News 29th April 2021

Civil society urged to join groups on government transparency.

by Guest

“THIS IS AN OPEN GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY”

Civil society urged to join groups on government transparency.

For immediate release – 29th April 2021

Representatives from civil society are being urged to sign up for a series of workshops beginning on Wednesday May 5th to make the government more accountable, transparent and participatory.

The nine workshops, organised by the UK Open Government Network and UK Cabinet Office, will bring together civil society representatives with government officials, to develop policy for inclusion in the UK’s National Action Plan for Open Government to be published later this year.

Beginning with Open Contracting (Procurement) on May 5th, Health on May 6th, and Open Justice on May 10th. Future workshops will include Public Standards and Accountability, Data Ethics, Freedom of Information, Misinformation, Democracy, and Environment (Net Zero).

Kevin Keith, Chair of the UK Open Government Network, said: “We are in an open government emergency. From ineffective lobbying laws to breaches of the ministerial code; illegal procurement practices to the disregard of ethical standards; climate change to the must-take opportunity of COP26: there has never been a more important time for civil society to come together and affect change. That is why we are urging people to get involved.”

The National Action Plan (2021 to 2023) for Open Government is part of the UK’s membership of the Open Government Partnership – a consortium of 78 countries, representing two billion people, working to transform how government serves its citizens.

Those interested in attending the workshops can sign-up here.