GOV.UK blogs

The role of libraries in building a sustainable economy

This year, Libraries Week is celebrating the vital role libraries play in building a sustainable economy. The Business & IP Centre’s National Network, based in libraries across the UK, drives and sustains economic growth by offering free impartial business support …

Connecting courts globally: improving how we manage international engagement

Find out how we are working with others to maximise the impact we can deliver through our engagement with international justice leaders both at home and abroad.

Join the celebrations for Libraries Week

Libraries Week: Libraries Change Lives 2025, running this week until Sunday 8 June, celebrating the vital role libraries play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. This year's theme, Libraries Week: Libraries Change Lives By Sustaining Economic Growth highlights how library services …

Making services work together — starting with health, disability and work

Learn more about how we’re improving government services to work together, especially for people with a long-term health condition or disability.

The importance of accessible design

Why we build accessible services When budget holders hear that all our software needs to be accessible, we often get a few common responses: The usual replies are “it’s the law” and “it depends...”, which, while true, don’t always help …

DHSC Health Checks / Complete your NHS Health Check Alpha Assessment

Read the alpha assessment report for the Health checks/Complete your NHS health check from DHSC.

Changing perceptions of Veterinary Public Health

Written by the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales Natalie Sampson MRCVS Changing societal perceptions is hard, yet that is exactly what we set out to do four years ago when we faced an Official Veterinarian (OV) recruitment crisis that …

Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund opens for applications

Author: Sarah Staniland, Head of Communities and Funding, GOTT Today, the Government Office for Technology Transfer announced the opening of the autumn call of the new Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund. The fund is designed to support government research organisations in …

Alternative Student Finance – how we’re making student finance accessible to everyone

Some people feel unable to use existing student loans due to their faith. This is most common among some Muslims because their religion prohibits engagement with interest, which is applied to all student loans. We support the goals of every …

Inaccurate reporting of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Over the weekend it was reported that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will remove our existing environmental protections and put irreplaceable ancient woods and trees at risk. This is not true. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will maintain the existing …

From the Frontline to Probation: How My Army Training Shaped My Career in the Probation Service 

We spoke to Jon, a probation officer, operations lead for veterans in Hull and East Riding, and longstanding reservist military policeman. Jon started working in the Probation Service 23 years ago as a probation services officer and recently completed the …

Planning to be an expert witness? Here’s what to do. 

Rebecca Phillips, the Planning Inspectorate’s Interim Chief Planning Inspector gives us information on how to be the most effective expert witness for everyone’s benefit.

£2 million funding available for satellite-enabled business solutions

Building on the success of its pilot phase, the UK Space Agency has launched Call 2 of the Unlocking Space for Business programme, with a total of £2 million available to support pilot projects that commercialise space solutions in the Financial Services or Transport & Logistics sectors.

RPC publishes updated guidance on monitoring and evaluation

As the RPC publishes new case histories guidance on monitoring and evaluation, Caroline Elliott, RPC member and chair of the RPC Methodology Sub-group, explains the importance of incorporating M&E plans as regulation is developed.

Volunteers’ Week – A Message of Thanks

As Volunteers' Week kicks off, Mark Simms OBE, shares a message of thanks to all the people who give their time, energy and care to supporting others.

Now open: Farming Innovation Investor Partnership competition

I’m pleased to say the Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships competition is now open. This post includes a link to watch a recent webinar.

GenAI and software development: a new paradigm

Tim Howard, Deputy Director for Major Projects, Cross-Cutting Technical Services, reflects on his experience of integrating generative AI into software development workflows.

Latest statement in response to small boat crossings

A Home Office spokesperson said:“We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. “The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they …

Open call for evidence - Review of CQC Regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices

The pandemic was a critical period in our history that highlighted more than ever the need for human contact. As we faced unprecedented times and restrictions to our liberty to mix socially and see our family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, …

Supporting higher education providers through beneficial collaborations

Find out how we’re working with higher education providers to identify areas where they can collaborate and stay within the law.

Modernising Services at UKEF: A Business Analyst's Perspective

The ability to export with confidence, knowing you’ll get paid for an export contract or potentially recover costs is a key consideration for any business, including small and medium sized businesses (SMEs). Cover for export insurance from market lenders isn’t …

You care, you matter: understanding self-care for social care nurses

Looking after others often takes its toll on unpaid carers and professional care givers. Taking care of ourselves can sometimes feel like the thing we never get around to doing.

