10071posts
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More time and clearer warnings before council tax action 🏠⏰
New government rules will give people more time to get help with council tax debt – in a shake up that will support people before they face enforcement action. Here is everything you need to know about what is changing …
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A royal visit to APHA: Science, conservation and the future of red squirrels
Reflecting on Red Squirrel Awareness Week, discover how APHA science, innovation and conservation are helping protect Britain's beloved red squirrels, highlighted by a royal visit.
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Engineering quality into digital servicesÂ
The cross-government testing community’s Quality Engineering Principles have been developed to help teams build quality throughout the lifecycle of a digital service.
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Avoidable requisitions continue to fall as we work together
Avoidable requisitions have fallen by more than 47% since 2022. In the first of two blogs, we look at what the latest data tells us, how HM Land Registry and its customers are working together and why the progress is not simply the result of fewer applications.
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New funding backs innovative satellite projects to grow the UK’s climate services sector
The UK Space Agency is backing seven new projects that will use satellite data to help organisations better respond to climate risks, supporting the continued growth of the UK’s climate services sector.
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Beating the beetle: Ips typographus eradicated from 2022 outbreak sites
Andrea Deol, Head of Plant Health Forestry at the Forestry Commission, shares the successful eradication of Ips typographus from 13 outbreak sites and how to help prevent future establishment.
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OPSS Research Fellowship Scheme
What happens when academic researchers bring fresh thinking to real-world product safety challenges? The OPSS Research Fellowship Scheme 2025-26 brought specialist academic expertise into OPSS to strengthen evidence, test new thinking and help us respond to complex product safety challenges. …
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The future of Adult Social Care: Â the National Care Service, Free Personal Care and the Workforce Action Plan
Last week marked an important moment for the future of adult social care. The Prime Minister has committed to establishing a National Care Service in the next Parliament founded on the same principles as the NHS, where everyone contributes and …
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What is group A strep, and how do you catch it?
Group A streptococci (GAS), also referred to as strep A, are common bacteria. Some of us carry strep in our throats and on our skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause infections, some mild and some more serious.
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Tackling dangerous homes: private renters closer to faster repairs through Awaab's Law
If your landlord ignores dangerous problems like severe damp and mould, they won't get away with it. The government is consulting on how to bring forward tougher rules to get dangerous problems fixed faster, by setting legal deadlines for landlords …
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Making national infrastructure planning services easier to use
Oliver Blower, Operations Lead at the Planning Inspectorate, shares how we're improving our national infrastructure planning services, from application submission and project mapping to public participation.
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OCEAN uplift: helping community-led ocean conservation grow and lastÂ
I’m Hannah Boyne. It has been my great pleasure to lead the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme, part of the Blue Planet Fund, for the last three years. To date we have funded 34 programmes across 21 …
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Modernising our courtrooms: introducing the DAVE programme
Courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and non-devolved tribunals in Scotland, are changing. The way we present evidence and run hearings today looks very different to how it did a few years ago. Evidence is often shared as video, …
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Training and wellbeing top the agenda for MCA delegates
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Chief Medical Adviser Dr Sue Stannard and Chief Examiner Ajit Jacob will be taking part in panel discussions in the Philippines.
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NHSE Share blood pressure readings with your GPÂ Alpha assessment
Read about the alpha assessment of share blood pressure readings with your GP from NHS England.
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How we are supercharging Test, Learn and Grow through movement building
True system change doesn't rely on a single central team or a fixed project timeline. Alongside our accelerators, we are supercharging a national movement of champions, practitioners, and supporters across the whole system who adopt agile and innovative ways of working as second nature. This blog takes you through the three main pillars of our …
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MCA develops new guidance to support safe growth of floating offshore windÂ
Colleagues from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) visited the second largest wind farm in the UK to inform a new Marine Guidance Note (MGN).
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Skills and careers opportunities for young people in retail and hospitality, by Dame Fiona Kendrick
Retail and hospitality have traditionally provided first jobs to huge numbers of young people on the shop floor, behind a bar, working in a kitchen, or waitering. These are sectors dear to my heart because of my background with Nestlé. And like so …
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Join our webinar: how ADOPT funding can support your farm business
Join our webinar on 22 October, 11am to 12:30pm, to understand how the ADOPT Support Hub and funding can help you access new technology on your farm.
