Fix the plumbing => fix the planning! Had a great conversation with @mikerose.co.uk and Colm Britton about their work with MHCLG on digital planning - and the role of data standards, underlying infrastructure, openness, community and much more besides podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

Well, hello world! State of the Future is a new think tank (from @gavinfreeguard.com) for public servants and others who believe data, digital, openness and innovation can deliver better policy, better services and better outcomes for people. sotf.org.uk (Quiet news day to soft launch, eh?)

Bloody Six Nations 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤷‍♂️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤷🤷🤷

To all those in America, who may not quit understand how Trumps words about the allied soldiers who fought in Afghanistan impact the world. I suggest you listen to the @mrjamesob.bsky.social radio show from yesterday. This is so powerful and should hit home for everyone. youtu.be/Rdm3sMIH8fk?...

This was quite a listen. OMG the poem! If ever there was a time for @mrjamesob.bsky.social to break his poetry rule. 😢

Here is your regular update on the creation of planning permission data standards. Have a read: mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/b... If you want to know more - join us on 21st January (link in the blog post) in our next open update session…

Shall i promote a podcast where we touched on the postcode address file (if you know you know) … www.linkedin.com/posts/mikeer...

As well as sorting out the last minute details for GovCamp 2026 we're also planning for the long term. We want to set up GovCamp as an official non-profit company. To do that we need a Board of Trustees. We've previously asked for volunteers but, while good people, they're all straight white men.

Given all the world news - just saw this and it made me chuckle. Hopefully it might cheer you up too! Happy New Year!

#MaidenCastle #Dorset #NYEve25

Waves!

Coming soon @drawnalism.com

How to avoid concreting cowpats (and other AI hokem) Or, six questions to help scrutinise the AI system or policy solution you're being sold Delighted to write for @thehousemag.bsky.social @politicshome.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

217 people have now registered for UK Gov Camp 2026 ( #ukgc26 ) in #Birmingham on Saturday 17 January 2026. Register to attend or sponsor via UKGovCamp.com, repost this message and share with your colleagues. We welcome everyone, whether you work with the #PublicSector or not. #unconference

What was that? You would love another blog on planning permission data standards?? This time talking about user research??? Hold my beer… mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/20/d... I love #OpenWorking #PlanningData etc

Have added a link to this to our front page and our archive of previous camp coverage. www.odcamp.uk/recent-posts...

Finally finished processing (well begun finishing processing) a fantastic OpenDataCamp in Edinburgh #ODCamp @odcamp.uk I ran a session on the value of (open) data, my reflections here -> medium.com/@mikeerose/a...

#ODCamp [Open Data Camp] Awesome! Thank you! That is all (for now)!

No vegetarian or vegan has ever wanted their fake steak or burger to bleed. Why are companies investing in these weird gimmicks that probably just means a crap load of chemicals being added to food. Make them taste better, I don't care about realism.

It was lovely to see @mikerose.co.uk and @adrianhoward.com for geeky coffee earlier

Now are you interested in planning application submissions? Ie the filled in forms… Or are you interested in what has been decided?? Ie what has and has not got permission… Another blog - get involved - what do you want to know? mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/08/05/s...

New blog (by me) on planning data standards -> mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/07/08/s...

The Dot. The one true Dot. The once and future Dot. The Dot that launched a thousand cigs. ...and even she could not pull off cyan.

This. So much this! “People” when searching for “unicorns” and “fairies” (AI deployments) forget that the “mystical blood” is the boring, boring data that “flows through their veins”!

Society is not good at funding data infrastructure, Part 172

Indeed! Original post: masto.hackers.town/@X00001/1145...

We do not need to change copyright law, we need transparency www.thebookseller.com/comment/we-d... by Baroness Kidron via @thebookseller.com #DUABill #DataBill #genAI #IPlaw #techpolicy ("The AI companies fiercely defend their own internet protocol (IP) …"?)

A reminder of an old friend, sadly departed.

Departing #Dorset

An orchid, an oak tree and of course some dogs in a river. Another sunny day in #Dorset

Another lovely Dorset Geeky Coffee with @mikerose.co.uk, @adrianhoward.com and Roxy. A slightly less traditional selfie

#London is that way! #Dorset #Sunrise (brolly packed for arrival!)

Yes. This! Original post: nerdculture.de/@ichbindabom...

After all that #PlanningApplications stuff - best to find time to chill outside… Primroses in the garden and a dog in the woodland. Could be the titles of both volumes of my autobiography…

Get involved validating the baseline planning application data specifications mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/04/17/d... another post by @mikerose.co.uk et al on MHCLG's Digital Planning work (England) Discussion github.com/digital-land... #plantech #proptech #datastandards #openstandards #opendata

#Dorset Dog on beach - enjoy!

What with the world going to sh1t and all that - thought I would pop up to the top of #Dorset for a wander this morning!

Rollback on AI copyright could lead to parliamentary 'ping-pong' www.thetimes.com/article/3914... (£) Data (Use and Access) Bill bills.parliament.uk/bills/3825/p... #DUABill #genAI #AIpolicy #IPlaw Flipping copyright maximalists. None of this AI stuff was within the original scope of the bill.

"Goes tits up" was right there

I wrote something about why it is a mistake to think we all want the same things from digital government, and why AI and automation is not a corrective to shrinking IRL state capacity www.careful.industries/blog/2025-3-...

The sun is fighting its way through here in Dorchester…

Ever since being a waste inspector back in Essex in 1999 I have thought this. So much perfectly recyclable stuff chucked into old quarries. It is just the timeframe I wonder about…

This.

Spotted some frogs in a ditch near Camelot. Yeah, that’s how I roll!

I must say I LOVE starring in other people’s weeknotes! Billy loves it too!

Enjoy my newest listed building blog… yes really! #MHCLG #Planning mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/02/20/b...

Contract notice – Open Access LandIS Portal www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/00550... Defra has initiated a £6 million procurement to "open up" access to the National Soil Map and other key soil datasets held by Cranfield Uni. #Opendata?? #landuse #agritech #geospatial HT @mikerose.co.uk

Hey @owenboswarva.bsky.social our friend @alexrcoley.bsky.social has just drawn my attention to this -> www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/00550... Others might be interested too because how I read this is Defra are paying over 6m to open* up IPR that was given away… (*open not defined)

4 days left to apply for this ace role in our team 😃 Please share for reach 🙏🏻