GDS reveals DWP Digital Academy will join its department

Government

The GDS has announced the Digital Academy will be moved to its division from the Department of Work and Pensions in order to "build capability across government" and help GDS get noticed.

"More and more we are going to make the work from GDS about transformation - not just digital," GDS director general Kevin Cunnington said.

"We have a superb team and I want our UK strategy to reflect the bold ambition that we have across government and the new challenges that now face us. We will have an updated and complete Digital Transformation Strategy before the end of the year."

The Digital Academy was set up to help the government digitise many of its services, putting an end to citizens sitting on hold when they phone government departments or having to fill in paper forms to sign up to services.

By bringing it into the GDS, Ben Gummer, paymaster general and minister for the Cabinet Office said it will centralise government service digital transformation services together, making it a much more efficient process to get all departments online, whether pensions, healthcare or anything else.

"These are significant moments, not just for GDS and the Cabinet Office, but for the millions of people who use Government services every day," Gummer explained.

"Our message is clear: we are working hard to make life easier for the people of the UK. We want our services to be simple, easy and efficient - I'm here today to reaffirm that commitment."

The GDS also announced it would be moving its offices to Aldgate, boasting new facilities that will help it do its job better. In the same breath, the government initiative revealed the GOV.UK Pay service has taken its first payment and will be ready for businesses to start using its transaction platform from autumn.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.