Attending to our own mental health and wellbeing is important. If we are depleted and exhausted, we cannot give our best... at home or at work.

Navigating the administration transition

Transitioning to a new administration provider is a complex and risky process. We explore some key areas where input from scheme managers or trustees can support a successful delivery.

Digital identity and the GOV.UK Wallet: increasing choice, accelerating adoption

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of hosting digital identity specialists from the tech sector to tell them more about our ambition for the GOV.UK Wallet.   They represented the UK’s Digital Verification Services (DVS) sector, that provide the digital …

Connecting the DBT Intranet

The DBT intranet is an important tool that serves thousands of staff. However, making the connections between all its valuable content isn’t as easy as it could be

How to cope with exam stress

Right now, thousands of children and young people are sitting exams across the country. To help all involved navigate this difficult period Childline is sharing some useful exam stress management tips which are also available on the Childline website.

What is Candidozyma auris? Fungal pathogen and emerging global health threat

C. auris is a recently discovered fungus. It rarely causes infections in healthy individuals though can pose a risk to people in hospital, particularly those who have been in hospital for a long time, who are critically unwell and/or who have weakened immune systems.

The power of DNA: using innovation for nature’s recovery

By Andrew Nisbet, Natural England's Deputy Director for Monitoring Natural England is at the forefront of introducing innovative technologies into biodiversity monitoring. Environmental DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the DNA that can be obtained from an environmental sample such as water, …

From the inside out: how DDaT is powering UKEF’s 2025 vision

A message from Dan Bowden, Director of Digital, Data and Technology  As we continue to deliver on our mission to support UK exporters and drive sustainable growth, the role of digital, data and technology has never been more critical. Behind …

Celebrating a wave of innovation: Scalable experiments from the One Big Thing initiative

The One Big Thing initiative, with its focus on innovation and efficiency, has catalysed a wave of transformative experiments across UK government.

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund now open 

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2025 (FETF) is now open for applications. 

Levelling up: the IP journey of Nintendo

After yet another Nintendo-fuelled conversation on the school run this morning, it got me thinking about the intellectual property (IP) owned by this multi-national gaming company.

How should Government choose between different life-saving policy options?

Stephen Gibson and Caroline Elliott of the RPC set out some of the issues that governments face in making policy decisions when peoples' lives are involved.

SME builders backed to get Britain building

Today we announced new measures to streamline complex planning rules, ease onerous regulatory burdens, and provide financial firepower to smaller housebuilders. These new reforms across land, regulation and finance will support them to play a vital role in delivering 1.5 …

Find out more about Marine Licensing

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Marine Licensing team answer some of the frequently asked questions they receive about the marine licensing process. What is a marine licence? A marine licence is a consent granted under the Marine and Coastal Access …

Higher Level Stewardship: increased payment rates now available

To bring HLS payment rates closer to those offered under CSHT and SFI, we’re investing £30 million to increase payments for most HLS options. The rates are now on GOV.UK.

Putting innovation at the heart of unlocking small sites

The Deputy Prime Minister has unveiled a package of measures to empower SME housebuilders to build out smaller sites faster. The Digital Planning programme’s £1.2 million PropTech Innovation Challenge is one of the initiatives included – designed to accelerate housing delivery across England by inviting tech innovators to partner with local authorities and developers to create cutting-edge solutions for small site development.

UK NSC is reviewing the latest evidence for additional screening based on breast density  

The UK NSC this summer plans to share its review of the latest evidence on whether women with dense breasts should be offered additional breast screening imaging tests.

NHS Pay: everything you need to know about the 2025 pay award 

The Health and Social Care Secretary has accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies to confirm pay awards for 2025-26 for doctors, nurses, dentists, and other NHS staff.   This confirms what these groups will be paid for …

Is it possible to build responsible AI tools in human resources?

This blog builds on the recent Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) publication for Succession Select - an innovative AI recruitment tool developed by the Government Digital Service for HR professionals to select Senior Civil Servants. This blog delves into the need for the tool with an emphasis on trust and ethical development.