9583posts
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Being an intelligence analyst at Companies House
Intelligence analysts at Companies House examine data to uncover hidden patterns and spot potential misuse of the register. Read how their work helps decide where to focus efforts in tackling economic crime.
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Seabed Carbon Risks: What Our Evidence Shows
A new technical briefing reviews the latest evidence on how trawling, other human activities and climate change affect seabed carbon.
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Reflections from the Space Communicators’ Network
Last year, the UK Space Agency’s External Affairs team hosted the Space Communicators’ Network Workshop at the UK Space Conference in Manchester, to move the conversation about space communications from talking about the challenges to taking meaningful action.
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Levelling the playing field with Microsoft accessibility
Accessibility isn’t just a feature, it’s a commitment. I wanted to highlight the importance of increasing the awareness of Microsoft’s many accessibility features to help support EVERYONE.
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Defining Success for Wildlife: What Does "Thriving" Really Mean?
How do we know when a species is truly thriving, rather than just surviving? This is the question Natural England has been working to answer. We've now published new definitions that set out exactly what success looks like for four …
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SFI26: details, definitions and what to expect
In this post, we explain what to expect from the Sustainable Farming Incentive offer in 2026. We also share the list of the 71 actions available in the new offer, with payment rates.
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NFU26: how we’re building farming resilience
Today at the NFU Conference, Secretary of State Emma Reynolds shared more detail on how government will deliver its vision for agriculture. In this post, we summarise the announcements in her speech and what they mean for the sector.
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Connecting businesses with nature: relaunching Projects for Nature
Projects for Nature is entering a new chapter led by Spacehive, a fundraising platform which connects businesses and other donors with credible, high-quality nature recovery projects across England. Read this post to find out more.
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Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026: guidance now available
Applications for the next round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF 2026) open on 17 March. The guidance is now live, and we’re hosting a webinar to help you prepare.
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The Bat Advice Service (BAS) – Reforming Natural England’s advice for householders
15 April 2026: Blog update In the below blog we said that we were planning to move the Bat Advice Service (BAS) to an online system over the coming year. We want to deliver the best outcomes for both bats …
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Beyond The Reef: A leg of surprises in the Turks and Caicos Islands
On the 31st of January, the RRS James Cook sailed into Turks and Caicos waters, ready to uncover an unknown world in the depths. Generations of local knowledge and extensive research is available for the shallow, coastal waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). In contrast, there …
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Splink or Swim: The Benefits of Being Small Enough To Fail
A behind-the-scenes look at winning the Civil Service innovation award Suppose the Civil Service embarked on an ambitious project to create software that would be used widely in government and beyond. The design would involve cross-departmental and international collaboration, and the …
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Why the RPC matters for the UK’s international reputation: for inward investment and for international trade
The quality of a country's regulatory framework is not a purely domestic concern. It shapes trade relationships, influences investment decisions, and signals to international partners whether a country is serious about evidence-based regulation. Our role at the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) sits at the heart of that story.
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Right-first-time planning submissions
UK Planning Gateway aims to cut delays in the planning process by fixing the small but costly inconsistencies that delay applications. Drawing on direct experience and land data insight, this new approach helps developers submit clearer, right-first-time applications. This translates into meaningful time savings for applicants and local authorities alike and keeps projects moving.
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A new digital and cyber playbook to support local government during reorganisation
Local Digital is pleased to share that the first release of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Digital and Cyber Playbook is now live. The Playbook is an evolving collection of guidance, council experiences, and templates to support councils navigating the digital, data, technology, and cyber aspects of local government reorganisation.
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Drop-in with your views on future plans for the whelk fishery
Join us on the South and South West coast to talk about data collection in the English whelk fishery and share views on the whelk permit scheme.
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Cuttlefish Action Plan: progress and upcoming engagement
Market sampling and collaboration are improving our understanding of cuttlefish stocks, helping inform sustainable fisheries management in the Channel.
