Penny Chamberlain, Researcher and Data Analyst
Understanding the needs of London’s communities can be challenging due to the often sparse and fragmented nature of available data. Yet we know how vital data can be for charities and community groups when telling your story.
One way to gain insights is to use open data. This is data that is free and accessible to everyone, so charities and community groups can dive in and find data that aligns with your objectives.
Open data presents a powerful resource for charities and community groups to gain deeper insights into local areas, analyse trends, effectively demonstrate local needs to funders, and refine and target your services more precisely.
Below, we have curated a comprehensive list of open data sources that can be used to make sense of London’s diverse and dynamic environment.
If you would like to add a data source to this web page, please email penny@londonplus.org.
London-specific
The following data sources are specific to London.
Centre for London – The London Intelligence
The London Intelligence identifies the changes taking place in the city by telling London’s story through data.
Civic Strength Index
Commissioned by the Greater London Authority and developed by The Young Foundation, the Civic Strength Index is a co-designed and co-created report and tool that helps London boroughs and organisations support discussions about the strengths of their communities and consider how to build on them.
London Councils
London Councils publishes data on local and general elections, and information about London MPs and councillors and their constituencies.
London Datastore
The London Datastore, an initiative from Greater London Authority, is a free and open data-sharing portal where anyone can access data relating to the capital.
London’s Economy Today
Published by Greater London Authority monthly, London’s Economy Today provides information on London’s economy. Each issue includes an overview of current economic conditions, the latest indicators, and a supplement on a significant issue facing London.
Metropolitan Police – What’s happening in your area?
This tool can be used to find your local officer, get the latest crime statistics and advice, help with appeals for information, and find out what the Metropolitan Police are doing to tackle crime in your area.
Trust for London – London’s Cost of Living Tracker
London’s Cost of Living Tracker shows the increased expenses that households now face when purchasing the same goods and services they bought in a typical week before the pandemic (2020). It also highlights which categories of goods and services contribute the most to this cost increase and by how much.
Trust for London – London’s Poverty Profile
London’s Poverty Profile gives you evidence and insight on who makes up London’s diverse populations, who’s in poverty and where do they live, and how London’s unique characteristics and challenges contribute to its high poverty levels.
National
The following data sources hold national data, but can be filtered to focus on London data only.
360Giving
360Giving provides online tools that allows people to view data on grants supporting good causes in the UK, understand where funding goes, and how much is given by the government and major UK funders.
Charity Commission for England and Wales
The Charity Commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. It can be used to provide insights into the various charitable activities and organisations addressing different community needs across the city.
Citizens Advice – Advice Trends
Advice Trends summarises Citizens Advice service top level statistics. It is aimed at national government departments, regional agencies, third sector organisations concerned with advice or policy, and policy researchers.
Community Life Survey
The Community Life Survey is a key evidence source for understanding more about community engagement, volunteering, and social cohesion throughout England. It can be useful for comparing these topics regionally, providing insights into how London differs from or aligns with other areas.
Community Research Index
The Community Research Index is an annual survey of over 8,000 adults from across the UK. It reveals people’s thoughts about their community – including what makes them proud, and what they are concerned about – and how they would like the future to look.
Fingertips
Fingertips is a large public health data collection. Data is organised into themed profiles and can be filtered by various geographic indicators such as region, constituency, Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Primary Care Network (PCN).
NCVO UK Civil Society Almanac
The UK Civil Society Almanac, published annually by NCVO, is the definitive publication for anybody interested in the state of the voluntary sector, and its role in civil society.
Office for National Statistics – Nomis
Nomis is a service provided by Office for National Statistics (ONS) that publishes statistics related to population, society and the labour market at national, regional and local levels. These include data from current and previous censuses.
Small Charities Data
Small Charities Data is a digital research hub for the latest and best available data on small charities in the UK.
Stat-Xplore
Stat-Xplore provides a way to explore Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit statistics, holding data relating to a range of different benefits and programmes.
Time Well Spent
Time Well Spent is NCVO’s biggest research programme on people’s experiences of volunteering. With a better understanding, they aim to provide rich and practical insights that will inform practice and policy, address knowledge gaps, and generate new evidence.
UK Data Service
This holds a range of social, economic and population data. They also publish ‘how to’ guides and case studies of effective use of data.
