UK Open Government Network > Open Government Action Hub

Open Government Action Hub

With the UK Government

The process for civil society and government to co-create the UK’s next National Action Plan (NAP) is now underway but we need your help to get involved…

Thematic Groups: Help make Government more accountable

The UK government is working with civil society on the UK’s next Open Government National Action Plan. It will be published later this year and will include commitments on different topics.

Over the next couple of months, Thematic Groups will bring together civil servants and civil society to discuss and co-create proposals, around these different topics. They are listed below, alongside civil society leads, read-outs from past workshops and a link to the online forums to keep the conversation going between workshops.

If you have any questions on this process, please feel free to email Kevin Keith, Chair of the UK Open Government Network, at [email protected].

  • Open Contracting (Procurement). Workshops fortnightly from May 5th.

– Civil society lead: Ruairi Macdonald

– Read out from Workshop 1 here.
– Read out from Workshop 2 here.
– Read out from Workshop 3 here.
– Read out from Workshop 4 here.

– The Contracting online forum is here.

  • Open Health. Workshops fortnightly from May 6th.

– Civil society lead: Mor Rubenstein

– Read out from Workshop 1 here.
– Read out from Workshop 2 here.

– Read out from Workshop for Workshop 4 is here.

– The Health online forum is here.

  • Open Justice. Workshops fortnightly from May 10th.

– Civil society lead: Natalie Byrom

– Read out from Workshop 1 here.
– Read out from Workshop 2 here.
– Read out from Workshop 3 here.
– Read out from Workshop 4 here.

– The Justice online forum is here.

  • Data Ethics (Algorithmic Transparency). Workshops fortnightly from May 20th.

– Civil society lead: Peter Wells

– Read out from Workshop 1 here.
– Read out from Workshop 2 here.
– Readout from Workshop 3 here.
– Readout from Workshop 4 here.

– The Data Ethics online forum is here.

  • Climate Change / Natural Resources (Open Environment)

– Civil society lead: Joseph Williams.

– Read out from Workshop 1 here.
– Read out from Workshop 2 here.
– Read out from Workshop 3 here.

– The Climate Change / Natural Resources online forum is here.

  • Public Standards and Accountability date. Dates to be confirmed.
  • Freedom of Information. Dates to be confirmed.
  • Misinformation. Dates to be confirmed.
  • Democracy. Dates to be confirmed.

Your participation will help shape government policy pledges. With stories about transparency at the highest levels of government dominating the news, this has never been more important.

You can sign up to Thematic Groups here.

Once registered, you will be sent an event link, or links if you have chosen more than one. Some dates have been set but if you cannot make this date, please still register your interest for that group. For those without dates, these will be sent out to those who register. And yes, you can register for more than one.

To find out more about specific Thematic Groups you can read notes from an initial planning meeting with government here.

Each Thematic Group will connect to the UK’s Multistakeholder Forum made up of civil society and government representatives,  which will ensure proposals are considered for inclusion in the National Action Plan. You can read the Terms of Reference for the Multistakeholder Forum here.

It is expected a draft National Action Plan will be published late Summer / Autumn for wider consultation.

With the Scottish Government

Scotland is developing its third open government action plan as part of the Open Government Partnership Local Programme which invites other levels of government that are closer to citizens such as federal, devolved or municipal entities, to develop their own action plans with local civil society.

In 2020, an application for a dedicated city-level action plan for Glasgow, led by Glasgow City Council has also been approved as part of the Open Government Partnership’s Local Programme.

The open government partnership in Scotland is overseen by a joint civil society and government steering group. Civil Society members are elected by the Scottish Open Government Network.

With devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Cymru / Wales

Open government action plans are also being developed in Northern Ireland and Cymru/Wales. To engage with the process for these, please join the Northern Ireland or  Cymru/Wales network.