Leading on Open Government in the UK

On 7th May the UK public went to the ballot box to elect a new government. David Cameron’s Conservative Party secured a majority of seats in Parliament and so formed a single party government. While the election result has not changed the leadership of the government, the shuffling of ministers in the aftermath has changed the leadership on the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More. Francis Maude, who has been a keen supporter of the initiative since the start, has been replaced by Matt Hancock as Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The UK Open Government Civil Society Network has produced a briefing for the new Minister for the Cabinet Office in which we set out how we believe this government can lead the open government agenda.

As the UK looks to the development of its third Open Government Partnership National Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... over the next six months, the leadership of the Minister for the Cabinet Office will be vital to ensure the UK continues to be amongst the frontrunners on open government.

In the briefing we call on the Minister for the Cabinet Office to work with civil society and other stakeholders to:

• Continue to champion the reforms the UK has led on to date, including:
  • Company beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More,
  • Extractive industry payment and revenue transparency,
  • Open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... standards (e.g. Open ContractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More Data Standard, International AidMore and better information about aid helps partner countries and donor institutions plan and manage aid resources more effectively, parliaments and civil society to hold governments accountable for t... Transparency Initiative, and the Open Data Charter),
  • The UK Anti-Corruption Action Plan.
  • Identify, develop, agree, implement and review new open government reforms, as part of the next Action Plan, that promote good governance, and support the effective, equitable and sustainable use of resources, delivery of public services and exercise of authority.
  • Model open and collaborative approaches to policy making, through the process of developing the UK’s new Open Government Partnership National Action Plan.
  • Challenge any policy or practice, where it arises, that threatens to undermine open government – particularly any plans to weaken the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Raise the practice of open government across the UK through collaboration and competition across the nations.
  • Support the open government movement internationally, encouraging new countries to join the OGP and challenging existing members where they backslide or stagnate.

The UK Open Government Civil Society Network also commits to working with the Minister for the Cabinet Office, his ministerial colleagues and civil servants to make progress across the breadth of open government, and continue to broaden the movement of individuals and organisations striving for open government.

You can read the briefing in full here: Leading on Open Government.