9498posts
-
Opportunities to join the UK National Screening Committee
The UK NSC is looking to appoint 4 new members to support its work advising ministers and the NHS in the 4 UK countries about all aspects of screening.
-
Innovation in action: how funding is supporting farmers
Listen to the latest Defra Farming Podcast to hear how innovation funding is helping farmers turn new ideas into practical solutions. Two guests share how research, collaboration and on-farm trials are helping them improve productivity, reduce costs and build more resilient businesses.
-
New driving test booking service: progress report and getting ready for a trial
Read the latest updates on the new driving test booking system and find out more about our trial to put it to the test.
-
Assessing the Health of the River Wye Catchment: An Update
By Emma Johnson, Midlands Deputy Director, Natural England Natural England has completed a detailed condition assessment of the River Lugg SSSI, part of the nationally protected River Wye catchment. This blog sets out the findings of that assessment, explaining the …
-
Introducing the Cloud Challenge Book 2026
We've published the Cloud Challenge Book 2026 - setting out five national-scale challenges and inviting industry to innovate and invest with us.
-
Standing together for inclusive, anti-racist social care leadership
Last Autumn, together with Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, we restated the values that underpin social care - Reaffirming Our Values in Adult Social Care – Social care. Those values persist and remain fundamental. But in the …
-
Fit for purpose: qualification design needs to start with 'why?'
When we think about qualifications it’s tempting to focus on what they contain: the subjects, the assessments, the grades. But before that, do we really understand what the qualification is for? New research from Ofqual examines this question and sets out a detailed framework for what we call 'purpose analysis'.
-
Celebrating the Nature and Archaeology Near You
By Ian Marshman, Senior Officer - Historic Environment National Delivery at Natural England. In this blog, Ian Marshman reflects on An Evening With Natural England’s Archaeologists held on 24th June and looks forward to this summer’s Festival of Archaeology. This year …
-
Yeomadon Farm: a growing success from livestock to trees
Jo Garlick, Regional Promotion and Engagement Manager at the Forestry Commission, shares how Woodland Ambassadors Rob and Catherine Moore successfully diversified their farm business through woodland creation at Yeomadon Farm.
-
Why senior service ownership matters at Defra... and why now
Senior service ownership could help Defra become more service-led, efficient and user-focused. Laura Churchill shares what her team learned while testing the concept, why plans had to change, and how they’re building the right conditions for more joined-up, accountable services.
-
Coverage of tough new rules to crack down on foreign money in UK elections
There has been widespread national coverage of the government’s announcement of new measures to strengthen political finance rules, protect British democracy and prevent foreign money influencing UK elections. The package, announced as part of the government’s response to the Rycroft …
-
From apartheid to aspiration: Jess’s journey of purpose and leadership
Jess Pather talks about how lived experience, strong role models, and a commitment to service shaped her leadership.
-
Watch: how to apply for vet visit funding
Together with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), we've created a series of step-by-step guides to help livestock keepers apply for the Annual Health and Welfare Review, a funded annual vet visit, and the endemic disease follow-up visit.
-
Campylobacter: a silent risk in our farm animals, wildlife and the wider environment
Campylobacter lurks across farms, linking animals, environment, and people; APHA’s science and surveillance reveal risks, guiding hygiene and biosecurity to prevent its silent spread effectively.
-
Updating the UK Standard Skills Classification: a simpler, shared system for describing skills needs, by Frank Bowley
Skills England recently launched an updated first full version of a ground-breaking tool to help everyone speak the same language about skills. Developed in partnership with the Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER), the University of Sheffield, and Omnifolio, the …
-
Family trusts and your home: what you need to know
Thinking of setting up a family trust? Read our guide to understand the potential impact on land registration before making any decisions.
-
Strategic Renewables Unit Update: Supporting Sustainable Offshore Wind Development
The Strategic Renewables Unit (SRU) has been progressing work on a range of cross-cutting offshore wind issues, including underwater noise management, environmental compensation, and decommissioning. The SRU also presented at the East Marine Ecosystems Conference in Lincoln and will be …
-
The Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund – strengthening the case for farming on wetter peat soils
Kim Owen and Steph Britton - Climate change, Environmental Improvement Plan, Farming, Food, Land use, Land Use Framework, Peat, Water Lowland Peat soils are vital to England’s food system, producing roughly 40% of all domestically grown vegetables, yet drainage-based agriculture …
-
UK NSC and NHS England seminar on evaluating the impacts of newborn screening for SCID
The UK NSC's most recent online seminar presented research on the impacts of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
-
SFI26 update: 50% of Window 1 budget now allocated
We can confirm that around 50% of the Window 1 budget for SFI26 has been allocated, based on applications received to date.
