James Kemp

I am recruiting a Senior Accessibility Specialist to be part of the Government Digital Service accessibility and digital inclusion team. Applications open until Sunday 26th October. www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cg...

#a11y #Accessibility #AccessibilityRegulations

’Prepare them for the slump’: emergency planner Lucy Easthope shares the best ways to support a loved one in a crisis Lucy Easthope is an emergency planner whose job is to support survivors of major disasters, including earthquakes, fires and floods.

Because a lot of people are finding this week hard….

How should governments rewire the state to get things done?

Join us and Onward at #CPC25 on Tuesday 7 October as we explore how UK institutions can better deliver national priorities with our expert panel featuring Jesse Norman MP zurl.co/Y0fzz

Slight lull at the moment in Angus, but it was battering my windows earlier!

Starting a spud van in Westminster and calling it Political Hot Potato. Park it near the Red Lion so it can get the spads after they're pissed up. Van tagline! Spuds 4 spads.

Digital folk (esp public sector!) - Where's the place to look for great, senior delivery management folk in Leeds / W Yorks?

I know a lovely booming agency there seeking a Head of Delivery, pronto, to take their delivery work to the next level.

I don't normally tout jobs around but this is a beaut

People sit in rows, smiling for the camera.

A bordered square rotated slightly clockwise, inside which are the words, "One Team Gov".

Work in or around the #PublicSector? Fancy a breakfast time natter, and optional co-working day?

The last 3 #OneTeamGov North #Manchester meetups of 2025 are on Tuesday:
🐝 21 October,
🐝 18 November,
🐝 16 December.

Sign up via www.eventbrite.com/o/hosted-by-...

A while back Historic England asked for my opinion on which was the oldest pub in London. The result is a new online article that outlines the variables, busts some myths, and points to a couple of genuinely ancient pubs in and around the city...

heritagecalling.com/2025/09/25/w...

That's how I've been describing it to people!

A personal project of decades of long gestation is nearing fruition. I have finally designed and written a megagame!

www.tickettailor.com/events/truen...

Inspired by the Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Star Trek this is a game about what happens when humans take to the stars!

A small envelope with eight postage stamps on it of six different varieties. Top left: Australia centenary stamp 34p; Peter Sellers stamp 17 pence; water music by George Frederick Handel stamp 17p; Lord Dowding and a hurricane on another 17p stamp. On a smaller section two each of a Christmas stamp that was 17.5p and a commemorative stamp for Mrs Gaskell. Notable that the UK hasn't used half pennies for about 40 years, so these stamps are rather old...

Received some meeples from an eBay seller today in the most wonderful envelope

I would definitely be up for that!

I've been on the fence about the new one. I'm hoping it's as brilliant as the predecessors, but sort of worry that it won't quite hit the spot...

I started a new role today. Still with CO, but in another part of the organisation. Looking at other ways we can change the system to make it better.

We need fat cats in the public sector if we want the best policy Public sector pay is a fraction of what similar private sector roles command

Good to see @pjtheeconomist.bsky.social address an issue that successive govt’s have chosen to ignore. Pay in the civil service is uncompetitive across the spectrum of grades, roles and locations. (1/3)
www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

A long time ago in a galaxy far away I used to lead a team that fed a monthly spreadsheet into that system.

I always thought it a backwards step when we stopped routinely publishing the performance data.

I never knew that, and I recognise some of the words in the passport one from the Discovery work I did back in 2014-15!

GOV.UK User needs Register to vote Why is this page on GOV.UK? The user need for this page: As a UK resident I need to register to vote So that I can exercise my democratic rights The need is met when the user: understands who is allowed to vote know that you have to be registered in order to vote knows what support is available at polling stations (eg for disabled people) Understands their options if they going overseas temporarily Understand their options if they will be overseas long term This need is in proposition because: It's something only government does It's inherent to a person's or an organisation's rights and obligations

GOV.UK User needs and metrics Renew or replace your adult passport All metrics are recorded over the past 6 weeks. Why is this page on GOV.UK? The user need for this page: As a British person I need to apply for or renew a passport So that I can travel across borders The need is met when the user: the user knows the rules about passport photos the user knows how long it takes to get a passport the user knows the different ways they can apply for a passport, including Check and Send understands the eligibility criteria to get a passport the user knows the rules about when their passport may be taken away knows what to do if they are abroad knows how to get dual citizenship if they already have a passport from another country knows how to renew a passport as a British national born before 2 September 1929, knows how to get a free passport This need is in proposition because: It's something only government does There is clear demand for it from users It's something the government provides/does/pays for

You might not know:

There used to be a hidden page for many services on GOV.UK, which would display the underlying user need through a user story and its alignment with the platform proposition.

You just had to insert /info to any service landing page’s URL.

I still think it’s brilliant.

Current view

UK Parliament Week 2025 is just around the corner 🎉

Sign up for free, unbox your kit, and learn how Parliament works step-by-step.

Govt innovation nerds may be interested in this "Scan > Pilot > Scale" approach to some keystone public sector AI projects that are being flagged as the "Prime Minister's AI Exemplars" gds.blog.gov.uk/2025/08/18/t... and which appears to be a diff methodology to Test and Learn

Scotland Cross-Government Learning A cross-departmental group of civil servants from the Scottish Government and UK Government Departments based in Scotland. We are organising Learning and Development events for other civil servants a...

There are four events available to book so far, and another four in the calendar. If you would like to speak or present a session do please let me know.

The holding page for the events is www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/scotland-c...

All events are free to attend but limited to current public servants

Facilitating Inclusive Workshops Public Servants only. Learn how to create engaging and inclusive workshops that welcome everyone, regardless of background or experience.

I have been organising a series of events for public servants in Scotland.

First event is on 2 Sept in Edinburgh where I'll be sharing how to do inclusive workshops using liberating structures.

Book via www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facilitati...

Looking for some of the old #OneTeamGovCan folks. Where you at. #oneteamgov #gcdigital

We are hiring two content designers to join Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). We mostly work remotely, with our team members spread across multiple locations. Apply by 10am on Monday 14 July: www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

ONS was an early attempt to move out of London. I suspect the locations were chosen more for other reasons than recruiting new statisticians. They thought people would move (which they didn't).

With hindsight they should have picked a couple of uni towns that had great stats professors.

The Highlands of Scotland has gone the same way. Used to be the signal was left behind in the central belt, with a glimmer around Inverness and Fort William.

Now there are masts everywhere.

Got to the point where you go up the mountain if you need help!

That would be fab, thanks.

I've got a bit of my job about trying to join up across government and the public sector in Scotland. So keen to do this sort of thing more.

Also I enjoy it anyway

I somehow managed to miss all the advertising for this and didn't know it was on until too late.

Is there a sign up for the next one?

Worth mentioning it'll be 2 Sept in Edinburgh and 26 Sept in Glasgow.

Both events in the Govt Hub starting at 10:00.