Wales Open Gov

The Campaign for Freedom of Information, an OGN member, published the following press release in response to the Commission on Freedom of Information’s call for evidence. Sweeping restrictions to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act are being considered by the body set up to consider the legislation, according to the Campaign for Freedom of Information.…

The Commission on Freedom of Information, established by the Government in July 2015, has launched its call for evidence. In August, the Open Government Network wrote to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matthew Hancock, expressing our concern with the Commission’s remit. The Commission states that it will be particularly focused on the following questions: Question 1:…

The UK Government has formally launched the consultation for the UK’s 2016-2018 OGP National Action Plan. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) was established in 2011. It provides an international platform for reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable, and responsive to citizens. Each country in the OGP must develop a biennial national action plan to advance transparency,…

The UK’s 2013-15 OGP Progress Report was published on Wednesday. Here Ben Worthy, the UK’s Independent Reporting Mechanism researcher, reflects on progress since the publication of the UK’s second National Action Plan. The UK government is now nearing the end of its Second National Action Plan created as part of the Open Government Partnership process.…

The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) has released the UK’s second progress report covering the formation and first year of implementation of the second UK action plan. Ben Worthy, an academic based at Birkbeck College, University of London carried out the research: “The UK government wrote an ambitious action plan that involved civil society organisations closely in the process. The…

The Open Data Institute is hosting a lunchtime lecture with the UK’s OGP Independent Reporting Mechanism researcher, Ben Worthy. Come along to hear about the progress of the OGP in the UK. When: Friday 25 September 2015, 1:00pm – 1:50pm Where: Open Data Institute, 65 Clifton Street You bring your lunch, we provide tea and…

One of the central elements of the Open Government Partnership is the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM), which provides an annual independent assessment of each country’s progress on the OGP. In this post, the UK’s IRM Researcher, Ben Worthy, summarises some of the key findings from the UK’s new IRM report. How Did it Work? Across the CSOs I spoke…

How subnational governments and civil society can be involved in the Open Government Partnership is an important question that we’re grappling with in the UK. It’s a particularly pressing issue in a country such as the UK, where significant powers are devolved to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and increasingly to cities and regions. Nathaniel…

Colm Burns and Paul Braithwaite from the Northern Ireland Open Government Network have written for the OGP blog on the importance of devolved governments and civil society being involved in OGP action plans: The Open Government Partnership has spread rapidly since its inception in 2011 and now boasts 65 member countries with more likely to…

The Open Government Partnership is inviting proposals for sessions at the upcoming Global Summit in Mexico in October: The 2015 Open Government Partnership Global Summit will be held in Mexico City on October 27, 28 and 29. Around 1,500 participants from government, civil society organizations, multilateral organizations, media, and the private sector are expected to…