9269posts
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Adopting open-source in local government
Scaling open source in local government isn’t a technology problem, it’s a confidence one. Work with us to start to tackle it.
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10 things we learned running rapid AI experiments
Read about what DBT's AI teams learned as they ran rapid AI experiments to improve ways of working across the department.
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How we are helping kids stay active at school
Physical education (PE) and school sport play a huge role in supporting the healthy development of children and young people – improving their physical and mental health, supporting confidence and resilience, and building social skills. But evidence shows less than half of young people get the 60 minutes of …
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A badger named Miriam, and the 50 years of science that followed
Fifty years ago, one badger named Miriam changed everything. Today, her legacy lives on in the world’s longest continuous wildlife disease study.
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The Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund: Bringing even more buzz to Protected Landscapes
The new Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund (WRHF) is now live. It’s a new pot of money - £30 million - to create wildlife-rich habitats in National Parks and National Landscapes in England. Read this guest post by Chair of the Protected Landscapes Partnership Mary-Ann Ochota to find out more.
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Understanding the Skills England Expert Network, by Nikki Christie
Across the skills system, there’s an incredible wealth of employer insight and experience. Through my time at Skills England, I’ve seen first-hand the value of drawing on this expertise and how it supports better decisions and outcomes. From engaging in …
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What happens when you use medicines beyond their expiry date or in-use shelf life?
VMD Voices: Our Experts Explain Welcome to the third blog in our 'VMD Voices: Our Experts Explain' series. In this series, you'll hear from specialists across the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), from scientists and vets to enforcement and intelligence officers. …
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Learning at Work Week: Embracing Many Ways of Learning with the Government Science and Engineering Profession
Want to build a new skill without changing jobs? Learning at Work Week (18th – 22nd May) is here, and this year’s theme is ‘many ways of learning’. At the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) Profession, we’re celebrating the variety of routes available …
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Family courts: what we’ve delivered and what comes next for court users
Adam Lennon reflects on progress in family justice — from faster probate grants to the majority of divorce applications being made online, and looks forwards to Child Focused Courts, helping families to resolve disputes more quickly.
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Coverage of UKREiiF 2026
Following UKREiiF last week, there has been widespread coverage leading on a Homes England funding announcement in Leeds, alongside trade coverage on planning reform and the NPPF. There is positive regional and trade coverage of the government-backed Leeds South Village regeneration scheme. BBC …
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Apply now for a water screening study
Farmers in England can apply for a Local Resource Option (LRO) screening study. These studies help groups of farmers explore practical ways to secure reliable water supplies and improve long-term resilience. In this post, we explain how the studies work, what they can help farmers achieve, and how to apply.
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Rooting communities in nature: how one woodland brought people together
Duncan and Emma Davids are Forestry Commission Woodland Ambassadors who have transformed a woodland into a thriving space where people and nature come together. Duncan shares the story of how a decade-long dream led to the creation of two woodland enterprises rooted in sustainability and community.
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Foster Care Fortnight: the tiny quiet wins
Foster carer Hanan Al-Najjar reflects on eight years of fostering, the paperwork, the challenges, and the small but meaningful victories that make it all worthwhile.
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Creating hope: improving dementia care and research
As Dementia Action Week draws to a close, Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, reflects on progress to date and the advances yet to come.
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Be part of Services Week 2026
Services Week 2026 will run from 29 June to 3 July. See what sessions you can join and how to host your own.
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From Retail Manager to Analytics Engineer Apprentice
If you had told me a few years ago that I would end up working in data, I probably would not have believed you. I spent twelve years in outdoor retail, starting on the shop floor and finishing as a general manager. …
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Waste site watchlist: Improving transparency with communities
Waste crime is a serious crime - blighting local communities, harming the environment and undermining legitimate businesses. For the first time, we have published a national watchlist of waste sites in England, as part of the Environment Agency’s enhanced response to tackle the …
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From typewriters to transformation: Graham Candy celebrates 32 years at the MCA
A look back at three decades working for the MCA and forty years in the civil service.
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Renewed inspection framework for holiday providers: what you need to know
In this blog, we explain how we inspect holiday provision. When designing our renewed inspection framework and the early years toolkit, we wanted to ensure that they worked for all setting types, including holiday provision, and would recognise each setting’s …
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Seven years of progress for Sellafield’s major project delivery partnership
Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners has delivered major progress over seven years, improving safety, delivering key facilities and creating lasting value.
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What might public design look like in 2030?
