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NEW FUNDING AGREED TO KEEP BBC WORLD SERVICE ON AIR

The Government has awarded a one-off payment of £20 million to the BBC World Service as part of the refresh of the Integrated Review.

The money is being provided to protect all 42 World Service language services over the next two years, support English language broadcasting, and counter disinformation. The refreshed Integrated Review concludes that

Continue reading NEW FUNDING AGREED TO KEEP BBC WORLD SERVICE ON AIR

Public Sector: How to lay the foundations of successful digital transformation projects

Nick-Denning

Nick Denning, CEO of IT consultancy Diegesis and veteran of multiple transformation projects, shares his tips on how to build success from the start.

No one begins a transformation project aiming for it to fail, but many are challenged because the right foundations have not been laid. Government organisations, suppliers and partners

Continue reading Public Sector: How to lay the foundations of successful digital transformation projects

£5 MILLION INNOVATION FUND TO REDUCE DRUG USE

Five projects will receive part of £5 million innovation fund to test new ways to reduce use of so-called recreational drugs On-the-ground projects include skills development and education for young people Supports strategy to reduce drug use to a 30-year low and build a world-class knowledge base

Five projects aimed at reducing drug use

Continue reading £5 MILLION INNOVATION FUND TO REDUCE DRUG USE

Investing in people always pays dividends

By Sascha Giese, SolarWinds Head Geek™

When it comes to digital transformation, one area of investment trumps all others. It’s not hardware. It’s not software. It’s not even the latest development in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

It’s people. And if public sector organizations want to deliver data-rich government services, they need to

Continue reading Investing in people always pays dividends

Are we heading towards an energy cliff edge?

Oliver Gray, Charis business development director

By Ollie Gray, business development director, Charis

So, are we better off or worse off this spring when it comes to our energy bills?

Unfortunately, despite falling wholesale costs, the average household bill is still set to rise to £3000 in April, and many will need

Continue reading Are we heading towards an energy cliff edge?

Sodexo awarded contract with The Insolvency Service

Sodexo has been awarded a three-year contract with The Insolvency Service to provide strategic programme and advisory services to support the organisation’s ‘Transforming Workplaces Project’.

Partnering with Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), global construction and property consultancy, Sodexo’s Property Professional Services business and RLB will support The Insolvency Service to rationalise and transform its existing

Continue reading Sodexo awarded contract with The Insolvency Service

Legacy systems and security will continue to dominate the agenda for public sector IT professionals

Sascha Giese

By Sascha Giese, SolarWinds Head Geek™

When protecting computer systems and networks, the “biggest cyber risk is complacency, not hackers.” That’s according to John Edwards, the UK’s Information Commissioner who warned that companies are leaving themselves open to cyberattacks by ignoring crucial measures such as updating software and training staff.

Continue reading Legacy systems and security will continue to dominate the agenda for public sector IT professionals

Removing departmental siloes is vital for Governments under fire from state-sponsored salvos

By Sascha Giese, Head Geek™ at SolarWinds

When it comes to IT, much is made of the differences between public and private sector projects. People are quick to point out the world’s most successful go-getting companies use technology to gain a competitive advantage, while the public sector is motivated by the delivery of services to

Continue reading Removing departmental siloes is vital for Governments under fire from state-sponsored salvos

Royal Navy employee empowerment app hailed as transformation best practice

The challenge:

The Royal Navy wanted to improve retention by understanding more about the lived experience of personnel and addressing common pain-points. The 40,000-strong staff includes sailors, engineers, medical staff, shore-based civil servants, trainers, and auxiliary service personnel. By the nature of their roles, the majority of personnel are not desk-based and prefer to use

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Restore Records Management earns £5.8m contract with Department for Work and Pensions

Nigel Dews

Restore Records Management has been awarded a £5.857m contract by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to transfer approximately 375,000 boxes of records into off-site storage and provide retrieval services.

