All posts – GOV.UK blogs

All posts – GOV.UK blogs
GOV.UK blogs
9062
posts
A new business analysis course is now live on the Government Digital and Data Hub
Posted on:
24 April 2026
On blog:
Government Digital and Data
If you have ever wondered what business analysts do in government, the Business Analysis in Government: Getting Started is your chance to learn more.   As part of the governments ambition to build a modern digital government, there’s a growing need to invest in skills, talent and capability. The Government Digital …
From data to decisions: How is epidemiology protecting animal, plant and human health?
Posted on:
24 April 2026
On blog:
APHA Science Blog
Join Dr Clare Benton for a behind the scenes look at how APHA’s epidemiologists transform data into decisive action to safeguard the nation’s animals, plants and public health.
Hacking major projects
Posted on:
24 April 2026
On blog:
NISTA blog
Jess Grindlay, NISTA's Lead Data Scientist, talks about her experiences hacking creative solutions to help manage government projects In NISTA, we often say ‘Projects don’t go wrong, they start wrong’.   As the home of government project data, the NISTA Data & Insight team supports …
How we built the new Defra service manual with AI and community collaboration
Posted on:
23 April 2026
On blog:
Defra digital, data, technology and security
How the AI capability and enablement team used agentic design to build a community-driven resource to help digital practitioners find the standards they need.
A year of progress for public design
Posted on:
23 April 2026
On blog:
Public Policy Design
Design community leader, Andrew Knight, looks back on a busy year and reveals future plans.
Consultations on Defra's final four FMPs close on 5 May
Posted on:
23 April 2026
On blog:
Fisheries Management Plans
Our consultation events are over but there’s still time to have your say on the draft proposals. Help to make the plans work for fisheries now and in the future.
Digital sustainability in government: an in-depth look at the GDSA Summit
Posted on:
23 April 2026
On blog:
UK Government Sustainable ICT
Ned Gartside, Sustainable Design Lead for Defra, reflects on the second Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) summit, which took place in London in February, bringing together nearly 300 digital sustainability experts to celebrate progress and focus minds on the challenges …
The benefits system risks discouraging apprenticeships
Posted on:
23 April 2026
On blog:
Social Security Advisory Committee
The benefits system risks discouraging apprenticeships Different things in life evolve at different rates. That much is inevitable, but it’s still a source of trouble. Just think of all those newspaper stories about people splashing out on flash new EV …
Data standards: Laying the groundwork for an open, faster, data-driven planning system
Posted on:
22 April 2026
On blog:
MHCLG Digital
Regulations have been laid in Parliament requiring local planning authorities to publish plan and timetable data in a standardised format, when creating local, minerals, waste or supplementary plans under the new plan-making system. This marks a major step towards a more open, data-driven planning system.
150 years on: the trade marks that mean the most to us
Posted on:
22 April 2026
On blog:
Intellectual Property Office blog
In January 2026, the IPO marked 150 years of the UK trade mark registry, the system that protects the names, logos and brands we see every day. From the first registered trade mark to more than 2.5 million today, it’s a story shaped by the marks people remember most. To mark the milestone, we asked …
Earth Day: The Power of Earth Observation
Posted on:
22 April 2026
On blog:
UK Space Agency blog
Here are just five of the ways the UK is using Earth Observation to benefit our planet.
Protecting students through smart regulation: introducing the Chief Regulator's Rebuke
Posted on:
22 April 2026
On blog:
The Ofqual blog
We have issued the first Chief Regulator's Rebuke – a new enforcement tool introduced last October as part of a significant update to Ofqual's Supporting Compliance and Taking Regulatory Action policy. The rebuke has been issued to WJEC, following serious failings involving 4 of its Eduqas GCSE, AS and A level qualifications between 2019 and 2025.
Making digital services more sustainable: introducing a 15th service standard point
Posted on:
21 April 2026
On blog:
Defra digital, data, technology and security
Service Assessment Manager Mary McMahon and Sustainable Design Lead Ned Gartside explain how, from this month, Defra service assessments will include a new requirement with sustainability at its core. Digital services are a core part of how we deliver outcomes …
Farming podcast: building resilience through soil and water management
Posted on:
21 April 2026
On blog:
The Farming Blog
In this episode, a Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser speaks to two arable farmers. One farms in Norfolk and the other in Cambridgeshire. They discuss how natural processes, like soil and water management, can help farms reduce costs.
Flexibilities for childminders and childcare on domestic premises providers
Posted on:
20 April 2026
On blog:
Ofsted: early years
On 1 November 2024, the Department for Education made changes to give the early years sector (in particular childminders) more flexibility.  These changes introduced a new type of childminder and give existing childminders and childcare on domestic premises providers more scope in terms …
How we’re preventing AI misinformation at DBT
Posted on:
20 April 2026
On blog:
Digital trade
At the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), we are proactively building a content lifecycle that guards against AI providing the public with incorrect government information.