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Marine Management Organisation outlines next engagement point in developing England’s new East Marine Plan
The Marine Planning Team at the Marine Management Organisation are inviting all interested parties in the development of the East Marine Plan to participate in an online engagement session as part of the plans ongoing development. There will be two sessions available to attend online. To …
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Sanctions compliance in practice: lessons from OFSI’s £160,000 Bank of Scotland penalty
In January 2026, OFSI published the details of an £160,000 monetary penalty imposed on Bank of Scotland Plc, a subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group, for breaching the Russia financial sanctions regime. The lessons in this case go beyond one …
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Why Social Work Identity Matters - reflections from Professional Leads in North East and Yorkshire NHS Trusts
Introduction by Robert Lewis In this guest blog we hear from a group of mental health social work leaders from the vibrant North East and Yorkshire NHS Trusts’ Social Work Community of Practice. Many remain unaware that social workers are an increasing presence in NHS mental health services. With their values and rights-based approaches, social …
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How our adaptive teaching supports every learner
Ross Colley, Head of School at Winyates Primary School in Peterborough, shares how good teaching for SEND is good teaching for all
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The value of transition
Sarah Douglas, Assistant Headteacher and SENDco at Tanfield School in County Durham, explains how a well-planned transition programme sets students up for success.
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Building a culture of inclusion
Katrin Lehmann, Vice Principal of Inclusive Learning, Creative Industries and Student Experience at West Thames College in London, shares how the college ensures students with SEND are visible, valued and supported to succeed.
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Championing inclusion through early intervention
Pete Hines OBE, headteacher at Perryfields Primary Pupil Referral Unit, shares how they support pupils to stay in mainstream education.
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Enabling cross-border use of digital credentials: views from the DVS sector
In OfDIA, we’re working to prepare for a future where people who want to use digital verification services across national borders have the option to do so in a way which is secure, privacy-preserving and inclusive. That’s why the UK’s …
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Making the most of your trees: discover the medium-value timber products from your woodland
Chris Watson, Woodland Resilience Advisor at the Forestry Commission, explores a variety of medium-value timber products available from UK woodlands.
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GDSA Summit returns: building on our progress
Lydia Tabbron reflects on the progress of the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) as we prepare for our forthcoming summit. Over the past 18 months the GDSA has taken on a new form. It’s transitioned from a group of 40 …
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A message from the Cabinet Secretary
Dame Antonia Romeo was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service on 19 February 2026. In her first message to the organisation, she set out her reflections on the role and her pride in public service.
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Vaccines for students: how to get up to date
Vaccines for students: how to get up to date Get your MenB vaccines before Freshers 2026 The Government is introducing a free one-off, time-limited MenB (meningococcal B) vaccination programme from July 2026 for young people. You are eligible if: You were born between 1 September 2007 …
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How to protect against measles – vaccines for school pupils
Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and for some people can cause serious problems. Cases of the virus are rising across England, including among children. There’s no specific medical treatment for measles, so it’s important to get vaccinated …
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UK-backed space weather mission sets sail for launch site
A landmark joint European-Chinese space mission, with significant UK involvement, has departed Europe for its launch site in French Guiana ahead of a planned April launch.
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What user research taught us about designing useful digital planning case studies
What turns a case study into something people can use? Insights from local planning authorities shaped a user-centred approach to a series of digital planning case studies, helping them sit alongside plan-making guidance, support peer learning and build confidence in how planning teams use digital tools.
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Dragons Den IP Blog - Series 23 Episode 4
What’s the connection between sea moss and aids for gripping better? Both were featured in pitches in Dragons’ Den this week in front of Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and Tinie Tempah. Here to pick out the IP in the pitches is guest author, Emma, who tells us more.
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The DARTS challenge: modernising our most complex court system
This two-part blog series looks back at our behind-the-scenes technological transformation. Part two focuses on our biggest challenge: migrating the Digital Audio Recording Transcription and Storage (DARTS) system – one of the largest data migrations HMCTS has ever undertaken.
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Kickstarting a career with our University Leavers Graduate programme
Applications for the 2026 University Leavers Graduate programme cohort close on Thursday 5th March.
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North West pioneers place-based cross-sector leadership programme
An exciting new leadership initiative in the North West is bringing together senior leaders from across the Civil Service, local government, private sector, higher education and not-for-profit organisations to strengthen leadership capabilities and collaboration across Greater Manchester. This year-long programme …
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Evidence Parliament can trust
How the Regulatory Policy Committee’s independent scrutiny supports democratic accountability
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Introducing the One IPO roadmap
Since we’ve started rolling out the One IPO service, we’ve had lots of requests for a clear roadmap of the updates and improvements that can be expected. This blog dives into the new roadmap.
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UK NSC consults on targeted antenatal screening for HTLV-1
The UK NSC has opened a consultation on evidence relating to targeted antenatal screening for Human T-lymphotropic virus 1.
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Join our webinar: grants for farmers on lowland peat
Next week, we will host two webinars to introduce the new lowland peat grant schemes for farmers. We will explain how we are developing the schemes and give you the chance to ask questions.