9419posts
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Small but mighty: the backbone of our sector
Small charities are the lifeblood of civil society: deeply embedded in their communities, trusted by those they serve, and often the first to respond when needs arise.
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Tackling planning delays: PropTech Innovation Fund Round 6 pilots now underway
11 consortiums of technology companies, local planning and combined authorities have been selected for Round 6 of the Digital Planning Programme’s PropTech Innovation Fund, to pilot digital solutions targeting blockers to housing delivery.
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Tackling flood risk inequality
Flooding affects many communities across England. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, new Environment Agency research shows that ensuring our approach to flood risk management is both effective and equitable has become more important than ever.
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The Next Frontier: unlocking in-orbit manufacturing of medicines
The UK is taking steps to support the development and manufacture of innovative medicines in microgravity. Through collaborative work between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the UK Space Agency, the UK has published the first dedicated …
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How have approaches to managing Koi herpes virus (KHV) in fisheries changed?
Protecting fish health and supporting sustainable fisheries is a key priority for the Environment Agency. We work closely with partners and fishery managers to reduce the risk and impact of fish health incidents, including Koi herpesvirus (KHV), which affects carp and presents a risk to recreational fisheries from potential significant fish mortalities.
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An IP journey: Moti Me and children’s physiotherapy
We spoke to industrial designer and founder Katie Michaels about how intellectual property has supported the development of Moti Me, a children’s physiotherapy device, helping her protect the product’s innovation, design and brand as the business grows and reaches more families.
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Over £1 million saved - how Shaw Education Trust turned supply staffing into a strategic asset
This is the final post in a three-part series. In our first post, we outlined the supply staffing challenges Shaw Education Trust (SET) faced. In our second post, we explained how they built their compliant master vendor model. Here, we …
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The Farming Roadmap
Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England's Future sets out a clear vision for the future of farming in England. It brings together the government's long-term plans, priorities and commitments for the farming sector in a single place, providing greater clarity and direction for farmers and the wider industry.
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Our response to the Farming Profitability Review
Alongside the Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England’s future, we’ve published our response to the Farming Profitability Review (FPR), an independent review led by farmer and former NFU President, Baroness Minette Batters.
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New £53 million investment for farming innovation
The Farming Innovation Programme (FIP),will receive an additional £53 million investment this year. This means that those trialling new technologies and innovative approaches to cut costs, improve productivity and strengthen business resilience on farms will be able to benefit from a total investment of £123 million across the 2026/27 financial year.
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The ILAP and the Aligned Pathway – What’s the difference?
The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) and the MHRA-NICE Aligned Pathway both support earlier patient access to safe and effective medicines but they serve different purposes and are accessed at different points in development. The ILAP provides early, coordinated …
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Reducing requisitions: building a culture of excellence at Attwells
How Attwells solicitors reduced avoidable requisitions through leadership, culture change and smart use of HM Land Registry resources.
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Click, buy, harm: The growing threat of invasive species online
APHA’s Emma Brand explains how APHA is protecting the United Kingdom by uncovering illegal online invasive species sales to defend our wildlife before damage takes hold.
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Renters’ Rights Act: how content design and policy collaborated to deliver the guidance
The Renters’ Right Act changed the law for 11 million tenants who live in private properties in England and the 2.3 million landlords who rent them out. Find out how content design and policy teams worked together to help them prepare for the changes, and what the teams learnt on the journey.
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How Shaw Education Trust built a compliant, trust-wide supply model - and how yours could too
This is the second post in a three-part series. In our first post, we described the supply staffing challenges Shaw Education Trust (SET) faced and why acting early was essential. Here, we explain how they built their solution. Once SET …
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My first 100 days as Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency
Ian Young CBE, Chief Scientific Advisor at the Food Standards Agency, reflects on his first 100 days in the role. He shares what he’s learned about how we use science and evidence to keep food safe and protect consumers.
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Introducing Ask DBT: Our new AI tool for making sense of the intranet
How we built a tool that gives colleagues from across DBT a way to ask questions in plain English and get clear, trusted answers drawn entirely from intranet content.
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Tribunals in 2026: progress, partnerships and plans for the future
Tracy Parker-Priest reflects on a year of significant change across tribunals, from increased digital uptake to implementing new policy change. She shares what's been achieved, what's ahead, and how tribunals are continuing to serve the people who need them most.
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Grey squirrels: managing an invasive species to support woodlands and our native red squirrels
Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Biosecurity, Borders and Animals) discusses the significant impact invasive grey squirrels have on our woodlands and native red squirrel populations, and the landscape-scale effort needed to manage them.
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Making every customer call count through more joined-up data
Kieran Lewis reflects on a recent project to integrate multiple data sources into a single Customer Relationship Management interface, improving call centre efficiency and customer experience by saving time per call and allowing agents quicker access to relevant information, and with ongoing and further improvements still to come.
