LGA Research bulletin

This monthly publication keeps you informed of key issues and developments in research impacting on, or of interest to, local government.


February 2024 Analysis and Research Bulletin

Welcome to the Local Government Association (LGA) Analysis and Research Bulletin. 

This comprehensive monthly publication keeps you informed about key issues and developments in research impacting on local government.

The bulletin brings together the work of the LGA and also features relevant publications from the wider research community. The information in this bulletin is grouped under themed areas. This publication is produced by LGA Research and Information and we provide high-quality analysis and research across all aspects of local government.

A new archive providing back-dated copies of this bulletin is now available.

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Health and social care

Household support fund survey report

In January 2024, the LGA conducted a survey of single-tier and county councils to identify the impact likely to result from the Government’s plan not to extend the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024. 

Fuel poverty report: 2023 - England

This fuel poverty report from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy includes data on the number of households living in fuel poverty in England. 

Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: January 2024 - England

These Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) adult social care statistics provide information on a range of topics including infection control measures and COVID-19 vaccinations in adult social care settings in January 2024 in England.

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 31 January to 11 February 2024

This Office for National Statistics (ONS) article provides social insights on daily life and events from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) relating to the biggest issues facing society today in Great Britain between 31 January and 11 February 2024.

Making care closer to home a reality

This report from The King’s Fund considers the importance of the health and care system in England refocusing away from hospital care, to primary and community services.   

Child sexual abuse in 2022/23: trends in official data

This report from The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) provides analysis of the latest data across local authorities, policing, criminal justice and sexual assault referral centres and explores how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to in England and Wales. 

Inequalities in life expectancy: how the UK compares

This report from the Health Foundation shows the extent of inequality in life expectancy in the UK compared to a number of other countries.

Education and young people

Key stage 4 performance 2022 to 2023 academic year – England (revised)

These Department for Education (DfE) key stage 4 statistics provide information on the achievements of young people in England, in the 2022/2023 academic year.

A level and other 16 to 18 results: 2022 to 2023 academic year (revised) - England

These DfE statistics provide information on the overall achievement of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study in England by the end of the 2022/23 academic year.

Secondary school performance data: 2022 to 2023 academic year
(revised) - England

The DfE statistics provide information on the achievements of pupils at key stage 4 in England at school level, multi-academy trust level and in local authority area

Pupil attendance in schools covering the period 11 September 2023 to 9 February 2024 - England

These DfE statistics provide data on the levels of attendance and overall, authorised and unauthorised absence in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, covering the period 11 September 2023 to 9 February 2024 in England.

Children living with parents in emotional distress: March 2022 update covering 2019 to 2020 - UK

This report from the Department for Health, Improvement and Disparities provides information on the proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress, by family type and work status between 2019 and 2020 in the UK.

Transport

Electric vehicle charging device statistics: January 2024 - UK

These Department for Transport (DfT) statistics provide information on the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging devices in the UK in January 2024

The path to inclusive footways

This report about inclusive footways from Sustrans and Transport for All, commissioned by the LGA, details the barriers faced by people accessing the footway and the challenges facing local authorities when making footways accessible.

Regional rail usage: April 2022 to March 2023

These annual Office of Rail and Road (ORR) regional rail usage statistics provide passenger journeys data for each region of Great Britain, including journeys between regions, within regions and between England, Scotland and Wales from April 2022 to March 2023.

Environment

Local authority collected waste management - annual results 2022-2023 financial year - England

These Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) statistics provide the final annual results for local authority collected waste generation and management for England in 2022 to 2023

Key findings -  statistical digest of rural England – February 2024

This document from Defra pulls together the key findings from each of the seven thematic reports that make up the Statistical Digest of Rural England.

The people and nature surveys for England: Adults’ survey data - July 2023 to September 2023

This survey from Natural England gathers information on people’s experiences and views about the natural environment, and its contributions to our health and wellbeing. The latest update provides data covering the period 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023

Final UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics: 1990 to 2022

These statistics from the Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero provide final estimates of UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2022

Local government

LGA Heads of Communications survey

The LGA Heads of Communications’ survey 2023 report provides information on the current state of local government communications at the local authority level. The survey was conducted to enable the LGA to capture the views of the sector on issues such as the size and structure of communications teams, budgets and future strategies.

