A total of 294,548 notices were placed on The Gazette in 2020. From deceased estates to zoo licensing, we look at the past year by official public notice numbers.

How many notices were published in The Gazette in 2020?

In 2020, The Gazette published 294,548 notices by registered and verified persons acting in an official capacity. These included:

• 73,218 Corporate insolvency notices
• 21,516 Personal insolvency notices
• 34,281 Deceased estates notices
• 567 Unclaimed estates notices
• 2,476 Changes of name notices

Other state and public sector notices included:

• 168 Coronavirus notices notices
• 40 Marriage acts notices
• 54 Scottish Parliament notices
• 3 Royal household appointments notices
• 2,154 Road traffic acts notices
• 106Proclamations notices
• 6 Zoo licencing notices
• 9 Medicines notices

How many honours were awarded in the Queen’s Birthday and New Year honours lists in 2020?

There were a total of 2,148 GBE, KBE, DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE honours awarded to individuals in the Queen’s Birthday and New Year honours lists, with many recognised for their contribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. Appointments were given for services to:

• The NHS
• Social Care
• Charity
• Science
• Fire and Rescue
• Business
• Fishing
• Literature
• Association Football
• Snakebite Research

How many UK companies were incorporated in 2020?

There were 365,495 companies incorporated in 2020, including the incorporation of these business types:

• 1,153 Taxi operation
• 264 Demolition
• 150 Manufacture of beer
• 118 Retail sale by opticians
• 31 Archives activities
• 31 Manufacture of professional and arcade games and toys
• 11 Growing of citrus fruits

Why place official notices in The Gazette?

The Gazette provides a permanent, official public record of important statutory and non-statutory notices that can be used to support legal and other processes, and act as a means of advertising public notices.

There are various reasons as to why notices are placed in The Gazette, depending on the notice itself. Placing a deceased estates notice in The Gazette, for example, ensures that sufficient effort has been made to locate creditors before distributing an estate to beneficiaries. This protects the executor (or trustee) from being liable for claims from unidentified creditors.

Many other notices are required to be placed in The Gazette by law, as they provide the public with accessible and verifiable official records.

How do I place a notice in The Gazette?

If you are an authorised notice placer and wish to place a notice on The Gazette, you will need to register as one. Once your registration has been accepted you can place any notice that you are authorised to place – though you may be required to provide additional supporting information before the notice can be published.

There are various methods available for notice submission, and the most appropriate method for you will depend on the type and quantity of notices you wish to place:

• web form (online)
• Excel template (online)
• XML (online)
• API (application program interface) (online)
• post (offline)
• fax (offline)
• email (offline)

Should you have any questions regarding placing a notice in The Gazette, please contact our customer services team by email (customer.services@thegazette.co.uk) or by telephone (+44 (0)333 200 2434).

See also

Placing notices in The Gazette

Gazette notices

Notice codes for all Gazette notices

Place an insolvency notice

Place a Deceased Estates notice

Publication date: 19 January 2021