8952posts
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Then and now: The impact of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act on Companies House
Read about our progress since the introduction of new measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.
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Building a reusable data matching product
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT)’s Data Scientists have built Matchbox, an open-source platform that allows them to deduplicate and link datasets in a way that is measurable, iterative and collaborative.
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Power of Attorney Stories: Jennie
[English] - [Cymraeg] A lasting power of attorney (also known as an LPA) is a legal document. It allows you to nominate someone you trust to step in and make decisions about your health and welfare and property and finance if you …
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Experience and expertise advising Natural England’s Board: Natural England’s Landscape Advisory Panel after three and a half years.
By Co-Chairs Dame Caroline Spelman and Sarah Mukherjee MBE. Together, we have the pleasure of Co-Chairing Natural England’s Landscape Advisory Panel (NELAP), Sarah as our external Co-Chair, drawing upon her long experience, including as a Member of Julian Glover’s Landscapes …
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What’s changing – patent examination
We are publishing a weekly blog series to make sure you are prepared for the transition to One IPO Patent Service. This week we are focusing on the patent examination process.
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Top tips on how to keep your child healthy at school
For many, the start of the school term will mean mixing with different groups of people, which is why the autumn term is also known for its colds and bugs. While it’s usually safe for parents and carers to send …
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Protecting the environment in East Anglia during prolonged dry weather
East Anglia is one of several areas across England experiencing prolonged dry weather or drought. Nationally, the Environment Agency is coordinating efforts through the National Drought Group to protect water supplies and the environment during this challenging period. Whilst the …
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Nature Returns: 4 years on
Nature Returns is a flagship programme led by Natural England, which is delivering practical solutions for nature and climate and building robust scientific evidence to support policy and investment decisions. Nature-based solutions address problems in ways that benefit both people and …
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Everything you need to know about teacher training bursaries and scholarships
We want to make it easier for talented people to train as teachers, especially in subjects where they’re needed most. That’s why bursaries and scholarships have just been announced for those starting teacher training courses. Here’s what you need to …
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Kinship care: a journey, not always a destination
The National Kinship Care Ambassador, Jahnine Davis, talks about taking a whole family approach that includes children's voices, parental support, and evolving family needs.
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Coverage of our proposals to shakeup home buying and selling process
There has been widespread, positive coverage across every national outlet on the government’s announcement to speed up the long drawn-out and costly homebuying and selling process – the biggest shakeup in this country’s history. Hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers are …
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UK Space Agency funding for growing Welsh space sector
The UK Space Agency is supporting the growth of Wales' space sector with a dedicated funding boost to unlock new opportunities, drive local growth and support innovation.
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PropTech innovation takes on housing delivery challenges
Following rigorous judging, 12 project teams have been selected from 84 applications to tackle three fundamental problems holding back housing delivery in England. Working alongside local authority and developer partners, each innovator will work until March 2026 testing their solutions in the real world.
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Working together to shape the next generation of New Towns
The Environment Agency welcomes the publication of the New Towns Taskforce report and the government's initial response. With economic growth as the government's number one mission, we are uniquely positioned to contribute to the next generation of New Towns through our statutory role to protect and enhance the environment while supporting sustainable development.
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New Weed Control Handbook Published: A Smarter, Greener Approach to Vegetation Management
By Patrick Shannon-Hughes, Environmental Quality for Nature Senior Officer (Agri Chemicals) We’re pleased to release the updated Weed Control Handbook: Guidance for Herbicide Use on Nature Conservation Sites - a long-awaited refresh of the 2002 Herbicide Handbook. This new edition …
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5 tips for managing your woodland this autumn
MacBradan Bones is a Nature Recovery Advisor at the Forestry Commission. Here he shares his tips for managing your woodland in autumn.
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Red squirrel recovery: Why APHA are all in
Red squirrels are fighting for survival and APHA is playing a key role with ground breaking science, smart feeders, and a bold plan to restore balance to UK woodlands.
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Turning research into action at the AI in Government and Academia Summit
Exploring how cutting edge academic research can shape AI adoption in government at the 2025 AI in Government and Academia Summit.
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Working together for water: 51 projects receive share of £11 million fund
Last year, money collected from fines on water companies between April 2022 and October 2023 was invested in the £11 million Water Restoration Fund. In this post, we share the list of successful grant applicants and highlight one of the projects.
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Natural England’s response to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning
By John Holmes, Director of Strategy On 5 September, Defra announced strengthened legislation on burning on peat. The new legislation came into force this week, with the new burning season commencing on Wednesday. We welcome the strengthened legislation which will …
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Dragons Den IP Blog - Series 22 Episode 10
It was a fiery night for the Dragons this week. Entrepreneurs pitched innovations including an AI-powered cooking monitor for the kitchen and a ginger-based alcohol-free drink that packs a punch!