Metrics added to LG Inform this month include:

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates 

Weekly and monthly maximum LHA rates for the 2024/25 financial year have been published by the Valuation Office Agency, based on Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA) 30th percentile letting figures. The available metrics have been expanded in LG Inform to include weekly LHA for one bedroom with shared facilitiesone bedroom with exclusive use of other facilitiestwo bedroom property, three bedroom property, and four bedroom property. The highest possible weekly LHA in England from April 2024 will be £704.22 up from £593.75 in 2023/24, this latter figure unchanged since 2020/21.  

Available Geographies: London borough – Metropolitan District – Unitary– District  

Mid-year population estimates 

The Median age of population has been added to LG Inform which is part of the ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates. The median age of population residents of England for 2022 was 40.5 years, up from 39.5 in 2012. The area with the lowest median age was Tower Hamlets at 30.5 years and the highest medium age is North Norfolk at 55.3 years. 

Available Geographies: Country – Region – County – London borough – Metropolitan District – Unitary – District 
 
Monthly deaths 

For the first time the ONS deaths registered monthly for each local authority have been added to LG Inform. The latest data for January 2024 shows that there were 55,009 in England, compared to 63,177 in January 2023. The rate of deaths per 100,000 resident population for England was 96.3 people in January 2024 down from 110.6 people in January 2023. 

Available Geographies: Country – Region – County – London borough – Metropolitan District – Unitary– District 

Employment, pay and workforce

Job boom or job bust? The effect of the Pandemic on actual and measured job and employment growth

This National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) article considers the effect of the Pandemic on actual and measured job and employment growth in the UK.

Ethnic diversity in the teaching workforce: evidence review

This National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER) review of research identifies the barriers and promising approaches to support recruitment, retention and progression of people of colour within the teaching workforce. 

Labour market in the regions of the UK: February 2024

These ONS labour market statistics provide information on regional, local authority and Parliamentary constituency breakdowns of changes in UK employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other related statistics.

Employment in the UK – October and December 2023

These ONS labour market statistics provide estimates of employment, unemployment, inactivity, average weekly earnings, vacancies and other labour market related statistics for the UK between October and December 2023.

Economy

Caught in the middle? Insecurity and financial strain in the middle of the income distribution

This report from the Financial Fairness Trust considers the multiple pressures faced by people in different income bands, and particularly those in the middle of the distribution (the middle fifth of households ranked by income, adjusted for household size), that affect their ability to maintain a decent standard of living.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) first quarterly estimate, UK: October to December 2023 

These ONS statistics provide a first quarterly estimate of GDP in the UK for October to December 2023.  

Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators: 22 February 2024

These ONS statistics provide early experimental data and analysis on economic activity and social change in the UK for the period up to 22 February 2024.  

Retail sales Great Britain: December 2023 to January 2024

These ONS retail sales statistics provide a first estimate of sales in volume and value terms, seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted in Great Britain for December 2023 and January 2024.

Household costs Indices for UK household groups: October 2023 to December 2023

These ONS statistics provide estimates of inflation rates experienced by different types of household in the UK between October and December 2023

Services turnover in the UK: 2022

These ONS annual statistics provide information on the value of turnover from services provided by the UK service economy during 2022.

Forecasts for the UK economy: February 2024

This HM Treasury publication provides a comparison of independent forecasts for the UK economy in February 2024

Housing

Decarbonising homes

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published a research report that aims to identify complex-to-decarbonise homes and recommend retrofit solutions.

Social housing lettings in England, April 2021 to March 2022

These Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) statistics provide information on new social housing lettings in England in 2021/22 local authorities and private registered providers, covering tenancies and tenants.

Crime

Prison population projections: 2023 to 2028 – England and Wales

These Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics provide five-year projections for the population in England and Wales prisons.

Knife and offensive weapon sentencing statistics: July to September 2023 – England and Wales

These MoJ statistics provide information on trends in cautioning and sentencing of knife and offensive weapon offences between July and September 2023 in England and Wales.

Regular publications and events

Smith Square Debate: AI risks, rewards and councils’ readiness, Thursday 7 March 2024, 5.15pm - 7.00pm followed by networking

Following the UK’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit in November 2023, the LGA’s next Smith Square Debate will bring together a panel of expert speakers to discuss the risks and rewards of AI for local government, and explore the readiness and appetite of local councils to integrate AI into their systems and service delivery. 

LG Inform and LG Inform Plus webinar programme 2024

The LG Inform and LG Inform Plus programme of free webinars for spring 2024 are available.

