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gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Gavin Freeguard
@gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
5.4K followers 2K following 1.1K posts
Data/govt etc freelancer gavinfreeguard.com

Starting sotf.org.uk

@connectedbydata.org, Data Bites @publicdigital.bsky.social, @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, Think Digital Partners, @kinship.works, @transformgovtalks.bsky.social

Pic @paulclarke.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
I've been trying to keep track of big govt data/digital appts at Data Bites this year (inc this week, bit.ly/databites60)

Today, @politico.eu Morning Tech UK reports that yesterday, minister Ian Murray told the Sci/Tech cttee there will be no chief digital officer (it'll be DSIT perm sec instead)
A slide from this week's Data Bites intro presentation showing previous, interim and new holders of various government data and digital roles. Titled 'DSIT up and take notice', it shows: DSIT perm sec: previous Sarah Munby; new Emran Mian Govt chief digital officer: previous Mike Potter; interim Joanna Davinson; new tbc Govt chief data officer: previous Craig Suckling; interim Lindsay Mason; new Aimee Smith Govt chief AI officer: new role; new tbc National Statistician: previous Sir Ian Diamond; interim Emma Rourke; new tbc ONS perm sec: previous Sir Ian Diamond; new Darren Tierney UKSA Chair: previous Sir Robert Chote; interim Penny Young; new tbc
November 20, 2025 at 7:55 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
TWO WEEKS TODAY!

It's Data Bites #60 @publicdigital.bsky.social, with Welsh Govt, Office for Stats Regulation, ONS and the Greater London Authority - sign up now public.digital/events/data-...

And catch up on Data Bites #59, last month's AI special public.digital/pd-insights/...
Simon McLellan from the Met Office presents at Data Bites 59. He is at the front, on the right of the image, with a 'Data Bites' banner to the right and a screen with a slide full of text to the left. Further left is a clock displaying 01:18. The backs of audience members on green chairs are visible.
November 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
🚨 DATA BITES KLAXON 🚨

- Tues 18 Nov, 530 for 6pm
- Online & SW1
- Welsh Govt on StatsWales reimagined
- Office for Statistics Regulation on the new Code of Practice
- GLA on the Data for London Library
- ONS on Census 2031 topic consultation and user insight

Join us! public.digital/events/data-...
A photo from Data Bites 50 in November 2024, courtesy of Paul Clarke. Backs of audience heads are visible. On the right of the image, I'm sat at the front with a corner of screen visible. On the left is the iconic Data Bites countdown clock, displaying 04:34
November 3, 2025 at 2:38 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
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...
A photo of the article in the physical edition of The House magazine
October 28, 2025 at 2:33 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Happy Data Bites (AI special) week!

Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me, 6pm Thurs 23 Oct, & hear from:
- @metoffice.gov.uk on AI opportunities
- @scottishaialliance.bsky.social on children's rights & AI
- JDAC (Cab Office) on making data interactive
- Govt Internal Audit Agency on GIAA’s Engines
A photograph (courtesy of Paul Clarke) of me hosting Data Bites in November 2024. I'm stood behind a lectern (back of audience's heads visible), in front of a banner reading 'Data Bites' and a photo of lightning on the wall
October 20, 2025 at 9:10 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
I feel like the sub enjoyed this one
A BBC headline which reads: Head coach Wellens departs St Helens
October 9, 2025 at 2:07 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
I mean, would watch
Extract from the linked piece: Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that Starmer should do away with the speech and instead make a video of himself trying unusual American snacks, performing TikTok dances or compiling a tier-list of his favourite cabinet ministers.
September 30, 2025 at 9:03 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
🤨
Screenshot from the linked New Statesman piece: 'Documents also show Blair personally intervened to urge Kyle to embrace AI, telling him in a private meeting that there was “no other solution to productivity, no other route to growth”, and that AI was “the UK’s economic future”. Blair also encouraged Kyle to meet with the Ellison Institute of Technology, a for-profit research institute that works via a group of internal companies based in Oxford funded by the Oracle chief – and “emphasised the importance of the national data library”, according to a response to an FoI. In May, Kyle told his officials to work with TBI on the nascent national data library (NDL) project. “Attaching the initial scoping work from TBI here,” he wrote in an email to his team. 'A UK government spokesperson said it engaged with a “wide range of stakeholders” in the development of policy, adding: “The government publishes quarterly details of ministers’ and certain senior officials’ meetings with all external individuals and organisations.”'
September 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Remember to sign up for the next @publicdigital.bsky.social Data Bites, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept (central London & online)

Speakers include ONS, DBT & Youth Futures Foundation public.digital/events/data-...

We've also started publishing individual videos of our speakers public.digital/data-bites-s...
Screenshot of the Data Bites landing page, with individual videos broken out. These each have a vertical block - four wide - with photograph, title, blurb and link. These are below a heading of 'Previous Data Bites', with a header menu and the p.d logo. The ones in shot are: Tracking environmental harm in real time Kate Marks talked about a new digital service they’ve just launched for reporting environmental incidents at the Environment Agency Digital sustainability in UK government Tom Parry gave us an overview of efforts within the department and UK government more widely around digital sustainability. Data and waste management Liz Lutgendorff, Senior Digital Transformation Manager at the North London Waste Authority, speaks about why tracking waste is hard. Council Climate Action Scorecards Isaac Beevor, and Alex Parsons talked about their work on measuring UK local authority climate action through their bi-annual Council Climate Action Scorecards.
September 9, 2025 at 2:57 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
well quite
A screenshot of the Ministers page on GOV.UK, which is missing the usual portraits, names and titles and carries a message saying 'This page is currently being updated.'
September 5, 2025 at 4:38 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
The 'distracted boyfriend' meme. A man in the centre, representing No 10, is ignoring his girlfriend, labelled 'grown ups', for another woman, also labelled 'grown ups'
September 2, 2025 at 8:54 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
🚨 NEW DATA BITES 🚨

Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me in person/online, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept, for Data Bites #58!

