rural payments to farmers, businesses and local authorities. In this series of blogs, we look at the grants available in more detail, using case studies to showcase those who have taken advantage …

Designing content for the ONS - an insight into the whats, wheres and whys of the team and how content they are in their roles

Our content designers help to ensure all of our publications are as well put together as possible, carrying out proof-reading, making sure our writing style is consistent and paying attention to the accessibility of our official written content.

Jacob Starling speaks to Cariad Sealey, one of our current content designers, who gives an insight into the whats, wheres and whys of the team and how content they are in their roles.

Response to i News' political newsletter about Blackpool

A political newsletter in i News on Friday (December 15) accused the government of ‘broken policy promises’ made to Blackpool and a lack of funding and investment. We strongly reject these claims, and our investment in Blackpool speaks to our …

A glass half full: my adult social work journey

Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care and I recently visited Salford to hear about the way social care colleagues work with the council, the NHS, providers and voluntary and community sector partners. I was delighted to hear from one of their social workers, Donna Sharkey about her positive career journey...

Reflections from COP 28 – Nature recovery for a secure future

The COP28 climate summit has concluded in Dubai with an agreement headlining on the need for a global journey away from fossil fuels. Behind the high drama of the oil, coal and gas economy were discussions about other subjects, including …

How we reduced CSS size and improved performance across GOV.UK

We recently reduced CSS size and improved performance across GOV.UK pages by
moving away from bundling all CSS into a single stylesheet served to all pages to serving smaller stylesheets containing only the necessary styles for each page.

How the MOD is creating Psychologically Safe environments to enable project success

Evidence shows psychologically safe teams are more productive, innovative, and better at exposing and managing risk. Psychological Safety is a key enabler in building an innovative culture, high-performing teams, and promotes testing new ideas, whether they are successful or not. …

Meet two Environment Agency interns helping to protect our water environment.

Our Summer Diversity Internship Programme (SDIP) offers students from diverse backgrounds the chance to kickstart their careers and give them an insight into the breadth of work undertaken by the EA. Ever wondered what this would be like? We spoke to Rion Hoshino and Siobhan Gunn, who completed the internship this summer, to find out more about their experience.

Top tips on starting difficult conversations about LPAs

[English] - [Cymraeg] Starting a conversation about lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) with family and friends can feel uncomfortable. You may think family members can make decisions about your finances or health and welfare if you are no longer able …

Charting a BNG course: Navigating challenges and embracing opportunities in Biodiversity Net Gain implementation

As we set foot on the path to implement one of the important nature recovery policies outlined in the Environment Act, a spectrum of emotions washes over us – from excitement to the daunting task of navigating this new terrain. …

Working as a community to iterate the task list pattern

Task list has been redesigned following research and collaboration across government.

Dishing up satisfying visits for hungry scientists

We regularly receive requests to visit the APHA’s science headquarters at Weybridge however, organising visits is a little like preparing a gourmet meal, bringing all the best ingredients together to fulfil visitor’s appetites! Sarah Stewart, Stakeholder and Events Manager reveals more.

Adult social care workforce reform: a meeting of minds

The CareTech Senior Adults team hosted colleagues from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recently. This included a meeting to discuss current workforce initiatives for the social care sector and then visiting services to meet with front line staff, managers and those we support.

Shelter report on homelessness

This week, there has been coverage of a Shelter report which says the number of people who will be homeless in England this Christmas will rise this year to 309,000, including reports in the Mirror, Independent and Daily Star. We …

DHSC publishes review of risk of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in NHS supply chains

As part of the UK government’s world-leading ambition to tackle modern slavery, the Department of Health and Social Care has today published the Review of the risk of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in the NHS supply chain. Building on …