To book a place and discover more about the data, report writing and the various modules on offer visit the online training page for more details and how to book. If you would like something more tailored to your needs, contact [email protected]

Data science in local government meet-up: advancing local analytics, Thursday 14 March, 10.00 – 12.45 - Online

Delivered by the Cross Public Sector Data Science Community and Data Cymru, this event supports both practitioners and leaders in building data science capability in local government. The meet-up includes an introduction to resources available to local government analysts, a workshop in modelling interconnected policy outcomes, and a panel on developing data strategy for your organisation. This event is for UK public sector employees only. Please use your public sector email address to register for the event or your booking will be void. 

Policy Research Unit older people/healthy ageing - webinar series 

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty/Healthy Ageing are launching a new webinar series to showcase a broad range of research delivered by the Unit informing health and social care policy and practice. See below the first three webinar themes, dates and times – please book for each webinar separately to secure a place.  If you have any questions or concerns about accessibility, please contact  [email protected]

Frailty, receipt of care and hospital admissions due to falls and fractures
Wednesday 13th March, 12-1pm. More information and to register.

Preferences for new models of social care for people with high care needs
Wednesday 17th April, 12-1pm. More information and to register.

Digitalisation of health and social care services for older adults: learning from COVID-19
Wednesday 15th May, 12-1pm. More information and to register. 

Social Research Association (SRA) training courses

The SRA are currently offering a range of online training courses using Zoom. 

SRA - Social Research Practice journal The latest issue of the SRA's free e-journal is now available.

The Rees Centre newsletter The Rees Centre newsletter is published every two months giving an update on their fostering related research activities and events along with a book review and a section on young voices. 

Changing Populations newsletter

The latest newsletter from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Centre for Population Change is now available.

Child Welfare Inequalities Project (CWIP) news

The CWIP at Coventry University studies the links between deprivation and children’s chances of being unable to live safely within their birth families and also aims to establish child welfare inequalities as a core concept in policy making, practice and research. Information about current CWIP projects is available on the website.

NIHR School for Public Health Research

Sign-up to receive the latest news and updates from the NIHR School for Public Research including publications, funding opportunities, upcoming events and more. Sign-up here. Read the latest newsletter here.

NIHR Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team (PHIRST) newsletter

The NIHR PHIRST newsletter includes information on seminars, evaluations and publications. Visit the website to sign-up for the newsletter.

Centre for Evaluation newsletter

The Centre for Evaluation develops interventions, systems and strategies to improve public health using rigorous evaluation methods. Visit the website to sign up for the Centre for Evaluation newsletter.

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth newsletter

This regular newsletter from the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth provides the latest resources and evidence. Visit the website to sign up for the newsletter.

The Centre for Youth Impact newsletter

The Centre for Youth Impact is a community of organisations that work together to progress thinking and practice around impact measurement in youth work and services for young people. The latest Centre for Youth Impact newsletter is now available.

Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Newsletter

The CSA newsletter brings together the most up-to-date research into an accessible overview for frontline professionals and commissioners. Visit the website to sign up for the CSA newsletter.

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) Direct

This regular NFER newsletter provides research, industry insights and free resources and events. Sign up for the newsletter here.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Centre for Evaluation

The Centre for Evaluation aims to improve the design and conduct of evaluations of complex public health interventions through the development, application and dissemination of rigorous methods, and facilitate the use of robust evidence to inform policy and practice decisions. The Centre produce a termly newsletter.

Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) newsletter

WCPP works to address key economic and societal challenges through the use of evidence and produce a regular newsletter.

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) news alert

EEF news alerts provide information about teaching and learning toolkits, project evaluation reports, grant funding rounds and news and events.

NESTA

NESTA is an innovation foundation which aims to tackle society’s big challenges. They produce a regular newsletter.

Research and Economic Analysis for the Long Term (REAL) Centre

The Health Foundation’s REAL Centre was set up to support long-term decision making in health and social care. Visit the website to sign up for regular updates.

Policy Bristol Newsletter

The Policy Bristol Newsletter provides regular policy updates and the latest policy research and events news.

ActEarly monthly bulletin

The AntennAE monthly e-bulletin provides the latest news and developments from Act Early.

The Health Foundation newsletter

This monthly newsletter from The Health Foundation provides details about funding opportunities, latest publications and blogs, and the latest news from the world of UK health care.

The Learning and Work Institute newsletter

This monthly newsletter from the Learning and Work Institute provides news updates, latest publications and blogs.