Earlier this week, we spoke to James Downes, our Head of Product, about the importance of customer insight.

As part of our newly-launched transformation programme, James is heavily involved with transforming our customer-facing digital products and services.

Transformation can mean different things to different organisations. But, for us, it can be summarised using our vision of ‘brilliant people, brilliant systems and brilliant services’.

So, what does this really mean and what do we want to achieve?

As the UK’s registry of limited companies, we’re responsible for incorporating and dissolving limited companies, registering company information and making that information available to the public. The fundamentals of what we do are not going to change. But, how we do it will change as part of the transformation programme.

Our digital products range from filing services, where customers can incorporate and dissolve their companies, right through to the other end of the product spectrum – where customers can view company information by using one of our search tools.

James said:

The important thing for us is that we develop brilliant digital products and services and that we develop and maintain a great reputation for all our services, our processes and our people.

But, to do this, we need input from our customers and stakeholders.

Our survey has been running for almost 3 months. We’ve received over 30,000 responses so far, which is great. But, we still need more.

James explains:

We want anybody that uses our services to take part in our latest survey. Companies, directors, secretaries, accountants – all those that file documents to Companies House.

The results will give us the information we need to improve our products and services, and help shape our future development.

He adds:

We also want to hear from people that use our products and services to consume information. And, of course, we want to hear from our stakeholders.

We have a lot of people who have a ‘stake’ in what we do here at Companies House. Formation agents, big accountancy firms, trade press, government, for example.

It’s important that they have a say in any future direction we may take. So, we would very much like to hear from them too. Basically, if you have contact with Companies House – we want to hear from you.

Over to you.

Our survey closes on 7 August, so there’s still time for you to take part. It’ll only take you 10 minutes to complete, and you’ll have the chance to enter a free prize draw to win an iPad Pro.

New Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP sees housing delivery in action on a visit to Rochester Riverside development in Medway today (26 July 2018) as part of his role in building a housing market fit for the future.

Hot off the heels of major planning reforms announced earlier this week by the government, the minister joined council leader Alan Jarrett to tour the Medway-based development, meet apprentices and see how the site is helping to support the needs of the community.

Working closely with joint landowners, Medway Council and Homes England, Countryside has already started 400 of the 1,400 homes since work began in 2018.

Minister of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse MP said:

There are few missions more important than building more homes in the places that desperately need them.

Rochester Riverside is a great example of high quality, well designed homes with the infrastructure needed to create thriving communities that people want to live in. This is exactly what is at the heart of our new planning rule book which will help to deliver the 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s.

Leader of Medway Council, Councillor Alan Jarrett said:

We were delighted to welcome the new Minster of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse, to Medway and show him our flagship regeneration site, Rochester Riverside.

Here we are undergoing a monumental regeneration programme and delivering developments across our 5 towns to provide new opportunities and growth for all our residents.

We recognise the importance of meeting the housing demand and providing a range of accommodation, from luxury riverside homes to affordable.

We have a rich cultural heritage and this year represents our twentieth anniversary, in which we are celebrating the huge transformation journey.

We will continue to strengthen our economy, as well as provide further housing opportunities, over the next 20 years. It’s definitely an exciting future for those who choose to live, learn, work and visit Medway.

Touring the first phase of the construction site, the minister saw for himself the design and materials used as the homes were being prepared for new residents to move in.

He also met apprentice brick layers working on the site, building the homes while also learning valuable skills to set them up for the future.

The minister’s visit follows the launch of the new National Planning Policy Framework on 24 July 2018, setting out new requirements for delivering high quality new homes, giving the community a real say in development proposals and also introducing tougher environmental protections that safeguard wildlife and air quality.

The government has been clear on its ambition to achieve 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s, which follows 217,000 homes built last year, the biggest increase in housing supply in England for almost a decade.

Expanding the scope of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), and guided by the government’s Internet Safety Strategy, UKCIS will work to improve the online safety of everyone in the UK, particularly the needs of groups who are often disproportionately targets of online abuse.

Today the Government has opened the application process to appoint members of the UKCIS Executive Board, offering experienced and committed organisations or individuals the chance to help make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

UKCIS will bring together a partnership of more than 200 organisations representing government, regulators, industry, law enforcement, academia and charities.

Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries said:

Only through collaborative action will the UK be the safest place to be online. By bringing together key stakeholders, from the tech giants to the third sector, UKCIS will be the cornerstone of this effort; driving the development of technical solutions and equipping UK citizens to tackle online harms.

