Open Government Partnership

OGP Action Plan Co-creation Process: Final Report – Introduction from Juliet Swann, OGP Scotland Co-chair and Doreen Grove, Head of Open Government Scotland

August 17, 2026 by Open Government Team No Comments | Category Uncategorized

We are delighted to be sharing this report which sets out the findings from the
Open Government Scotland National Action Plan co-creation process.

Scotland’s fourth action plan is our ‘to do list’ for the next five years. Its
development has been a chance to have meaningful conversations with the public
that will serve as a beacon for third sector and civil service participants delivering
that action plan. Through this work, we wanted to bring people together to set out a
vision for what open government principles and ways of working aspire to.

We wanted to find out what trustworthy government looked like for people. And we
hoped to develop clear work areas in each of the thematic priorities that could map
onto appropriate areas of policy development.

We came into the process knowing that finding ways to talk to the public about
open government is not easy. The structures that provide the essential
accountability tools can feel complicated and bureaucratic. The pragmatism that
the collaboration between civil society and government requires often seems like a
lack of ambition. And with the best will in the world, open government cannot be all
things to all people.

But, with the support of SCDC, we have brought together the numerous
conversations that have happened online and in person over the past months into
this report, challenging Scotland’s Open Government Partnership to deliver on the
four commitment areas in ways that will continue this process of dialogue.
The co-creation process, and everyone’s contributions to it, will act as a
foundation to deliver on our shared ambitions across trust and transparency,
meaningful public participation, anti-corruption and accountability, and the ethical
use of digital technology, open data and information.

Looking ahead, between now and autumn, when the new Open Government
National Action Plan will be published, we will be carefully considering what we’ve
heard so that we can reflect those ideas in a draft National Action Plan which we
can all get behind. We will also continue to engage and involve participants in
this work as it progresses.

The National Action Plan will bring together statements around each of the four
themes, along with an indication of the early actions identified under each theme,
helping to illustrate the focus of the work over the coming years. Taking this
thematic approach means we can bring in new work areas that may benefit from
open government ways of working centered around trust and transparency.
We will also continue to develop the tools and processes that will help to make
sure the National Action Plan can be delivered collaboratively and effectively.

So, if you have participated in the process, we hope you see your thoughts and
ideas reflected here and we’d like to thank you for your time and your valuable
contributions. If you were not involved, you can read the interim reports to see how
we got here.

As the National Action Plan progresses and as we move from planning to
implementation, please do offer your feedback and ideas – or better yet, get in
touch to find out how you can help us ensure this new National Action Plan is one
that meets the aspirations of the co-creation process. Contact OpenGovernment@gov.scot

Doreen Grove – Head of Open Government, Scottish Government
Juliet Swann – Open Government Scotland Co-chair

Read the full report

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