Public design leaders David Singer, Lucy Kimbell and Jeff Allen report on how designers envision the future.
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What is tick-borne encephalitis virus and is it found in the UK?
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a viral infection that spreads through tick bites. Although it is common in many parts of the world, including several European countries, in the last few years, ticks carrying TBEV have been found in England.
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Protecting property rights: how HM Land Registry works with customers and regulators to improve conveyancing
By working together, we can safeguard the nation’s property rights and ensure that property transactions – and access to property information – remain safe, reliable and efficient for everyone.
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Why I became an infrastructure inspector – and why you might too
Patricia Cuervo Uría spent years working on flood risk and drainage planning policy and major infrastructure projects both in local government and consultancy before joining the Planning Inspectorate. Here, she reflects on what she found when she arrived – and what she'd say to anyone considering making the same move.
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How one trust saved over £78,000 a year on energy costs
For All Saints’ Trust, a multi-academy trust with seven schools across London, it meant new computers for one of their schools when Windows 11 arrived. Without switching to DfE Energy for Schools, they simply couldn't have afforded them. Your trust …
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Geological mapping of Berwick’s water
We have commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake a new survey of the Fell Sandstone Formation and surrounding strata to help us undertake our regulatory role in protecting groundwater underlying Berwick and the surrounding area.
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Companies House business plan: our commitment to improving customer experience
Andy King, Chief Executive and Registrar of Companies for England and Wales discusses our business plan 2026 to 2027, focusing on what we're doing to improve our customer experience.
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From conversations to insights: building Managing Local Conversations
The Digital Connect team (formerly Common Tools) in MHCLG builds standardised, reliable and reusable tools and platforms for everyone within the department. They help teams be more efficient and reduce operational costs. Learn how they’ve built Managing Local Conversations, a user-centred internal service that standardises engagement processes and makes insights easier to access.
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Climate change and Windermere: what the science tells us
This research is another important contribution to our understanding of Windermere, giving us and our partners greater insight to inform decisions about managing nutrient pollution as the climate changes. The modelling approach can also be applied to other lakes facing similar pressures, helping identify which interventions will work best and where.
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MCA hosts international delegates in Glasgow for Paris MoU annual meeting
International members of the Paris MoU arrived in Glasgow where the MCA hosted a five-day annual committee meeting.
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Adult Safeguarding: A guest blog by Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care
This blog reflects comments made by the Minister of State for Care at the National Conference for Safeguarding Adults Boards on 19 May 2026
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Sign up for UK NSC/NHS England seminar on an evaluation of the impacts of newborn screening for SCID
The next UK NSC seminar will look at research into how newborn screening for SCID impacts on both parents and clinical services.
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Investing in England's peatlands: introducing the Peatland Restoration Sector Capacity Grant
Peatlands have a vital role to play in helping us meet our net zero targets, but to restore them at the scale we need, we first need to grow the sector that does that work. That's what today's announcement is designed to do.
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Looking ahead: the next chapter for civil courts
Rosemary Rand and Emma Petty, Service Owners for Civil at HMCTS, reflect on a year of progress in the civil courts — from faster digital services to preparations for landmark housing legislation — and look ahead to what the next 12 months will bring.
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The Rural Payments Agency Podcast: Episode 15
Welcome to the fifteenth episode of The RPA Podcast. In our latest episode, we re-visit the topic of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Last May we discussed the research being done to help farmers tackle pests, weeds and diseases more sustainably and the funding available to help farmers get involved. In this episode we find …
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Developing evidence standards for digital technologies in adult social care
Digital care technologies have enormous potential to support people’s independence, improve quality and safety, and help our workforce deliver care more efficiently
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Considering a career in the Civil Service: Student Work Experience at DWP Digital
A-level student Isaac recently completed a week-long work experience at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Digital hub in Newcastle. Read about what he learned.
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Why agile literacy matters across the Civil Service
Agile literacy is about enabling better conversations, not turning everyone into delivery experts. Using the DBT as a case study, this post shows how shared understanding of agile ways of working improves collaboration across roles.
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Review confirms effectiveness of infectious diseases in pregnancy screening in the UK
A UK-wide effectiveness review shows that the NHS Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy Screening Programmes have been highly effective in reducing the transmission of serious infections from mother to baby.
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What is Ebola and how does it spread?
Ebola disease is caused by a group of viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses. It affects both humans and animals and spreads through close contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials. The disease was first identified in 1976 during outbreaks in …