An index of how Britain actually works
Britain documents itself unusually well. GOV.UK is one of the best public information services in the world. The problem is that it is written for the process rather than for the person holding the letter, it rarely says which of four governments is responsible, and it assumes you already know which question to ask.
The site exists because the searches exist. “Why is my tax code 0T.” “Can my landlord keep my deposit for cleaning.” “How do I register with a GP with no proof of address.” “Who do I complain to about my energy supplier.” These are ordinary, answerable questions, and the results people get back are usually one of three things: a GOV.UK page written in process language, a law firm’s lead magnet, or content-farm filler that is confidently describing England to someone in Scotland.
Our answer to that is boring and structural. One question per page. A direct answer in the first screen. The full explanation underneath. The differences between the four nations spelled out rather than averaged. A source list you can click. A date so you know how stale the numbers are. And a visible line between what an authority said and what we concluded.
- Long-form pages
- 40
- Quick answers
- 16
- Citations
- 283
- Topics
- 12
No sponsored answers
No page on this site recommends a commercial product in exchange for payment. Where a page names a company — an energy supplier, a bank, a broadband provider — it is because the company is unavoidable in the answer, and the naming is neutral. Comparison pages point at Ofgem-accredited comparison services and at MoneyHelper rather than at affiliate funnels, because those are impartial and are not paid to rank anyone.
BritIndex is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a publication of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Executive or any public body. Where a page describes a government process, it links to that government’s page.
Three ways in
Corrections
If something here is wrong, out of date, or true in England and stated as if it were true across the UK, we want to know. Corrections are made against the source and the page’s verified date is moved forward. The method behind all of this is set out in full on Sources & method.