GOV.UK blogs

Charities must show prudence to retain trust during crisis ahead

First published in the Telegraph newspaper on 14 July. There can be no doubt that we are living in tumultuous times. Last week’s dramatic events in Westminster have captured headlines around the world, while the war that continues to rage …

TAPping into Test Automation

In Justice Digital we have been experimenting with using an Enabling Team to promote Test Automation. Here’s what we’ve learnt along the way. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) Digital has a mission to enable fair and swift access to Justice …

Staying safe in extreme heat

At this time of year many people look forward to warm days and sunshine, but hot weather can affect our health. This blog looks at how to stay safe in hot weather and who is most vulnerable.

Tensions and resistances in the field of design in policy

Dr Jocelyn Bailey from UAL Social Design Institute reports on what happened at our first AHRC Design and Policy Network meeting.

Building an inclusive culture at the Government Digital Service

Making GDS a representative, inclusive place is one of our priorities. Our CEO shares why this matters, what our data show and where we'll focus our efforts.

Asking teachers what they think: Ofsted’s recent Teacher Tapp survey results

Chris Jones, our Director, Strategy and Engagement, and Alex Jones, our Director, Insights and Research, on what a recent survey of teachers found out about inspection, Ofsted’s research and evaluation work, and other hot topics. We recently commissioned Teacher Tapp …

Free business advice: next phase to start in October

Any farmer or land manager who receives BPS in England is eligible for free business advice during the early years of the agricultural transition. The current phase of support will close at the end of August. So far, 6,600 farmers have made use of this free advice. The final phase of support will open in October and will be scaled up.

It’s never too early to start planning when buying for your school

Peter looks at the importance of planning ahead when buying for your school and why you don’t necessarily need to wait for the school holidays to make big changes.

Podcast series: Senior patent expert guides you through some of the critical points you should check before investing in any form of intellectual property.

The CEO of the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT), Alison Campbell, is moderating an interesting new podcast series ("Intellectual property (IP) as key commercial asset: the essentials") on behalf of the European Patent Office (EPO). In this second episode, …

Register of Overseas Entities: How it affects land transactions

Our initial guidance on how to comply with the Economic Crime (Transparency & Enforcement) Act 2022 provisions relating to properties.

How IfATE is supporting the Government’s climate change agenda

Technical education and apprenticeships are important in both retraining the current workforce and equipping young people with the skills required for the transition to net zero. We’ve been working hard to support the Government’s climate change agenda. We already have …

What is the School Rebuilding Programme and how is it benefitting pupils?

All pupils should be able to learn in buildings that are fit for purpose. Some buildings in the school estate don’t meet the standards pupils or parents should expect – but the School Rebuilding Programme is fixing that. Here’s what …

Holograms, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: Find out what’s on our 2022 emerging tech radar

It’s only been 12 months since we last produced our annual emerging technology radar, but already there have been seismic business challenges emerging, and the very rapid evolution of transformative digital technologies.

How early roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive is going – an early update

It’s been almost 2 weeks since we opened the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for applications, so we thought now would be a good time to share an update on how it’s going so far. 

How we made it easier for publishers to share previews of their work

We’ve improved shareable previews which makes it easier for publishers on GOV.UK to share drafts of their work. Here’s why we did it and how.

“Why I like working as a Community Payback supervisor.”

Community Payback (CP) supervisors lead teams of people on probation to do unpaid work in the community and make positive changes to get their lives back on track. If you're a people person and looking for a rewarding career, find …

Sustainable farm-based proteins: funding available

We’re inviting farmers, growers, foresters, businesses and researchers to apply for a share of £12.5 million to focus on the research and development of sustainable farm-based proteins.

Cryptocurrencies: what are they, and should charities use them?

Over the course of human history, there have been several developmental leaps in the way in which people trade and exchange. Each has opened the door to transformational benefits, but also created new challenges and risks for society to navigate. …

University admissions and A level, T level and VTQ results: Your questions answered

This year young people have taken exams and assessments in A levels, T levels and other post 16 qualifications for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Results will look different to the last 2 years, because the …

Why we’ve decided to decommission GOV.UK PaaS (Platform as a Service)

Read about why we have decided to decommission GOV.UK PaaS and what we are doing next.

