GOV.UK blogs

MyDefence Rewind 2024: A Year in Review

A Journey to People Empowerment It’s been an extraordinary year for the MyDefence programme. From shaping the vision of an ambitious coherence initiative to navigating multiple phases of research, design, and development, our journey has been nothing short of remarkable. …

Trust at a distance: how can digital identities help?

The UK Government is committed to promoting a global digital environment which is open but also safe. We believe that secure, privacy-enhancing digital identities that work across national boundaries can enable that objective.

Enhancing digital trust through trust services

Trust services sit under a piece of UK law called the eIDAS Regulations and they make electronic transactions faster, simpler, and more secure.  In this blogpost, we talk about what OfDIA is doing with regard to trust services.  

Inaccurate provisional Local Government Finance Settlement reporting

There has been media reporting suggesting allocations set out in our provisional Local Government Finance Settlement will mean Shire districts or ‘more rural’ councils are being treated unfavourably. This is not correct, and does not account for the over £4 …

New roles in the gamma trust framework  

This blog post takes a closer look at what the new roles in the gamma trust framework do, why we introduced them, and how they support providers looking to get certified against this new publication.  

A long distance relationship: Upgrading the Falkland Islands

I’ve been working in the Falkland Islands for six months in what is now my fourth continuity tour to the Falklands. It’s an interesting place to live and work and being so far from the UK adds significant challenges to …

Dartmoor Land Use Management Group: next steps

In October, we appointed the Independent Chair for the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group (DLUMG), Phil Stocker. In this guest post, Phil shares insights into his role, the published terms of reference, and next steps for the group. 

Update: 28 January 2025: At the bottom of this post, you'll find details of the membership of the group.

Largest ever cash boost to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

There has been prominent national and regional coverage following our announcement this week which confirms councils across England will receive almost £1 billion of new funding next year, including the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services, to get the country …

Conservation covenants: a new tool to support nature recovery

The Environment Agency is delighted to have been designated as a responsible body for conservation covenants. This new tool will help us in our work to protect and enhance nature in England. The bigger picture: the importance of nature We …

Services Week is back for 2025

Services Week is an annual event hosted by the Government Digital and Data community, bringing together professionals from across the UK public sector.

Artificial Intelligence: must-have skills for the future

Discover how to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence with the latest online courses by CDDO.

Digital Planning Programme: our year in review 

In this blog the Digital Planning team review the programme’s highlights from 2024. From increased data collection to developing new tools, collaboration to innovation, the team has worked alongside Local Planning Authorities, the planning community and other colleagues in government to make planning faster, data-driven, and more citizen-friendly.

What winter bug do I have? Know the signs and symptoms 

We see cases of flu, RSV, COVID-19 and norovirus throughout the year, but in winter they circulate at the same time and can reach high levels.   We also track other respiratory viruses – rhinovirus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza …

Explaining easements – making the correct applications

Easements – the rights enjoyed by one landowner over land owned by another – are an important legal interest and a complex area of land law. Ensuring you make the correct applications should mean you avoid many of the most serious difficulties that can arise.

Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning – Future Challenges and Opportunities 

This post is the final blog in a series on privacy-preserving federated learning. The series is a collaboration between the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit (RTA) and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Learn more and read all …

Understanding Arm's Length Bodies: a fresh look at Britain's Public Sector

Ever wondered who runs our driving licences, maintains our railways, or keeps our food standards in check? Chances are, it's an arm's length body (ALB). This week, we're excited to share our newly published interactive Arm's Length Bodies Landscape analysis, …

Update on the deaths of three tagged hen harriers

Hen harriers remain rare in England, with a welcome increase in their population over the last few years stalling in 2024. Poor weather and food availability may cause their numbers to fluctuate, but ongoing illegal killing remains a serious threat …

The outcome of the consultation on Annex A of the JFS has been published today

Today we’ve published the Government response to the consultation proposing amendments to Annex A of the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS).

Designing a style guide for Defra content designers

Senior content designer Louisa Mallon describes how her team planned and created a Defra style guide.

