9396posts
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Updating the skills content designers need in government
The content design skills in the Digital and Data Capability Framework were updated at the end of May. This post sets out what's changed and why, and how members of the content community came together to work on it.
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Coverage of measures to back pubs ahead of the World Cup
On Saturday, (6 June), the government announced that football fans will be able to roar on the Three Lions at the World Cup this summer with extended opening hours for pubs – and called on local councils not to block …
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A new avoidable requisitions dataset is now available
Helping firms spot common issues, making it easy to understand where delays are happening and focus on practical improvements.
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Launching GOV.UK's new content and publishing guidance
We’ve overhauled the GOV.UK content and publishing guidance. Find out what’s changed, why this is a major improvement for government publishers, and what we learned from testing.
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Nannies: what you need to know
This blog explains what it means to be an Ofsted registered nanny. We talk about how to register, the requirements you need to follow and how and when you may be inspected. What is a nanny? The Department for Education …
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Explainer: Everything you need to know about the Democratic Engagement Fund
🌟Votes at 16 are coming – and the Government is investing £2.5 million to support people to engage with democracy, including making sure young people are ready. 🤝The new Democratic Engagement Fund will support projects helping to ensure that when …
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Building Carer Friendly Communities and Workplaces
Every day, millions of unpaid carers quietly make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others. Whether supporting a partner, parent, child, sibling, friend or neighbour, carers dedicate their time, energy, patience and compassion to helping those they love live …
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UK NSC consults on screening for cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in young people
The UK NSC is consulting on evidence relating to screening for conditions that can cause sudden cardiac death in young people.
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Mapping the seabed together: inside the first leg of the CSM2026 survey
Joseph Pearce, Lead Geospatial Specialist – Geodesy and PNT, UKHO, shares insights from onboard the first leg of the ‘CSM2026’ survey – a collaborative seabed mapping survey, coordinated by the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping (UK CSM). Taking place off …
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Trees on the farm: the rise of agroforestry in Herefordshire
Alexander Bentley, Agroforestry Woodland Officer for the Forestry Commission in the North West and West Midlands Area, talks about the resurgence of agroforestry in Herefordshire – enabling farmers to diversify and enhance their outputs.
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How do you catch genital herpes and is there a cure?
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is a common cause of genital sores in England.
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Using artificial intelligence to improve justice services
In this blog, Gary O’Reilly explains how HMCTS is taking a careful and responsible approach to adopting artificial intelligence, and how it is being used to support staff and improve justice services.
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York Central visit, Mayoral Council meeting and Scarborough Pride in Place
On Thursday 4 June, Communities Secretary Steve Reed joined the Prime Minister for a visit to York Central, a major development site in the heart of the city that is set to become one of the largest city centre regeneration …
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Move fast, then fix things – what we learned building Register early career teachers
We recently released the Register early career teachers service after over two years of hard work redesigning, remodelling and replacing its predecessor. The old service funded training for over 200,000 early career teachers and mentors. It was built in six …
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Experts at Hand: Everything you need to know
We're making it easier for children to get specialist support in schools, early years and post-16 settings. A new offer called Experts at Hand will bring specialists into schools, early years and post-16 education settings, so children can get help earlier, without families having to fight for support or wait for a diagnosis. …
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Is your school's money working as hard as it should?
Chris McGunnigle, DfE Banking Team Lead, returns with an update to his November 2025 blog. New tools are live, real results are coming in, and the question every school should be asking their bank has never been more important. Please …
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Future-proofing our woodlands and forests against climate change
David White, Woodland and Climate Change Adaptation Advisor at the Forestry Commission, shares key guidance from the UK Forestry Standard to help you improve woodland resilience against climate change.
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Biodiversity Net Gain for NSIPs: gain statements laid and guidance published
We have reached a significant milestone in implementing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Earlier this week the final biodiversity gain statements were formally laid in Parliament and are now available on GOV.UK. These statements are central to applying BNG to the NSIP regime and accompany the two statutory instruments in …
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Data maturity: the foundation for AI ready public sector data
Good AI starts with good data. We partnered with The National Archives to explore how data maturity can prepare legal data for AI use. Here's what we found.
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From intent to impact: an international pattern
Government experts from the UK and Canada describe the conditions that enable design collaboration.
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ADOPT: new funding rounds open
Farmers, growers and foresters across England can now apply for new rounds of funding through the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund. These grants help farmers run trials and demonstrations to test new approaches in real farming conditions and share what they learn.