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A Decade of Surge: The Civil Service’s crisis-busting weapon in Government Delivery
What does the overnight collapse of Thomas Cook, Covid-19 and the annual self-assessment tax peak all have in common? Answer: Enter the Surge and Rapid Response Team (SRRT) – the Civil Service’s ultimate problem solver, writes Karen Kyle, Head of …
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Black History Month 2025: Standing Firm in Power and Pride
Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Race Champion Cat Little reflects on this year's powerful theme and what it means for our organisation and the communities we serve. October marks Black History Month across the UK, and as Civil Service …
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Extended producer responsibility: what’s it for?
There has been widespread coverage of the introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme in recent days.
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An introduction to the Local Skills Dashboard, by Frank Bowley
Skills England is data-driven, bringing together the right evidence to understand and respond to the nation’s skills needs. An important part of this work is supporting our partners across the country to access and use this evidence in a local …
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Successful local plan development: Working together and preparing better
Andrew Megginson is Head of Service for Local Plans at the Planning Inspectorate where he leads the operational delivery of local plan examinations across England. Together with Simon Berkeley, Professional Lead for Local Plans, they recently delivered a comprehensive webinar on preparing local plans for successful examination.
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Working Together to Protect Harbour Porpoise
For those who work at sea, Harbour porpoises are a familiar sight around our coast. They have a wide diet, feeding mostly on fish, including sandeels, herring and whiting, as well as on squid and crustaceans. As predators they help …
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Celebrating Excellence: HMCTS National Awards Showcase Innovation, Compassion and Justice in Action
The annual HMCTS National Awards celebrate staff who exemplify our values through innovation, crisis response and commitment to putting people first.
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Introducing the GOV Reuse Library
The GOV Reuse Library is a new cross-government initiative designed to help teams work smarter, faster, and more collaboratively by reusing proven digital service components. Developed by the Ministry of Justice, in partnership with the Government Digital Service and the …
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DataConnect25: How public sector data delivers real benefits for users
Next month DataConnect is back again for a fifth year. This year’s ‘for the community, by the community’ event is for the first time themed around using data to deliver benefits for users.
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Nature Recovery Projects – next steps for growing collaborative action that drives nature recovery
Acting for nature recovery at scale Defra and Natural England invested £7.4 million to initiate twelve landscape-scale Nature Recovery Projects (NRPs) across the country, over the three years of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2022/23-2024/25. Covering over 319,480ha, these projects were …
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Designing a user-centred intranet to help our staff work more effectively
An intranet is an essential digital platform that connects employees within an organisation, giving them easy access to internal news and resources. Sian, content designer, shares how user-centred design transformed our department's intranet, streamlining communication, knowledge sharing and accessibility to help our UK-wide staff work more productively and efficiently.
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Winter farm preparation: a guide for farmers after a dry season
As autumn begins, many farmers are still feeling the effects of prolonged dry weather and drought despite recent rainfall. Here the Environment Agency provides advice on how to prepare for winter challenges such as flooding, slurry storage, and reservoir refilling.
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Building our product management community: from sceptics to superfans
James Corbett is a Product Manager for Delivering Sustainable Futures at Defra and Helen McMullan is a Lead Product Manager for Regulatory Services at Defra. In this blog they reflect on how formalising a product community has unleashed the power of shared ownership, collective growth, and fostered sense of belonging
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From Insight to Interface: My summer in Digital Design at UKEF
Izzy tells us about her experience as an intern in UKEF DDAT
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Safety of Nitrates and Nitrites as Food Additives
Our role at the FSA is to put people first. That means being transparent about the risks in our food, and providing you with clear, science-based information to help you make informed choices about foods you eat. A good example …
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More than half of all English local authorities are now using the new Appeal a Planning Decision Service
With the introduction of the new Appeal A Planning Decision Service, the Appeals Casework Portal closure will be happening by April 2026. What does this mean for appellants and LPAs?
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Ready to grow your digital skills? Get Tech Certified this Autumn
This Autumn, Get Tech Certified offers an opportunity to gain free, recognised digital qualifications to help sharpen your skills and boost your career.
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UK–Australia Space Bridge strengthens ties at International Astronautical Congress
The UK Space Agency and the Australian Space Agency have renewed their Space Bridge partnership today at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney.
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Working together on user research
As a Fast Streamer, I spent six months at the Department for Education (DfE) working as a user researcher on our internal digital platform for reporting IT issues. The research, commissioned by leadership, aimed to understand how users experience the …