The three-year contract, worth c£1.9m a year, will see records moved away from DWP’S on-site location at Heywood Stores, near

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Landmark environmental case against the Environment Agency: Court confirms enforceable European laws post-Brexit

Reporter: Stuart Littleford

Law firm Freeths LLP yesterday won a landmark environmental case in Harris vs Environment Agency. The High Court has ruled that key European nature conservation laws remain enforceable against the Environment Agency (and by implication other public bodies), despite the UK having left the European Union.

The Court agreed with Freeths’ clients,

Continue reading Landmark environmental case against the Environment Agency: Court confirms enforceable European laws post-Brexit

UK investors brace for recession before the end of the year, despite leadership bid outcome

A new survey of 885 UK-based retail investors has revealed how investors are managing their portfolios in light of high inflation, low growth, subsequent recession risks and the Conservative leadership contest. It found:

The majority (62%) of investors believe the UK will enter a recession before the end of the year, irrespective of the outcome

Continue reading UK investors brace for recession before the end of the year, despite leadership bid outcome

New government hub housing roles moved from London opens in Birmingham

New hub houses 20 government departments, with space to accommodate 1700 staff Hub will house some of the 2100 Civil Service roles moving from London to the West Midlands by 2025, with 880 already relocated Consolidation of eight sites into one is expected to save £2 million per year

A new government hub which

Continue reading New government hub housing roles moved from London opens in Birmingham

The Disclosure and Barring Service recognised for a second time as the highest-rated public service organisation for customer satisfaction

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has been ranked as the highest-rated public service organisation in the UK for customer satisfaction in the July 2022 UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). The organisation also achieved this ranking in the January 2022 UKCSI.

The index is published twice a year by the Institute of Customer Service and

Continue reading The Disclosure and Barring Service recognised for a second time as the highest-rated public service organisation for customer satisfaction

Employers are underestimating personal safety fears of nearly 7 million workers

Nearly 7 million workers worry about their safety each week 57% of employers underestimate the level of concern felt by their staff 57% of employees are concerned about facing aggression from the public 22% of former lone workers and front-line staff said safety concerns were among the reasons they chose to leave their job

Continue reading Employers are underestimating personal safety fears of nearly 7 million workers

Bright Initiative: Global data for good Initiative expands support for the UK’s National Data Strategy with new partnerships

Bright Initiative has joined the UK Government-backed Data Skills Taskforce to help tackle the UK’s data skills challenges Initiative also set to begin work with members of the UK Parliament on an inquiry investigating issues around governance and ethics in data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) New collaborations complement ongoing support for UK Government officials

Continue reading Bright Initiative: Global data for good Initiative expands support for the UK’s National Data Strategy with new partnerships

How to comply with new sanctions prompted by the conflict in Ukraine By Barley Laing, the UK Managing Director at Melissa

Barley Laing – UK Managing Director at Melissa

The invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a large number of new sanctions by many countries against leading politicians, businesspeople, and entities in both Russia and Belarus.

The UK has been one of a number of states leading the way in imposing sanctions, and as

Continue reading How to comply with new sanctions prompted by the conflict in Ukraine By Barley Laing, the UK Managing Director at Melissa

Letter from the Prime Minister to Lord Wolfson

A letter from the Prime Minister to Lord Wolfson, that has just been released.

 

Can ‘One Login for Government’ Deliver Digital Success for the U.K. Public Sector?

By Sascha Giese, Head Geek™ at SolarWinds

The pace of digital transformation across the public sector has accelerated significantly in recent years, and with Covid-19 prompting a near-overnight shift to online services, the process has come a long way already. Services once requiring pages of paperwork now are fully digitised—renewing your passport or driver’s license

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Is your department and supply chain ready for the changes to the Government’s new cyber certification scheme?

By Dave Woodfine, Co-founder and Managing Director at Cyber Security Associates

Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum named cyber security failures as one of the biggest threats facing international governments and business, and the UK is no exception. The UK’s public sector is currently facing a rise in the number of cyber security incidents.

Continue reading Is your department and supply chain ready for the changes to the Government’s new cyber certification scheme?