The annual accounts for the tech department, which is to be scrapped, paint a picture of a year in which DSIT ‘consolidated its role as the centre of digital transformation’
The Government Digital Service’s budget for the current fiscal year has been increased by more than 50% to a total in excess of £600m.
The recently published annual accounts for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – which is GDS’s current home, but is soon to be abolished – also show that the digital unit’s annual financial backing has grown almost sixfold in the space of five years.
The increased spending has come as GDS has been significantly enlarged by being reintegrated with the former Central Digital and Data Office in July 2024, and further bolstered by the addition of the Incubator for AI. The Geospatial Commission was also incorporated into GDS – although its budget remains as a separate line item on DSIT’s accounts.
The department’s annual numbers show that, in the 12-month period to the end of March 2026, GDS’s recorded spending for the year was £395.9m. This represents an increase of more than £100m on the FY25 figure of £283.4m.
An even bigger rise is planned to support the digital unit’s investments during the year that began four months ago, during which £618.7m is expected to be spent, the accounts reveal.
This represents a monetary increase of £222.8m, and a 56.5% rise on the figure recorded in the 2026 fiscal year.
The £600m-plus outturn for the current year is almost six times higher than the £111.4m spent by GDS during 2021/22 – just five years earlier.
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It is unclear whether and how the planned spending for this year might be affected by the decision taken by new prime minister Andy Burnham to abolish DSIT and move GDS into a new-look Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
In what now represents something of a eulogy to the organisation, DSIT permanent secretary Emran Mian’s annual performance review for 2025/26 says that the department “has this year consolidated its role as the centre of digital transformation, science and innovation in government”.
“The Government Digital Service has continued to deliver visibly for the public it serves, Mian adds. “The Roadmap for Modern Digital Government, published in January 2026, set out how we will deliver against the blueprint through to 2030. GOV. UK One Login now has around 12 million accounts; the GOV.UK App moved into public beta in July 2025 with over 300,000 downloads to date; and GOV.UK Wallet now houses its first credential, the digital veteran card. Cross-government AI products built inside DSIT, including Consult, Redbox and the Frontier AI Exemplars, are now in active use across departments. The new CustomerFirst unit, launched in January, brings together civil service and private sector expertise to rewire end-to-end public services, beginning with DVLA.”
The DSIT perm sec has now been replaced as leader of government’s digital and data profession by his counterpart at DCMS – Susannah Storey.