Biodiversity Net Gain: what's changing and what it means for you
Posted on:
20 April 2026
On blog:
Environment
Over the past two years, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has started to change the way development and nature work together, and we’ve learned a huge amount from local authorities, developers and ecologists along the way. Last week, we published a set of updates that strengthen and streamline how BNG operates across the planning system. Read …
Modernising submissions for Protected Sites requests
Posted on:
20 April 2026
On blog:
Natural England
By Tracey Hill, Senior Officer - Sites , Nature and People Natural England is making it easier than ever to submit requests relating to protected sites. From 20 April 2026, we are introducing Defra Forms, a new online submission portal, …
We’re piloting NDX:Try, a new platform to help local councils test digital services before they buy
Posted on:
17 April 2026
On blog:
Technology in government
We recently launched a pilot for NDX:Try to help local councils try new and innovative digital and AI services for free before deciding whether to buy them. You can access the service here: ndx.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk The platform will provide secure, time-limited …
Meningitis cases in Dorset: what you need to know
Posted on:
17 April 2026
On blog:
UK Health Security Agency
Three young people in Weymouth, Dorset have been confirmed to have meningitis B, known as MenB. All-three individuals have received treatment and are recovering well. These cases are not linked to the recent outbreak in Kent and this outbreak is not showing the same speed of transmission or severity of illness.
Direct consumer enforcement: one year on
Posted on:
17 April 2026
On blog:
Competition and Markets Authority
How we’ve used our new powers to protect consumers in the first year, and what to expect next.
Shaping the future of healthcare
Posted on:
17 April 2026
On blog:
MedRegs
A new era for healthcare Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era, with the potential to reshape the world as we know it. In healthcare, it’s already starting to have an impact. AI can support earlier diagnosis and …
Do no harm – how to keep colleagues safe in research
Posted on:
16 April 2026
On blog:
Justice Digital, Data and Science
If we want to design ethical, inclusive services that truly meet people’s needs, we also need to think about the emotional impact of research on the teams delivering it.  Transforming government digital services requires adaptability. Researchers engage with a wide range …
How trade marks and licensing protect the Olympic and Paralympic brand
Posted on:
16 April 2026
On blog:
Intellectual Property Office blog
From the Olympic rings to official mascots and merchandise, trade marks and licensing play a critical role in protecting the Olympic and Paralympic brand. Drawing on first‑hand experience at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, this blog explores how IP underpins one of the world’s most valuable global brands and what businesses can learn from …
From the Border Mires to Bodmin Moor: restoring England's most vital landscapes
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Environment
Today, I’m pleased to announce we’re extending the scheme for a further year until April 2027 – so existing projects from the North York Moors to the Somerset Levels can continue to deliver valuable work on the ground. Read this post to delve in further.
GDS Local: building the foundations for digital collaboration
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Government Digital Service
GDS Local shares the latest developments on how the initiative is supporting digital transformation in councils.
Extract: unlocking England’s planning data
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
MHCLG Digital
England's planning system holds decades of valuable data locked in scanned PDFs and digital documents. Extract, an AI tool developed by MHCLG in partnership with the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence, converts historic planning maps and documents into standardised, usable data - so local authorities can make their data available and power digital planning services.
Councils backed with millions to tackle rogue landlords - news coverage
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
MHCLG in the Media
Positive coverages features across press this week after MHCLG announced new funding worth over £41 million to support councils across England, as they prepare for their new enforcement duties in the Renters’ Rights Act from 1 May 2026. With the …
Inside the working life of a Maritime and Coastguard Agency investigator
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Inside MCA
Paul Atkins spent 30 years in the police before joining the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's investigation team in 2018.
Delivering a better service for Merchant Navy Medal applicants
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Inside MCA
A collaborative effort between MCA teams to redesign the Merchant Navy Medals digital service for applicants.
Dear sir... The email that launched the first fully electric Thames ferry
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Inside MCA
A reflection of the certification process that led to the launch of Orbit Clipper.
OFSI Strategy 2026-29
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation
This year marks ten years since the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) was established.   Over the last ten years, OFSI has built stronger capability and confidence, enhancing licensing, enforcement and intelligence, deepening international partnerships, and supporting firms to navigate increasingly complex sanctions …
How do you know if a regulation worked?
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Regulatory Policy Committee
Why post implementation reviews need more regression analysis
Living and working in Edinburgh: Life at Queen Elizabeth House
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Digital trade
Read about what it is like to work in Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh, one of DBT's most dynamic digital hubs.
Abbotts Hall: Where Natural England’s New Strategy Comes to Life on the Ground
Posted on:
15 April 2026
On blog:
Natural England
By Anna Oliveri, Senior Landscape Officer, Natural England   Abbotts Hall Farm on the Essex coast is quietly becoming one of England's most compelling examples of landscape-scale nature recovery in action. In this post, Senior Landscape Officer Anna Oliveri shares …
Why wildlife licensing matters
Posted on:
14 April 2026
On blog:
Natural England
At Natural England we help balance economic growth with nature protection. Wildlife licensing is a vital tool to enable this. Our licences are broad ranging and allow development and other activities to proceed, while safeguarding protected species and their habitats. Every …
Equipment and technology funding: deadline reminder
Posted on:
14 April 2026
On blog:
The Farming Blog
FETF 2026 offers funding to support investment in equipment and technology across productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management. The window to apply closes at midday on 28 April 2026.
Launching the Management and Leadership Code for Health and Social Care
Posted on:
14 April 2026
On blog:
Social care
As we launch the Management and Leadership Code for Health and Social Care, Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse – Adult Social Care, discusses what this means for leaders and managers across health and social care.
Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships: helping new solutions reach farms
Posted on:
14 April 2026
On blog:
The Farming Blog
Through the Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships competition, 12 projects are expected to secure more than £40 million in private investment to help bring agri-tech innovations to market. A further competition will open next month.
Publishing a common architectural model for local government
Posted on:
14 April 2026
On blog:
Technology in government
There could be huge benefits to councils in adopting a common technical architecture, and to achieve this the digital centre has published a shared model.