GCS Chief Executive shares future outlook on Government communications
This week, the Government Communication Service (GCS) published the Government Communication Plan 2024/25.
The Plan sets out the actions we’ll be taking in 2024/25 to support the Prime Minister’s domestic and international priorities in the year ahead. It highlights the brilliant work that communicators across government will do to help solve some of the UK’s biggest challenges. Above all, it shows the power of communication as a lever for the Government to achieve policy goals – from helping people stop smoking and reducing road deaths, to encouraging energy efficiency and driving trade and investment.
Events over the past year have required our teams to come together and rise to new challenges. From the ongoing war in Ukraine and events in the Middle East, to the cost of living crisis, communication has been at the heart of the Government’s response. We’ve also delivered some of the UK’s most recognisable campaigns – ‘Help for Households’, ‘Made in the Royal Navy’ and the international GREAT campaign, to name a few. The impact of communication is clear; the ‘It All Adds Up’ energy efficiency campaign has saved UK households an estimated minimum of £120 million on energy bills in 2023/24, while VisitBritain’s international marketing campaigns resulted in £210 million worth of additional visitor spend. I’m proud of all the teams across GCS who have contributed to these successes.
In 2024/25, our collective efforts will be focused on the following six key areas, aligned to the Prime Minister’s priorities:
- Economy and skills – Supporting UK businesses and giving employers access to the skilled workforce they need.
- Health and the NHS – Improving the nation’s mental and physical health and helping people to access the highest quality care.
- Supporting families and communities – Promoting the support and schemes available to improve individual, social and community wellbeing.
- Security at home and abroad – Promoting foreign and defence policies, challenging mis- and disinformation, and protecting the public from crime.
- Public sector recruitment – Drive sufficient volumes of high-quality applications for roles across the wider public sector.
- Public services – Enable public services to run safely and effectively by delivering essential and life-saving messaging.
As well as looking at what we will deliver, it’s just as important to consider the how. Our 2022-25 GCS Strategy, ‘Performance with Purpose’, has three themes: Collaboration, Innovation and Great People, and we’ve made great strides against each. From our new GCS AI Co-pilot and our crisis communications operating model, to our Locations Strategy to develop talent across the UK. We need to continue to foster a culture of innovation and break down silos to make our communications even more impactful and effective in the year ahead.
Find out more in the Government Communication Plan and our quick reference guide.