David Wright, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre at SWGfL, a charitable trust that specialises in online safety, said:

To build a safer internet, we need to work across sectors and disciplines, making sure we learn from the experiences of a wide variety of citizens. We welcome the new opportunities provided by the UK Council for Internet Safety, and look forward to working closely with the new Council”.

Priority areas of focus will include online harms such as cyberbullying and sexual exploitation; radicalisation and extremism; violence against women and girls; hate crime and hate speech; and forms of discrimination against groups protected under the Equality Act, for example on the basis of disability or race.

The proposal to expand the remit of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety was outlined in the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper in October 2017. The new Council will have specific objectives reflecting children and young people’s special needs for care and protection, and will build on the pioneering work of UKCCIS in this area. The Executive Board will contain representatives of children’s organisations.

Reflecting a cross-government approach to internet safety, the UKCIS Executive Board will have three co-Ministerial chairs from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Home Office and the Department for Education. It will also include representatives from the Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The application process opens today and will close at 1pm on 3 September 2018.

Today (26 July 2018) the Aviation Minster, Liz Sugg visited the International Aviation Academy in Norwich where she met the talented individuals who will help shape the future of the UK aviation industry.

During a tour of the purpose-built facility alongside Chloe Smith MP, the minister was shown a full size operational aircraft which is used in aviation simulations and spoke to students taking part in a range of training programmes.

The minister also saw the workshops where the trainees are taught a host of academic, practical and industry skills that will propel them into local, national and international aviation jobs.

In a demonstration of the expertise being passed on to them, the students talked the minister through the starboard 737 engine explaining how it generates mechanical power within an aircraft’s propulsion system.

Aviation Minister, Liz Sugg, said:

The International Aviation Academy is providing world-class training and teaching to students who will undoubtedly shape the future of one of our most successful industries.

By working with local schools, colleges and universities, it has helped create new opportunities for young people offering them a route into an exciting and rewarding career.

As the home of the first commercial aircraft ever to be built from metal, Norwich has a proud history of innovation in aviation and I am pleased to see the increasingly important role this city is playing in the sector’s future.

Member of Parliament for Norwich North, Chloe Smith, said:

We can be very proud to show off these innovative new facilities in north Norwich which open up exciting skills and big prospects.

Up to 450 students are trained at the academy each year, learning the skills needed to work in air traffic control, airport operations and other areas of the aviation industry.

Based in Norwich, the facility offers a wealth of potential employers for those with industry training. Located on the site of Norwich International Airport it also offers impressive connectivity and exceptional educational partners.

Simon Witts, Aviation Skills Partnership’s (ASP) Founder & Executive Chairman, said:

I am delighted to welcome Baroness Sugg, minister for aviation, to this world-first aviation academy in Norwich: part of ASP’s plan to restore the UK to its position as one of the world’s leading sources of skilled people to support the growing aviation industry worldwide.

Made possible through funding from Norfolk County Council, Norse and the New Anglia LEP along with the early vision of Norwich Airport, we are proud to be working with KLM UK Engineering, University of East Anglia and City College Norwich to offer our unique Aviation Engineering Pathway with the other areas of aviation training following shortly.

I am proud of the role that we can play, through this academy and others to follow, in offering aviation as a civil or military career to people of all ages and walks of life. It is a great industry and the UK has a rich heritage of aircraft innovation, design, manufacture and operation. But there is a critical shortfall of young skill and in the UK aviation sector and this situation is forecast to worsen in the future.

The aviation skills partnership is looking forward to working with Baroness Sugg to address this shortfall and, in this 100th year of the Royal Air Force, to inspiring a new generation for the future.

The Aviation Minister and Chloe Smith MP also visited Norwich Airport where some of the academy’s students may one day work. Here, they were taken on a tour of the terminal and the helicopter facilities.

Serving more than half a million passengers each year, Norwich is one of the best connected regional airports in the UK.

Earlier this month, the Civil Aviation Authority released its airport accessibility report for 2017/18 which revealed that Norwich Airport is leading the way in accessibility for disabled passengers and those with mobility restrictions.

Norwich Airport Managing Director, Richard Pace, said:

We were delighted to welcome the aviation minister Baroness Sugg and Chloe Smith MP to the airport.

As part of the tour, we were able demonstrate the very positive growth story happening here and the critical role that regional airports can play in future connectivity.

We need government to recognise the potential that Norwich and other airports have and the contribution they can make particularly as we leave the European Union.

Areas such as air passenger duty exemptions or holidays would make a significant difference and we look forward to further engagement with the government on these and other topics.

Member of Parliament for Norwich North, Chloe Smith, said:

The airport is an important asset for Norwich and the area. As the constituency MP I set out to discuss with the minister what our region needs to thrive.