Representatives from the Institute of Government, Engage Britain, Open Data Institute, and Women’s Equality Wales, are amongst an unprecedented intake to the UK’s leading civil society voice for open government.
The nine appointments (listed below) to the UK Open Government Network (UK OGN) steering committee will join representatives from equivalent networks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and others, to make the government more ‘open’ by increasing transparency, accountability, and the involvement of the people they serve.
- Miriam Levin, Chief Executive Officer, Engage Britain
- Julian Tait, Chief Executive, Open Data Manchester
- Resham Kotecha, Head of Policy, Open Data Institute
- Mor Rubenstein, Founder, Open Heroines
- Evelyn James, Diverse 5050 Campaign Manager, Women’s Equality Network Wales
- Josiah Mortimer, Chief Reporter, Byline Times
- Daniel Aldridge, Head of Policy, British Computing Society
- Tim Durrant, Programme Director, The Institute for Government
- Dr Ben Worthy, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics, Birkbeck
Kevin Keith, Chair of the UK Open Government Network, said: “Not all people are equally affected by policy choices. It is crucial that the leadership of the OGN has a depth of knowledge and breadth of experience to better recognise and respond to the lived realities of more people in the UK. These appointments are a significant step in the right direction and as a result open government will be all the better for it.”
The appointments coincide with a call for ideas (link to new story) to the latest UK National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP) which the UK OGN coordinates alongside the Cabinet Office in the UK government.
Previous NAPs have contained groundbreaking reforms in areas ranging from anti-corruption and open data to open contracting and beneficial ownership.
The production of a NAP is mandatory for members of the 75 country Open Government Partnership which the UK government helped form in 2012.
Responding to his appointment, Julian Tait, Chief Executive of Open Data Manchester said, “This is a really exciting opportunity to raise the profile of the Open Government Network and help it be more responsive to communities throughout the country.”