Stakeholder update: December 2024's FSA Board meeting

Cymraeg It was the final FSA Board meeting of the year last week and we were able to catch up on a number of important issues that have been on our minds. We had an update to September’s Board discussion …

Reflections on 2024 and looking ahead to 2025

As 2024 draws to a close, let’s reflect on what a year it has been. The work that colleagues across adult social care have done this year has been phenomenal. Millions of people have benefited from dedicated professionals who work …

Belfast's growing digital community: A collaborative and innovative environment

Discover the digital opportunities of working for DBT in Belfast.

FiPL Spotlight: Meadow Match, Cornwall's wildflower seed dating service 

In this guest post, Seán O’Hea shines a light on Cornwall National Landscape's Farming in Protected Landscape project.

Living England: a national habitat map for everyone 

Amy Woodget is the Communications and Engagement Lead for the Living England project. In this post, she introduces the latest release of Natural England’s ‘Living England’ dataset – a digital map providing information on England’s broad habitats.

NHS England starts detailed implementation planning for tyrosinaemia screening

Detailed planning work under way for implementation of newborn screening for tyrosinaemia in England.

Defra response to OEP investigation into regulation of network combined sewer overflows

Government takes swift action to strengthen regulation to tackle sewage discharges, as the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) announces next steps in their investigation into the regulation of network combined sewer overflows.

English Devolution White Paper launch

Following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper there has been speculative media coverage that proposals around local government reorganisation including that this could potentially delay local elections in some areas with smaller district councils being replaced by larger …

One word, endless opportunities: Discover our Graduate Scheme

Unlock your potential: Graduates describe our program in one word

What GDS has found from public sector accessibility monitoring

Find out what our team found from the last 3 years of monitoring the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile apps.

Coverage following announcement that water companies must double compensation for service failures

There has been widespread coverage of the Government announcement that water companies will be forced to double the compensation paid to customers for service failures. The Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) will see new, improved, and compulsory payments in the event …

Shark Plan: Conserving Sri Lankan sharks, rays and chimaeras through the Ocean Country Partnership Programme

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) collaboration with Sri Lanka on shark, ray and chimaera conservation through the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) was furthered in mid-November with a UK visit from the Sri Lankan Director General and …

Transforming our understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk in England

Julie Foley, Director of Flood Risk Strategy and Adaptation Understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk is vital to ensuring that policy makers, practitioners and communities are ready to adapt to a changing climate.  The Environment Agency is required to …

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: what parents need to know  

The new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - sometimes referred to as the Children's Wellbeing Bill - introduces a wide variety of measures to help children and families, from school reform and home education to safeguarding.  But how will this …

Permitted development rights

There has been some press coverage over the weekend relating to permitted development rights.  There is a suggestion in an article that PDRs could have been banned in the recent update to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last week. …

75th Anniversary of the National Parks Act: New legislation to ensure Protected Landscapes are fit for the future

Today is the 75th anniversary of the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. Read how the government is marking the occasion by empowering our Protected Landscapes.

Seascapes project: New Year 1 reports published as part of Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme

By Frances Mynott and Clement Garcia, Cefas leads for the mNCEA programme. Our understanding of the benefits that our marine and coastal environments provide are improving through the  Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme. Started in 2022, mNCEA is …

Take part in a consultation on guidance used by the water companies when they draft their new drought plans

Our changing climate means we could see more frequent and severe weather events, including droughts, in the coming years. We cannot predict when, or how severe, the next drought will be, but we can ensure we learn from previous drought …

Homes for Ukraine: applying digital principles and innovation to respond to a crisis rapidly at scale

Find out how MHCLG has applied digital ways of working, collaboration and innovation to enable Ukrainians to enter the UK to find suitable accommodation and support through the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Big data, tiny microbes: environmental DNA in action

All living things, from bacteria to blue whales, have DNA in their cells. DNA provides the blueprint for life, directing how organisms grow, reproduce, and live. Since DNA gives a unique genetic code for every species on Earth, we can …

New fisheries management measures come into force today

Measures are coming into effect to implement actions in the first published fisheries management plans. Find out details of the measures in our new blog post.