Speakers will include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Fdn, on their dashboard
- DBT on matching companies across datasets

public.digital/events/data-...
A silver laptop is open, with a pink background. The screen has the following text (in black) on a background of light pink with bright pink dots: data bites #58 18 September 2025 18:00 GMT pd
September 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
A week today!

Join me and a stellar cast @instituteforgovernment.org.uk to reflect on the the 25th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act - and what the future of FoI should look like

Sign up now www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/foi-ac...
An image promoting the event with photographs of speakers. Text reads: The Freedom of Information Act at 25: What next for freedom of information? Wednesday 3 September | 12:00-13:30 Jenna Corderoy, Investigative reporter at Democracy for Sale Dr Louise Crow, Chief Executive of mySociety Dr Ben Worthy, Lecturer at Birkbeck University John Edwards, Information Commissioner Lord Charlie Falconer, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (2003–07) Lynn Wyeth, Executive Board Member of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, and Executive Board Member of The National Association of Data Protection and Freedom of Information Officers (NADPO) Gavin Freeguard, Associate of the Institute for Government.
August 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Poster for concert. Text reads: New Tottenham Singers with orchestra VIVALDI - GLORIA PURCELL - DIDO+AENEAS Saturday 19th July 2025 | 7.30pm St Mary's Church, Stoke Newington Advance tickets: £15* (Under 18s & full-time students £10*) *£20/£12 on the door Get your tickets now at TOTTENHAMSINGERS.COM
July 17, 2025 at 9:49 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
July 15, 2025 at 7:55 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
The Trump administration 🤝 the 1985 World Snooker Championship final
A headline from Politico West Wing Playbook, 'Steve Davis did not go quietly'
July 15, 2025 at 6:34 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
It's our second environment/sustainability special of 2025, after Data Bites 54 in April

public.digital/data-bites-s...
DWP's Ishmael Burdeau presents virtually at Data Bites 54. He is on a screen, on the right, with me sat on the left in front of a lightning image on the wall. Audience heads are visible. Photo by @paulclarke.com Matt Fry, from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, presents at Data Bites 54. His image is on a large screen in front of the audience. Photo by @paulclarke.com Isaac Beevor, from Climate Emergency UK, and Alex Parsons, from mySociety, present at Data Bites 54. Isaac points at a bar chart on a screen behind him, while Alex stands to the side behind a lectern. Photo by @paulclarke.com Liz Lutgendorff from the North London Waste Authority presents at Data Bites 54. She stands behind a lectern, with images of tracking waste on the screen behind her. Photo by @paulclarke.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:47 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
See also
A hairdresser in Ghent, named 'Hairway to Heaven '
June 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
They have a sense of humour in Ghent
A photo of a medieval garderobe - toilet - at the Gravensteen in Ghent. There is a modern sign above it making clear it should not be treated as a toilet today.
June 13, 2025 at 8:29 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Citizen participation in policy making and tech governance - useful matrix from @fecampagnucci.com at @mysociety.org #TICTeC in Mechelen
Fernanda stands on stage behind a lectern, next to a TICTeC banner. Her slide takes up most of the image, projected on a screen. The slide includes a two by two matrix, and the quadrants are: - Top left, low involvement in tech governance, high in policy: citizens as opinion-giving 'users' - Bottom left, low in tech governance, low in policy: citizens as sensors - Bottom right, high in tech governance, low in policy: citizens as collaborators - Top right, high in tech governance, high in policy: citizens as democratic architects
June 11, 2025 at 7:51 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Our event space!

Decent view
A view out of the windows from the top floor of The Spine - there is a cathedral either side of the window partition, the Anglican Cathedral to the left and the Metropolitan Cathedral to the right
June 4, 2025 at 12:37 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
I think I'm in the right place
A picture of me looking slightly windswept in front of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
June 4, 2025 at 12:24 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
Tony Blair on stage with Sam Bankman-Fried (and Bill Clinton) at the Crypto Bahamas conference, 2022
June 2, 2025 at 9:06 PM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
It was great to have Isaac from CE UK and @alexparsons.bsky.social from @mysociety.org talk about this at @publicdigital.bsky.social Data Bites recently: public.digital/data-bites-s...
Isaac Beevor (left), from Climate Emergency UK, and Alex Parsons, from mySociety (right, behind a lectern and in front of a standing banner reading 'Data Bites'), present at Data Bites 54. Photo by @paulclarke.com
May 15, 2025 at 10:02 AM
gavinfreeguard.bsky.social
The most upsetting thing on the BBC Sport website right now

(and I say this as an Arsenal fan and a Welshman)
A terrible, terrible doughnut chart showing which clubs players selected by the Lions (rugby union) come from
May 9, 2025 at 7:50 AM