Bryan Glick

There are few events more likely to induce a sense of déjà vu among weathered UK technology observers than the launch of a new government digital strategy.

The UK government has announced wide-ranging plans to overhaul the way technology is funded, implemented and acquired across the public sector to accelerate the development of digital services to benefit citizens.

The telecoms watchdog said 20.7 million homes can now access full-fibre broadband links if they wish, representing 69% of all households, up from 57% in September 2023. When the numbers for houses with cable network connectivity are included, this means 83% of the country already has gigabit broadband capability.

Pur editorial operations will double in size starting today, as we become part of a larger company, Informa TechTarget.

How enterprises can improve ROI on AI investments

Wylie inherits a digital team with a budget of £1.4bn, in an organisation that transacts £170bn a year, manages 50 million lines of code and operates one of government’s largest IT estates

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which is responsible for both delivering key tech policies and digitally overhauling Whitehall, will see a 6.5% average increase in its spending over three years. Its current budget of £12.7bn will grow to £15.1bn in the 2025/26 financial year.

With a new government in place – one that has promised to “rewire Whitehall” and eliminate the “glaring technology gap” between the private sector and public services – can we expect to see the pace of change accelerate at last?

Rich Corbridge, the chief digital and information officer at the Department for Work and Pensions, is leaving his role in November to take up a new post as CIO at industrial property developer Segro.

Labour and digital government - how's it going so far?