Why Civil Service leadership training is changing

Want to gain the right skills to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century? Here’s how the Leadership College for Government can help you. How often do you think about what makes an amazing leader or manager? While some people …

Working towards a healthy Commonwealth Games

This summer the West Midlands is hosting the Commonwealth Games. Preparing for, and managing the Games, is a massive undertaking involving a diverse range of agencies from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

One of the most important tasks partners have is keeping the 6,600 competitors and their teams from 72 nations, around 40,000 volunteers, spectators (one million tickets have been sold) and the local community healthy during this huge event.

Solving an interesting problem with Sender Policy Framework records

The Securing Government Services team found and fixed a curious problem regarding email security

Test and trial: Learning from the North Cumbria Farmers Group

In the latest video in the series about the North Cumbria Farmers Group Test and Trial, uplands livestock farmers Steve and Colin explain their reasons for taking part.

The education inspection framework (EIF) – looking ahead to September 2022

Christopher Russell, our National Director, Education, discusses the recent changes to our EIF handbooks and moving beyond transitional arrangements. We are coming to the end of another academic year and looking ahead to September 2022. Following our return to inspection, …

Preparing your fishery for the summer

Spring and summer can trigger a range of problems for fisheries, and it’s important to understand how to prepare and protect them. It’s vital that anglers and fishery managers recognise the risks posed by warmer weather; remain vigilant for signs …

Government action to tackle air pollution

Today’s blog looks at Government action to tackle air pollution

Old vs new: how the greats of graphic design influence our work

Many examples of contemporary design reference great graphic design from the past. To mark the Platinum Jubilee year, this article is looking back over the last 70 years to see how classic design influences our work at Design102.

Evaluating the reforms of Functional Skills Qualifications

Introducing reformed Functional Skills Reformed Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) were first awarded in 2019 and today we have published research that we did in 2019 as part of our initial evaluation of those qualifications.   Ofqual’s role is to make sure …

How GOV.UK Pay is making invoicing easier

Learn about what the GOV.UK Pay team have been doing to improve the functionality of the website to make invoicing easier.

Starting the conversation on food safety and net zero carbon

Professor Robin May, our Chief Scientific Adviser, discusses the findings from the Science Council’s newly published interim report on food safety and net zero carbon.

I-VMS update 5

It’s really encouraging that so many vessels across our English inshore have installed their onboard I-VMS devices and received the grant funding to re-imburse their costs, but we realise there is still much work to do. We have now hit …

Factsheet: Amendment to the Online Safety Bill to help tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse online

On the 5th July, the government introduced an amendment to the Online Safety Bill to strength Ofcom's powers in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA).

Taking the sting out of vector borne diseases

Doctor Luis M. Hernández-Triana and Suzanna Bell are APHA Discipline Champions and experts in the field of vector borne diseases. In this blog, they describe how APHA are involved in vector borne disease research and the importance of these emerging pathogens.

Introducing You To...

Hi, I’m Andrew. I’m part of the Countryside Stewardship (CS) Applications Higher Tier team and I’m based in Nottingham. I’ve been with RPA just over a year now and have worked on Higher Tier since last September. Primarily I work …

World Zoonoses Day – How you can help protect our dogs from Brucella canis

World Zoonoses Day is held every year to commemorate the first vaccination against zoonotic disease – infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites spread between animals and humans. World Zoonoses day is particularly timely this year to highlight the risk …

Exam results 2022: 10 things to know about GCSE, AS and A level grades

The last 2 years have been tough for students. That’s why we put in place an unprecedented package of support to make the path back to pre-pandemic arrangements as smooth as possible. Here are 10 things that you need to …

What’s behind this summer’s VTQ results?

As qualifications regulator, our main concern is always students. It is important that students taking qualifications that are used for the same purposes are not advantaged or disadvantaged. This includes students taking vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) when compared to …

Improving the transparency of scientific evidence

Improving the transparency of scientific evidence  Transparency and openness of scientific evidence informing government policy making is of the utmost importance to the Government Office for Science (GOS). By transparent and open, we mean that evidence is fully accessible to …

Space sustainability plans will pave the way for future generations

Edward Baker reflects on the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability and how ambitious UK plans will benefit space users around the world.