Make Your Ideas Count | A practical guide to the Open Government Call for Evidence published
The UK Open Government Network has published a guide (click here) to help people, charities, businesses, researchers and community groups respond to the Cabinet Office’s Call for Evidence on the next National Action Plan for Open Government.
The Call for Evidence, which closes at 5pm on Monday 25 May, invites short submissions of up to 250 words on how government could be more transparent, accountable and open to the people it serves. Anyone can respond, and submissions can be on any topic relating to open government — from procurement and AI to public participation and access to information.
The guide explains what open government is, what makes a strong submission, and how to sharpen a broad concern into a specific, actionable idea. It includes worked examples across four common topics, prompts for people unsure what to write about, and a self-check to use before submitting.
Kevin Keith, Chair of the UK Open Government Network, said: “Open government is the difference between a government doing things to people and a government doing things with people. This Call for Evidence is one of the few formal moments when people outside government can shape what government commits to. We’ve written this guide to make that as easy as possible — whether you’re a charity, a business, a researcher or someone with a good idea about how things could work better.”
The seventh plan will run from late 2026 and will set the UK’s open government agenda during the country’s twelve-month co-chairship of the seventy-four-country Open Government Partnership, which begins in October.
UK OGN is also running two free online information sessions on 13 and 14 May, open to anyone wanting to understand the call before submitting – click here to sign up.