Open Government action plan 2021 to 2025: commitment progress report - summaries

June to September 2025

Overview of Action Plan progress and key updates from each of the 5 commitments from July to September 2025.

Commitment 1: fiscal openness and transparency

Overview

Approaching the end of this Action Plan there has been limited additional progress in our commitment.

Key updates

Data accessibility

We intend to use insights from our benchmarking and exploratory work on data accessibility using a fiscal portal to inform and structure work beyond the current Plan.

2026/27 Scottish Budget

There is continuing work to improve the availability and accessibility of information for the upcoming 2026/27 Scottish Budget.

Tax literacy

Research and best practice on tax literacy was published in August and will be used to identify small-scale projects to test approaches, working with stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement on tax issues

Additional engagement with stakeholders, including the Scottish Youth Parliament, was undertaken in September to explore topical tax issues, including council tax reform and wealth taxation.

Commitment 2: health and social care

Overview

In agreement with civil society partners, instead of reporting on progress, efforts have been focused on the work remaining for milestones still to be completed and will be reported on in a final commitment report.

Commitment 3: open data

Overview

Progress across the data and digital commitment continues to build momentum with a growing focus on improving stakeholder and public engagement. This is a key aspect of building capacity and capability in how users access and consume data, which can deliver better outcomes for people and communities. 

Key updates

New blog and video highlight open data innovation through collaboration

We’ve published a blog and video highlighting our recent collaboration with University of Edinburgh students. The project explored new ways to show the value of open data, including a pilot app that uses storytelling and gamification. These outputs offer fresh thinking for how we engage with open data and communicate its impact.

Collaborating to publish Ecosystem Fund grants data

We worked closely with the Scottish Government Ecosystem Fund policy team, their delivery partner, and the UK charity, 360Giving, to publish data on Ecosystem Fund grant awards in an open, accessible format. This supports greater transparency on grant funding and has provided important learning for publishing open data.

Involving users to improve Scottish Government’s open data publishing service

As part of an Agile alpha, during summer 2025, we ran a programme of user research involving moderated one-on-one usability testing sessions and unmoderated testing to understand how well a series of Open Data Portal prototypes and publisher tools can best meet our users’ needs.

Participating and making connections through the UK’s Open Data Camp

We are sponsoring and participating in the  UK's Open Data Camp, which is being held in Scotland for the first time since 2018.  Open Data Camp welcomes anyone with an interest in open data, transparency, and using technology for social good. We view the Open Data Camp to be an excellent way to build our networks in open data and listen to and learn from stakeholders.

Reflecting on learnings in open data policy

We have developed a slide pack, provisionally titled “Scotland’s Open Data Policy: what we’re doing and what’s next”.  This is based on our learnings from the activities we have been leading on following the publication of the independent report on open data in Scotland in 2024.  We intend to present these slides a Better Data Community of Practice event in November

Commitment 4: climate change

Overview

Internal promotion of Climate Policy Engagement Network (CPEN) is ongoing to raise awareness of CPEN and embed it into engagement plans across DG Net Zero. Director for Energy and Climate Change, Deputy Directors and other senior colleagues now have an increased awareness of and interest in CPEN as an engagement tool.

Key updates

Transport Just Transition Plan (TJTP)

CPEN members were informed when the transport just transition plan was published and how their contribution helped with this. 

Climate Change Plan (CCP)

CPEN will be offered regular updates on policy developments of the Climate Change Plan and an opportunity to discuss the new draft when it is published for consultation in late 2025.

Commitment 5: participation

Overview

The commitment has made progress since the previous OGP Steering Group in key areas of the National Performance Framework Advisory Group, Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund, internal training, research, and procurement. The commitment continues to face barriers in terms of resources and capacity (both from civil society and within government).  

Key updates

National Performance Framework Advisory Group 

The NPF Expert Reform Advisory Group met again in July 2025. Regular meetings have been set up going forward. Discussions with Reform Advisory Group members who volunteered additional support across the workstreams are taking place through August and September. These will help shape the development of outcomes and indicators and the implementation plan. 

Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund 

A further £1 million capital and £207,436 resource has been secured for year 4 of the fund. Year 4 launched on 4 August 2025. 

Participation Community Representatives 

Testing and engagement with internal staff has begun to better understand support needed to be an active participation community representative. Two engagement events took place in August and September to start this process of gathering feedback on the draft curriculum and learning materials that will be developed for the pilot scheme, which is looking to launch in early 2026. 

Research on trust 

A research intern has been recruited and began their placement in August 2025. It is intended that the project will result in a publishable report that provides a literature review of existing evidence on trust and sets out new analysis resulting from the project. If possible, this work will build on the previous research project to help SG to understand the impact of participation on levels of trust.   

Procurement mechanism for participation (Dynamic Purchasing System) 

Agreement across all relevant teams regarding the details included in the specification, and the equality impact assessment for this project has now been achieved. An Equality Impact Assessment for this initiative was published on 22 August 2025. Timescales to issue invitation to tender are now September/October 2025. 

National Participatory Budgeting Strategic Group (NPBSG) 

Due to lack of resource to support the group, there will be no further meetings. The strategic group will remain an aim to re-establish once appropriate support is in place.