10128posts
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Building on the PSGA: better data, wider impact
The Public Sector Geospatial Agreement has transformed access to Britain’s national location data. We look at what GDS, Ordnance Survey and public-sector users have achieved together, how organisations are using the data and how the next phase can build on …
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Consultation opens on three joint UK pelagic FMPs
Have your say on proposed joint UK fisheries management plans covering greater silver smelt and horse mackerel. Submit your response by 10 November 2026.
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Wrong pipe, wrong place: the misconnection problem
Elizabeth Maerz, Environment Officer for Cumbria Every day, our officers investigate pollution reports across the country's rivers and lakes. Surprisingly often, the cause is something quite ordinary: a household drainage system connected the wrong way round. Windermere, England's largest lake, …
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Latest statement in response to small boat crossings
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have made progress tackling the small boats. Crossings are down significantly, and we have just recorded the lowest number of summer arrivals since 2020. “We are taking action, with joint efforts preventing over 48,000 …
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There is no such thing as a typical woman in tech
Across Justice Digital, Data and Technology (JDDS), we know that diverse teams build better services. Our Technology Services colleagues play a vital role in delivering and supporting the technology that underpins justice services across the Ministry of Justice. From networks …
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SSSIs: A Golden Thread Through My Career
In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) as a golden thread through her time as Chief Executive of Natural England. Highlighting Dearne Valley Wetlands, West Penwith Moors and Downs, and Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast, Marian shows how SSSIs have evolved from academic curiosities into the backbone of nature recovery, …
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ALIGN: a new national infrastructure spatial tool for evidence-based planning and growth decisions
ALIGN is a new national infrastructure spatial tool bringing together data, models and AI to identify local infrastructure needs and constraints. Supporting both central and local government, it will help assess whether existing infrastructure can support housing and local growth, and where additional investment may be needed.
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Turning existing knowledge into AI-enabled learning
Nathan O'Gara explores how, in Defra, we’re finding new ways to share our expertise, using AI to make learning easier to create, reuse and access.
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What are the principles of prototyping?
An evolving set of prototyping principles to help people use prototypes to learn and improve their products or services. These principles were contributed to by people across government during Services Week 2026.
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The fastest way to improve policy is to build it
Building the BICS eligibility checker taught us that testable delivery can actually help shape policy decisions, not just implement them. Here's what we learned.
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Introducing inspector accreditation
We want everyone to feel confident in Ofsted inspections and the inspectors who carry them out. In April 2025, our Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, committed to introducing inspector accreditation as a way of recognising and verifying inspectors’ expertise. The …
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Marian Spain - from first conversations to Landscape Recovery: a career in the field
In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Landscape Recovery, the ambitious agri-environment scheme uniting farmers, NGOs and investors across whole landscapes for 20-year commitments. Highlighting projects like Upper Duddon, Boothby and Evenlode, Marian shows how nature restoration and farm resilience combine to deliver food security, climate benefits and thriving rural communities.
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Historic Court Buildings: Derby's dungeons and royal visits
In this episode of Inside HMCTS, Melissa visits Derby Justice Centre, joined by senior legal advisor Glyn to explore the history of the Shire Hall, built in 1665, from its origins as a mediaeval court and public entertainment space to its links with the Pentrich Martyrs and a hidden underground dungeon.
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We’re hiring in Manchester: build your career with us in software development or delivery management
Are you a junior professional looking for a career opportunity where you’ll be supported to learn, develop and progress fast? Join our digital teams as Junior Developer and Associate Delivery Manager in Manchester.
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Stronger together in rabies diagnostics
Meet the team behind APHA’s rabies diagnostics this World Rabies Day 2026, and discover the challenges, successes and expertise driving the protection of animal and human health.
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Dragons' Den IP Blog - Series 23 Episode 14
As someone who loves discovering unusual places to stay around the UK, this week’s episode was right up my street. Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and Gary Neville were in the Den, ready to decide which entrepreneurs would receive a warm welcome and who would be checking out without an investment.
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GDS Local: helping local government buy and use tech better
GDS Local is on a journey to tackle fragmentation in local government technology. Find out about what we've learnt and what comes next!
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Digital devolution: what’s been happening and what’s coming up?
Explore how we're working with local government to build capability and support innovation.
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Understanding digital accounts filing for overseas companies
Overseas companies can now file accounts using our 'File package accounts with Companies House' service. Here’s what you need to know.
