News


OGP Now Recruiting Six Prominent Members of Civil Society to Join its Steering Committee

8th December 2015

The Open Government Partnership has announced that it will be recruiting six new members of civil society to join its steering committee: As the Open Government Partnership (OGP) enters its fifth year, the international initiative seeks six new civil society steering committee members. This is a unique opportunity for talented and committed civil society leaders…


FOI Commission publishes call for evidence responses

8th December 2015

The Commission on Freedom of Information has published the responses to its call for evidence: Call for evidence responses from organisations: A to C [PDF, 1.61MB, 181 pages] Call for evidence responses from organisations: D to L [PDF, 1.32MB, 155 pages] Call for evidence responses from organisations: M to P [PDF, 1.37MB, 160 pages] Call for evidence responses from organisations: R to Z [PDF, 1.52MB, 142 pages]…



Commission on Freedom of Information publishes meeting notes & background papers

4th December 2015

The Commission has published minutes of meetings that its chair, Lord Burns, has held with external stakeholders and two background papers on the development and passage of the FOI Bill and international comparisons. Freedom of Information Bill: development and passage Freedom of information: international comparisons Independent Commission on Freedom of Information: external stakeholders meetings Visit…


8 recommendations for open contracting in the UK

2nd December 2015

Open Contracting is a bold idea, reshaping the way we think about billions of pounds of public funding. However, in order to fulfil its potential, open contracting requires an open and continuous dialogue that captures learning, innovation and action right across government, business and civil society. That’s why, on November 5, we brought together open…


A handful of the 30,000 submissions to the FOI Commission

30th November 2015

The call for evidence for the Commission on Freedom of Information closed on 20th November.  You can read the UK Open Government Network’s submission to the Commission here. The Commission received over 30,000 submissions in total, so we’re collecting together and publishing links to the submissions made by UK OGN members here. Please see the list below…


OGN Meeting, with Paul Maassen | 13 November 2015 | Meeting note

25th November 2015

On 13th November 2015 the UK Open Government Network met to discuss progress on the OGP. Below is the meeting note.   Date: Friday 13th November 2015 Time: 12.00 – 14.00 Location: Free Word Centre, London Attendees Open Government Network Alice Gartland , Open Contracting Partnership Claire Schouten, International Budget Partnership Colm Burns, Northern Ireland…


Update from the FOI Commission | GOV.UK

23rd November 2015

Following the closure of its call for evidence on Friday, the FOI Commission has published an update on gov.uk: Update from Lord Burns, Chairman of the Commission “I wanted to provide a short update on the work of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information now that the call for evidence has closed.” “The Commission…


Over 100 CSOs sign OGN evidence to the FOI Commission

20th November 2015

Over 100 civil society organisations, ranging from national NGOs, to local community groups, and open government campaigners, to health, environment and transport charities, have signed the UK Open Government Network’s evidence to the FOI Commission, stating their support for a strong right to information : ‘We regard the Freedom of Information Act as a fundamental pillar of…