Gavin Freeguard

Do any political/election data/GIS nerds fancy helping out with some number crunching? If anyone has experience of things like lookups to link LSOAs to wards, and analysis of election data drop me a line.

I can pay a small amount but it would have to be done partly for interest/nerdery!

Lot of new stuff on TheyWorkForYou in the last few months/years - come ask us questions

Happy Advent to you and your kin! And everyone else's kin too, come to that. As every December so far this decade, I'm going to do an Advent Calendar of beautiful and brilliant carols, with each day's added to a YouTube playlist and also to the ongoing Spotify one, now in its sixth(!) year.

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

November 2025 event write up Hi everyone,

And well worth catching up on our November event with the brilliant @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social & @katybeale.bsky.social medium.com/@transformgo...

You can catch up on all our previous events with some brilliant speakers here: www.transformgov.org.uk/previous.shtml

TransformGov Talks : December 2025 · Luma Join us at 5.30pm for a 6pm start. Caroline Star, Operations Director at School of International Futures, on Governing Beyond the Now: Why Policy Needs a Long…

🚨 6PM WEDS 10 DECEMBER 🚨

Join us @tpximpact.com (& online) for the last @transformgovtalks.bsky.social of 2025:
- Caroline Star, School of International Futures, on Governing Beyond the Now: Why Policy Needs a Long View
- @derekalton.bsky.social, Civic Punks, on A Journey Into the Future of Govt

#impact

well, as a Welsh Arsenal fan who wants McLaren to stop Verstappen's run of world championships, this sporting weekend is going TERRIFICALLY so far

Some tickets still available on the door tonight!

Join us TOMORROW - some tickets still available!

Now with video! (Audio to follow) medium.com/@transformgo...

And sign up for our Wed 10 Dec event (Whitechapel/online), with:
- ​Caroline, School of International Futures, on Governing Beyond the Now
- @derekalton.bsky.social, Civic Punks, A Journey Into the Future of Govt

luma.com/1b6pmysz?tk=...

Thanks to everyone who came along to this. I mostly talked about taking a more deliberate approach to tech adoption, and shared some of the findings from this research into how the expansion and adoption of tools like Copilot requires diligence www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...

Rachel Coldicutt presents at the eleventh TransformGov Talks

Katy Beale presents at the eleventh TransformGov Talks event

A huge thank you to @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social @katybeale.bsky.social for great presentations @transformgovtalks.bsky.social tonight

Video etc to follow www.transformgov.org.uk

Sign up for our 10 December event @tpximpact.com (in Whitechapel) with @derekalton.bsky.social luma.com/1b6pmysz

Me: it would be good if government budget and spending review processes were done more openly and transparently

Also me: NOT LIKE THIS

Tonight! 🥳

Tomorrow! Join us in person or online 👇

Tomorrow! Join us in person or online 👇

Doing this next week with my excellent friend and former colleague/co-founder @katybeale.bsky.social 😍. I'll be talking about the Careful Consequences Check, a way to QA digital products against their social and ethical impacts www.careful.industries/consequences

TransformGov Talks : November 2025 · Luma Join us at 5.30pm for a 6pm start. Rachel Coldicutt, Careful Industries, on local government AI procurement and a new version of Consequence Scanning Second…

🚨 NEXT WEEK 🚨

Join us at 6pm, Weds 26 November for the 11th @transformgovtalks.bsky.social

We'll hear from:
- @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social on local govt AI procurement & a new version of Consequence Scanning
- @katybeale.bsky.social, Chief Delivery & Engagement Officer, Westminster City Council

Good question! Others will know more, but there's NCSC and there are some cyber people in GDS/DSIT

New government chief technology officer sought as David Knott announces exit Knott will step down from the role at the end of this year

And there is of course Government CTO to fill, too www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...

Indeed! (See first post in the thread)

Look forward to reading the full transcript...

(The eagle-eyed will also spot a new government chief data officer which, in its continued commitment to transparency, the govt has not yet mentioned anywhere on GOV.UK)

A slide from this week's Data Bites intro presentation showing previous, interim and new holders of various government data and digital roles. Titled 'DSIT up and take notice', it shows: DSIT perm sec: previous Sarah Munby; new Emran Mian Govt chief digital officer: previous Mike Potter; interim Joanna Davinson; new tbc Govt chief data officer: previous Craig Suckling; interim Lindsay Mason; new Aimee Smith Govt chief AI officer: new role; new tbc National Statistician: previous Sir Ian Diamond; interim Emma Rourke; new tbc ONS perm sec: previous Sir Ian Diamond; new Darren Tierney UKSA Chair: previous Sir Robert Chote; interim Penny Young; new tbc

I've been trying to keep track of big govt data/digital appts at Data Bites this year (inc this week, bit.ly/databites60)

Today, @politico.eu Morning Tech UK reports that yesterday, minister Ian Murray told the Sci/Tech cttee there will be no chief digital officer (it'll be DSIT perm sec instead)

Join Slido: Enter #code to vote and ask questions Participate in a live poll, quiz or Q&A. No login required.

A huge thank you to Steph, Penny, @mhwauben.bsky.social & Michelle for a pre-Christmas cracker of a Data Bites @publicdigital.bsky.social last night

Watch back bit.ly/databites60

& check out the new StatsWales, the new Stats Code of Practice, the Data for London Library & the Census consultation!

No worries, hopefully see you soon!

The nighttime view from Westminster Bridge of the London Eye and County Hall all illuminated in pink, blue, green and red lights.

Gavin Freeguard at a lectern introducing the Data Bites evening.

Gavin’s mince pie chart showing when he first spotted mince pies mentioned on social media.

Me, a man with a grey beard and wearing a red beanie hat, with Laura Copestake. Laura has glasses and a big smile.

Fun evening at Data Bites, and catching up with Laura Copestake.

Great speakers, and loved @gavinfreeguard.bsky.social’s mince pie chart 📈 🥧

Join Slido: Enter #code to vote and ask questions Participate in a live poll, quiz or Q&A. No login required.

🚨 IN EIGHT MINUTES 🚨

It's Data Bites #60 @publicdigital.bsky.social

With... Welsh Govt (StatsWales)... Office for Stats Regulation (new Code)... Greater London Authority (data library)... ONS (Census)

Watch live, ask questions bit.ly/databites60

Full details public.digital/events/data-...

Open data friends,

If you could recommend only one resource (book, website, organisation, social media account, video, tool, other) what would you recommend to someone starting on their #opendata journey?

Something that will help them learn and explore.

TONIGHT!

Our confirmed speakers are: • Trupti Patel, Programme Lead at Sciencewise about their recent projects • Sandeepa Arora, Postdoc at The Mohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, on 'Data Detectives: 10-year-olds' views on their health data and how it should be used'

🪧 The next Data & AI public engagement community of practice tomorrow at 2pm (online).

We will be joined by @sciencewise.bsky.social; and
Mohn Centre for Children's Health & Wellbeing
@imperialmed.bsky.social.

Register at link in threaded post 👇