One Stop Shop for local data

Emma Hickman, Deputy Director for Subnational Statistics and Analysis at the Office for National Statistics, explains how the ONS has launched a new service, which combines an array of local data into one place, ensuring that decision-makers across the UK are efficiently gaining valuable insights on local areas.

It’s no secret that reliable evidence is the foundation on which effective policy needs to be built. But for those in local government, getting your hands on data at a local level isn’t always easy.

While the ONS and other public bodies already gather a lot of local data that can give us all kinds of fascinating insights into different communities and geographic areas, these data aren’t always easy to find or combine, as they are published across many different websites and are often hidden within larger national datasets.

The situation is further complicated by the complex and evolving landscape of statistical and administrative geographies and by the devolved nature of important policies, which might make it harder for users to find the data for the local area they are interested in.

Despite these challenges, there is still significant demand for subnational statistics which is why we’ve created a new service that puts local data at your fingertips.

Explore Local Statistics service

Available through the ONS website, our Explore Local Statistics service allows you to see how a geographical area is doing on a range of indicators, how things have changed over time, and how it compares to other areas or the rest of the country.

The service also lets you explore local statistics by indicator, giving you the option to delve into one topic across multiple areas, rather than focusing only on one area. Users can even compare their area of choice to other statistically similar areas, as the service incorporates local authority clustering analysis.

All of this is made possible by bringing together in one place a wealth of publicly available data sources published by ONS, other public bodies or Devolved Administrations.

Supporting local decision making

To complement what the service offers to local users, we have established ONS Local, an analytical advisory service that supports local government across the English regions and the Devolved Administrations in accessing and making the best use of local data, and in identifying and filling local data gaps.

Both ONS Local and the Explore Local Statistics service are part of an ambitious three-year project funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. As part of the project, we are also delivering a suite of new granular statistics, analysis, and place-based insight. Some recent successes of the project and wider collaborations include an interactive to explore house and rent prices in your local area, estimates of gross value added (GVA) at ‘building block’ level, and analysis on consumer spending habits on a local level.

Recognition and looking ahead

In addition to receiving overwhelmingly positive user feedback since launch, with some local government bodies even embedding and referring to our pages on their own websites, we have also just won the prestigious Campion Award for ‘Excellence in Official Statistics’ at the Royal Statistical Society Awards.

Currently we are expanding the range of datasets available in the service, and we plan to make it more resilient by further automating the data gathering process and by making improvements through user feedback.

As this is a Beta service, thus still in development, your feedback is important to help us improve it. You can submit anonymously via the feedback form or via email to [email protected]. Find out more about how the service works through this video demonstration, then head over to Explore Local Statistics and explore it for yourself!

https://vimeo.com/963360774/41bac0e959?share=copy