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Could you find it if it already existed? Making reuse easier across government using AI search
Here is a familiar frustration. You are working on something, and you are almost certain another team has tackled the same problem before. You cannot find what they did, so you start from scratch. Two weeks later, it turns out you were right, It already existed. …
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Celebrating our places: Giving back through corporate contributions
What difference can you make in your community this year? Here in the Places for Growth (PfG) team, we’re setting a challenge to think differently about your corporate contribution, and inviting you to focus closer to home when setting these …
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Food Fact Check: Animal welfare in abattoirs and slaughterhouses
Food Fact Check: The Food Standards Agency Animal Welfare Team answers questions about animal welfare.
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Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships Competition: deadline reminder
There is still time to apply for funding through the Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships competition. If you are developing a near-market innovation that could benefit farmers or the wider agricultural sector, the application window remains open until 17 June.
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Unlocking Ukraine opportunities with a public dashboard
How we are using data and technology to reduce trade barriers with Ukraine and enabling UK businesses to access international opportunities more confidently.
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Our Chair's speech to our annual Parliamentary reception for World Food Safety Day (2 June 2026)
FSA Chair Professor Susan Jebb joined parliamentarians and partners from across the food system at the House of Commons to mark World Food Safety Day and celebrate those working to keep food safe.
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Detecting the invisible: how we uncovered the Brixham cryptosporidium outbreak
Outbreaks of cryptosporidium linked to drinking water are, thankfully, very rare. It's probably a once-in-a-decade event. So, when one began to emerge in Brixham in 2024, it presented us with a genuinely unusual and significant challenge - one that tested …
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SFI26: scheme information now available
Near-final scheme information for this year's Sustainable Farming Incentive offer (SFI26) is now available on GOV.UK.
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Funded poultry biosecurity vet visits now available
Eligible poultry keepers can now get a funded visit from a vet, who will provide practical advice tailored to their farm to help reduce the risk of disease.
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Building for the future: Making change simple on GOV.UK Pay
GOV.UK Pay has a new provider for non-Crown card payments and pay by bank. Find out what this means for public sector teams.
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What is syphilis? A quick guide to its symptoms and treatment
Many people think of syphilis as a disease of the past - something confined to history books rather than a present-day concern. The data tells a very different story. In 2025, more than 8000 cases of infectious syphilis were diagnosed …
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What is West Nile virus and is it found in the UK?
West Nile virus (WNV) is a virus spread primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes. It belongs to the same family of viruses as dengue, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. The virus circulates naturally between birds and mosquitoes, and humans or horses can be infected when bitten by a mosquito that has previously fed on …
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New guidance to help businesses prepare for EU trade agreement
The government is agreeing a new deal with the EU to make it easier to trade and move plants, animals, food and related products between the UK and EU. We’ve now published guidance to help businesses understand what these changes could mean in practice and the steps they may need to take to prepare.
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How the quality of regulatory assessments compares across departments
This blog post explains what the data tells us about the quality of the evidence and analysis supporting regulatory policy proposals across government departments.
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Explainer: New protections for domestic abuse victims in social housing
🏠 What does protecting domestic abuse victims actually mean? Right now, landlords have few options to support victims to remain in their home if they share a tenancy with an abuser, and many victims are forced to either leave or end the tenancy entirely – which can potentially leave you homeless. Last year, around 15,000 …
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Coverage of the Social Housing Bill
There is positive national coverage of the Social Housing Bill as it heads into its Second Reading in the House of Lords today. Much of the coverage leads with stronger protections for domestic abuse survivors as well as reforms on Right to Buy. The …
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Ending the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products from 1 June 2027
The Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act ends the advertising and promotion of vaping and nicotine products, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers. Our intention is that this will come into force across the UK from 1 June 2027. This article explains the rationale for these changes, information on the specific changes, and outlines next steps. Why are we ending the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and …
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What is a trustee and how do you become one?
Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding, and there are many ways to give your time to a good cause. One of the most impactful ways to get involved is by becoming a charity trustee.
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Behind-the-Scenes: Evacuation from St Helena and Ascension
When a serious infectious disease threat emerges anywhere in the world, the UK needs to be able to respond quickly. UKHSA plays a central role in that response, including through the government's medical evacuation arrangements, which allows us to safely repatriate those who may have been exposed to a high-consequence infectious disease. Here, Renu Bindra, …