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Achieving our objectives; Supporting our stakeholders: OFAC-OFSI Enhanced Partnership Exchange 2026
Sanctions are among the most powerful tools available to the U.S. and UK governments in advancing our respective foreign policy and national security interests. In January 2026, as part of the continuing Enhanced Partnership, the HM Treasury’s Office of Financial …
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A survey for the pig sector
The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) has launched a survey of the UK pig sector to better understand current challenges, awareness of the Fair Dealing Obligations and experiences across the supply chain.
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Amardeep’s story of resilience and ambition
Amardeep Panesar shares her journey from growing up in East London to becoming a senior school leader, highlighting the challenges she faced and how she pushed through them.
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Kieran’s story: From reluctant student to inspirational teacher
Kieran Anderson shares his story of how he got into teaching
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How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather
During the summer, many of us enjoy the longer days, warmer evenings, and time outdoors. But warmer weather also brings real risks to health, especially when temperatures climb higher than usual.
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What the UK NSC looks for when considering new screening tests
As part of its open call process, the UK NSC can accept proposals for new screening tests that are supported by evidence published in peer-reviewed literature.
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How Shaw Education Trust took control of supply staffing - and what your trust could learn from it
For Shaw Education Trust (SET), a multi-academy trust of 31 schools across England, supply staffing had become one of the largest and least controlled areas of expenditure, with annual costs rising to over £5 million*. SET took a step back …
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Turning plastic waste on our beaches into vital scientific data
Have you ever walked along a beach and noticed pieces of plastic waste washed up along the shore? Don’t walk past it. There might be valuable scientific data attached (as well as removing litter from the beach being the right …
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Designing services for people who’ve lost trust online
Rachel Malic, content designer at HMRC shares how to design to rebuild trust in using public services for people who have been affected by scams.
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Bringing researchers together: launching the first OPSS Areas of Research Interest
On 4th June, The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) held an online event to raise awareness of our recently published Areas of Research Interest (ARIs), and strengthen our OPSS connections with the research community. Around 60 external researchers …
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🏠 Making rented homes safer with new £7k fines - explainer
✅ Good news if you rent privately, as your local council can now take stronger action against your landlord if your home is found to have a serious hazard. A new power in the Renters’ Rights Act is now in …
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How GovPrint is supporting our efficiency and digital sustainability ambitions
GovPrint is a cross-government cloud-based service that lets civil servants securely print documents from any enabled location. In this post, our Live Services team explains how it rolled out GovPrint across MHCLG offices, and how this shared solution supports our efficiency and sustainability ambitions.
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FETF 2026 grant funding agreements now being issued
The first grant funding agreements for FETF 2026 are now being issued, bringing successful applicants one step closer to investing in new equipment and technology. Applicants should read their agreement carefully, accept their offer before the deadline and start planning equipment orders with suppliers.
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Food Fact Check: CBD safety and health claims
Food Fact Check: Chris Stockdale, Head of CBD policy and Max Tollitt, Senior Policy Advisor, CBD Policy answers questions about CBD.
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Unlocking the geography of health and deprivation: two enhanced analytical tools launch today
By Sarah Hammonds, Urban Greening Senior Officer This blog discusses the launch of two new tools: the Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation (IMED) and the Environmental Equity Index (EEI). Built collaboratively over 18 months, they map environmental pressures and health …
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Welcome to Invasive Species Week - what is Cefas doing?
Aquatic invasive non‑native species can disrupt the delicate balance of our ecosystems, displacing native wildlife and altering habitats. From spreading diseases to creating new competition, their impacts can be far-reaching. In our increasingly connected world, these species are spreading more easily than ever, and climate …
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Hot weather and heatwaves: guidance for schools and other education settings
There are several ways that schools can make changes to keep children safe in hot weather, especially as children are more at risk of becoming ill with heat-related issues than adults. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published updated guidance …
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Keeping our seafarers safe on World Hydrography Day
With more than 90% of the UK’s imports and exports moving by sea, on World Hydrography Day let’s take a closer look at the high-resolution seabed mapping work overseen by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
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Enhancing digital trust through trust services – an update
In December 2024, we blogged about OfDIA’s work to explore how the wider take up of UK qualified trust services across the economy might complement the evolving UK digital identity ecosystem. In August 2025, we launched a call for views on trust services. We have now published the findings from …
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Explainer: How we’re making buying and selling a home simpler, faster and more certain
The way you buy and sell a home is changing to make it faster, simpler, and more certain. 🔑 What does that mean? 🏠 What this means for you 📊 Why the current system needs fixing 📅 What happens now? ❓ Common questions Phil Spencer, Move iQ founder - top tips …