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Understanding drought: applying science to protect people and natureÂ
By Dr Rob Bradburne, Environment Agency Chief Scientist How does climate change affect drought? This summer has been a reminder that climate change is no longer something we talk about in terms of future generations. For many people, this summer …
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Are we seeing an early flu season? What we know so far about this year's strains
Early signs suggest that flu season may be starting earlier this year. According to our winter virus surveillance data, flu activity throughout September has been higher than in the same period over the past 4 winters. While levels remain at baseline, meaning still relatively low overall, the upward trend if it continues in the coming …
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NHSBSA Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Alpha Assessment
Read about the alpha assessment of NHS Workforce solution transformation programme from NHSBSA.
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Should we be worried about the current COVID-19 variants?
Rates of COVID-19 continue to fluctuate throughout the year, and people have asked how the most common current lineages - or groups of genetically similar viruses - compare to previous COVID-19 variants.
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NHSBSA Baby Loss Certificate (BLC) Live Service
Read about the live service assessment of Baby loss certificate from NHSBSA.
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Species Survival Fund – delivering remarkable progress for nature across England Â
When I last wrote about the Species Survival Fund in 2024, we had just announced the 20 projects that would receive a share of £25million to help halt and reverse the decline in species abundance by preserving vital habitats. Two …
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Boundaries: facts, myths and how to avoid a costly dispute
This guide explains common boundary myths, what HM Land Registry records can and cannot tell you, and where to get help if you are involved in a boundary dispute.
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Legacy system: your questions answered
Up to 100 Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are currently preparing for submission under the legacy system (2012 regulations) by the final deadline of 31 December. Our Professional Lead for Plans Examination, Simon Berkeley, addresses popular legacy system topics.
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Plan, Prepare, Progress: reflections from our new system local plan webinarÂ
The transition to the new local plan system is the most significant change to plan-making in a generation. Following our Plan, Prepare, Progress webinar in July and the subsequent publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Simon Berkeley, Professional Lead for Plans Examination, has taken a closer look at the questions raised by …
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Local plans: we want your feedback on the new plans service
A new gov.uk digital service for Local Planning Authorities (LPA) called Submit Development Plans is under construction now and will be available for the first new system local plans as they reach Gateway 2, in early 2027. Ben Duckworth, Digital Lead for this service, outlines what to expect from our first digital service for plans …
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A quick look at...programme officers
Every local plan needs a programme officer (PO) to keep things moving along smoothly. With so many legacy local plans progressing towards examination, if you are aiming for a legacy submission and haven’t yet lined up your PO then now's a good time.
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How smarter banking earned Trinity Multi- Academy Trust ÂŁ258,000 to put back into their schoolÂ
David Sheard, Group Chief Financial Officer at Trinity Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), shares how the Department for Education (DfE) approved Insignis savings platform generated over a quarter of a million pounds in just over a year – money that is now …
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What is Grow?
The Test, Learn and Grow programme is working to design and improve public services so that everyone, whether you use, deliver, or design them, can see and feel the difference. We believe that a more iterative, person-centred and place-based approach …
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Kinship care: turning ambition into lived experience
To mark the 10th anniversary of Kinship Care Week, National Kinship Care Ambassador, Dr Jahnine Davis, sets out why recognising kinship care is so important.
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Regulatory Policy Committee: Corporate Report 2025-26
The RPC has today published its corporate report for 2025-26, showcasing a year of strong performance, growing influence and continued commitment to improving the quality of evidence underpinning government regulation.
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RPC publishes new regulatory scorecard case histories guidance
New guidance to help policy teams across Whitehall develop stronger regulatory scorecards within options assessments and impact assessments.
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A faster start to local plan-making: introducing the 'Submit a site for a local plan' tool
Local planning authorities (LPAs) can spend months handling inconsistent site submissions for their local plan. We have built a free tool to standardise how site information is submitted, helping authorities save time making their assessments, and contributing to faster plan-making. We're now looking for LPAs to help us test it.
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Regulating a nuclear reactor through decommissioning
In 2022, after 46 years of generation, Hinkley Point B (HPB) switched off its last operational reactor and began defueling. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) declared the site free of nuclear fuel in January 2026. Alister, our Hinkley Point …
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Helping young people turn experience into opportunity: introducing the Employability Skills Framework, by Gemma Marsh
Every young person develops valuable skills throughout their lives. Whether it is balancing study with caring responsibilities, captaining a sports team, volunteering in their community, organising events, or completing coursework projects, young people gain capabilities that employers consistently tell us …
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Representation Matters: We Belong In Every Story. See Us. Hear Us. Read Us.
The National Year of Reading 2026 is the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people discover and rediscover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives. Public libraries have been at the heart …
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Proud of What We Have Built TogetherÂ
This month in our Blog - our Deputy Director Dr Victoria Hanna reflects on the progress Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) has made. When I think about what Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) is doing, I feel an enormous sense …