-
East Marine Plan Engagement Events Bring Together More Than 160 Participants
Stakeholders from across England joined two online events to hear the latest updates on the East Marine Plan and help shape future engagement activities. As part of ongoing engagement on the development of the East Marine Plan, the Marine Planning …
-
Working with nature across the government estate
Restoring nature across the government estate – and beyond During London Climate Action Week, Defra published the Government Estate Nature Plan (GENP), the first plan of its kind globally, setting out how nature will be restored across government-owned land in England. In this …
-
Shining a spotlight on social security towards the end of working life
For as long as I can remember, and probably a long time before that, ‘our ageing society’ has been a ubiquitous phrase. Despite recent wobbles, life expectancy is far higher than it was a couple of generations ago, and more …
-
Hot weather and your child's school: what you need to know
With higher temperatures, we know parents and carers can have questions about how schools are managing the heat and what it means for their child's day. Schools are generally expected to remain fully open, with sensible adjustments made to reflect local conditions and the unique …
-
Coverage of pubs staying open to show England's next World Cup match
There has been widespread national and regional coverage of the government extending licensing hours until 5am to allow football fans to watch England’s match against Mexico down the pub. The Guardian (p1 & 16, Helena Horton and Peter Walker), The …
-
Measuring the World’s Winds: UK Expertise Supports Europe’s Aeolus‑2 Mission
The UK will play a key role in the Aeolus 2 mission, with Airbus Defence and Space UK given authorisation to proceed with the build of the spacecraft, developed by the European Space Agency in partnership with EUMETSAT.
-
Rooted in place: how the West Midlands Nature Investment Hub is connecting investment with nature
Place matters. Restoring nature, effective planning, decisions about land use, managing catchments – all depend on local factors. To successfully deliver our outcomes and make a real difference to people, Defra must operate effectively locally. This is crucial for everything we do – …
-
Rolling out Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
This post outlines our plans to expand CSHT to more farmers and land managers in England.
-
Helping estate agents get ahead
Kotini develops software for UK estate agents, helping them to streamline the customer onboarding process. Kotini joined the Geovation Accelerator Programme in 2023.
-
Supporting the armed forces community at Companies House
Companies House is committed to supporting veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers and their families. In this blog post, Donna Hill, Director of People and Places, explains what that means in practice.
-
Coastal Planners update
Coastal Planners across England continue to support marine planning, stakeholder engagement, and future skills development. The following highlights some of the work undertaken across regions during the last quarter. South East As part of the development of the new East …
-
Digital Twins role in the future of product safety
Newly published research explores how Digital Twins and related innovative technologies could support safer products, and what needs to happen to support their adoption. Rapid technological change is making products more connected and complex, supported by artificial intelligence, the Internet …
-
Connecting government and academia: Responsible AI Through Cloud Technology event
The first joint Cloud, FinOps, and AI community event brought together professionals from across government and academia to discuss AI in cloud technology.
-
Government apology for historic forced adoption practices: what it means and where to get support
Today the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, apologised in Parliament on behalf of the UK government for forced adoption practices in England and the decades of harm this caused. If you were affected by forced adoption practices in England particularly between …
-
Teacher pay: everything you need to know about the latest multi- year pay award
Here’s everything you need to know about teacher pay. The School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) is an independent group that makes recommendations on the pay of teachers and leaders in maintained schools in England and reports to the Secretary of …
-
Evolving the Service Standard for the future of public services
We’re evolving the Service Standard from a one-off test into a living standard for modern, end-to-end public services. Here’s how – and how to be involved.
-
Working together to progress and protect the driving instructor profession
How we're working with the driver training industry and updates to the code of practice.
-
Cutting admin, not corners: AI in temporary accommodation
Local AI has been working with councils to explore how AI could reduce repetitive tasks such as drafting personalised housing plans, helping officers spend more time on prevention, casework and supporting local people. The team has developed an AI case workspace proof of concept to test how this could be done in practice.
-
Out of sight, out of mind?
Introduction By Sarah McClinton One longstanding challenge faced by social workers is ensuring the safety and quality of care for people who move into health and care settings out of their local area, where there is a high risk …
-
Capital Grants: get your supporting evidence ready
Capital Grants help farmers, land managers and rural businesses make practical improvements that benefit the environment across England. The offer is set to open in late July 2026. We're encouraging those who wish to apply to gather and submit the required evidence as early as possible.