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How to avoid freshers' flu at university, and spot the warning signs of meningitis
'Freshers' flu' is a common name for a collection of cold viruses that typically spread rapidly when students arrive at university. It's unpleasant but rarely serious, though sometimes it may be genuine flu. Flu is more than just a bad cold and can be particularly serious for people with long-term health conditions, even when those …
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How Northern Education Trust transformed its banking to generate extra income of over £1 million
Diva Nair, Associate Director of Finance at Northern Education Trust, shares how a simple change to the trust's banking arrangements transformed their annual interest income from tens of thousands to more than a million pounds and explains how other schools …
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UK CertifID: making trust visible in registered digital verification services
OfDIA has authorised the first use of the UK CertifID trust mark by eligible digital verification service providers. UK CertifID will help people and businesses recognise services that meet government standards and appear on the digital verification services register (‘the …
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Breaking down silos: A whole-school approach to inclusion
Lois Vanstone explains how Chestnut Grove Academy trained staff to better understand and support pupils' needs, rather than relying only on the SEND team. This helped staff spot problems earlier and improved attendance and behaviour.
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Delivering the future of nuclear regulation at the Environment Agency
Last week, representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 181 Member States gathered in Vienna for the Agency's 70th General Conference. As governments, regulators and industry leaders discussed the future of nuclear energy, one theme came up time and again in my conversations: how can regulation support innovation, investment and growth while maintaining public …
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World Pharmacists Day: Interview with Sumeet Matharu OBE, Chief Pharmacist for Defence Primary Healthcare
To mark World Pharmacists Day, we spoke with Sumeet Matharu OBE, Chief Pharmacist for Defence Primary Healthcare, about her career in Defence. She reflects on the vital role medicine experts play in supporting patient care, the unique opportunities available within …
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Dragons' Den IP Blog - Series 23 Episode 13
For those who tuned in to another nail-biting episode of Dragons' Den tonight, here we look at the IP behind the pitches - pawfect personalised pet paraphernalia and queue-busting entrepreneurs, all hoping to win over the Dragons.
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Mucky Nutz receives a King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation
We are proud to share that Mucky Nutz holds the 2026 King’s Award for Enterprise, Innovation for our Rear MugGuard. The King’s Awards for Enterprise are among the UK’s most prestigious business awards. Approved personally by His Majesty The King, …
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Putting policy into practice at the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
To mark World Maritime Day, Shiv Ralhan, Fuel Propulsion and Fuel Safety Lead at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), takes us behind the scenes of an IMO sub-committee.
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Driving test booking changes – 3 months on
Three months on from our driving test booking changes, we look at what the data is telling us about availability, capacity and progress.
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Helping buyers and homeowners understand a property’s planning potential
Understanding a property's planning potential can help you make informed decisions. In this guest blog, PlanningHub founder Ewa Moskwiak explains what planning potential is.
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Reducing the spread of illness this winter: Seven steps to healthier schools and higher school attendance
As the colder months approach, we can expect to see increases in common airborne viruses. Illness is the biggest single reason for school absence; while some absences due to illness are unavoidable, many can be reduced through simple, proactive measures …
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What good delivery means to us
The digital delivery community in MHCLG is thriving. Across different teams, professions and directorates, we found ourselves returning to many of the same conversations about what good delivery looks like. As a group of Heads of Delivery, we wanted to capture those shared beliefs in one place, so we created our Principles of Delivery.
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Connections count: Building trust with families to improve attendance
Jayne Lowe talks about how strong attendance starts with schools building trust and positive relationships with families from the very beginning. When schools and parents work together around the shared goal of helping children feel happy, included and able to do well, attendance is more likely to improve.
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Building cyber resilience in the UK one step at a time: a spotlight on a Defence Cyber Certification Certifying Body
The Ministry of Defence have asked all industry partners to achieve Level 0 of the Defence Cyber Certification (DCC) by 31st December 2026, which includes a requirement for obtaining Cyber Essentials for all applicable business-critical systems within scope. The cyber …
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Why our forests matter to us more than ever before
Harry Joyce, Economist at the Forestry Commission, reveals the latest findings of a report into the value of forest biodiversity in Great Britain.
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SFI26 Window 2: an update
In this post we reflect on how we are looking to improve the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer for next year. We also share some headline figures from Window 2 of SFI26.
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Sewage detectives: how UKHSA is using wastewater to track common viruses and emerging threats
The wastewater that we send from our toilets towards sewage treatment plants every day is potentially rich in data about our health. For the past 4 years, UKHSA has been monitoring wastewater across England for signs of polio, and over the past year has been testing new technologies to detect other potential threats. The next …
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A postcard from Darlington
As No10 North gathers momentum, I wanted to offer a perspective from the other side of the Pennines – the Darlington Economic Campus, or No11 North as the Chancellor recently put it. HMT has traditionally been one of the most …
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Build once, benefit many: driving business case transformation across government, one (agile) step at a time
Business cases help government make decisions about spending public money and delivering public benefit. MHCLG’s Digital Process Improvement team is applying user-centred design to make the business case process simpler, reduce duplication and support better collaboration across government, starting with a reusable triage service.
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Success builds on success for newts and developers
By Stephanie Bird-Halton, Director - National Delivery at Natural England The 2025/26 Annual Monitoring Report for Natural England’s District Level Licensing (DLL) for great crested newts has just been published. This blog explores the successes so far and shows that …