Welcome to the first edition of “Public Data Insights”, a monthly round-up of the latest data and statistical releases from various government departments and public bodies, with a sub-national angle.
Government departments and public bodies provide an abundance of statistical information, much of which can be adapted for communicating issues to stakeholders at a local level.
Whether you’re interested in unemployment rates, inflation, or more niche releases, this round-up is intended to highlight some of the most interesting data that’s available by region, local authority, parliamentary constituency, Integrated Care Board, and many other levels, and to direct you to the source.
Unemployment figures
The Office of National Statistics’ latest national unemployment figures reveal that there were 1.66 million unemployment benefit claimants in June 2024, an increase of 32,300 from the previous month and 127,800 more than in June 2023.
These figures are adjusted seasonally and next going to be updated on August 13th. Regional and local authority breakdowns of changes in UK employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity and other related statistics are available.
NHS waiting lists
The NHS waiting list for hospital treatment reached a record 7.8 million in September 2023, a level that continues to be sustained. In May 2024, only 65.8% of cancer patients were treated within 62 days of referral.
However, the NHS has made strides in increasing staff numbers, with doctors up 26% and nurses up 24% over the past five years. Despite this, the vacancy rate remains a concern at 6.9% as of March 2024. These workforce figures do not account for the rising demand for services.
This data is updated monthly and is available at national, regional, system and provider level.
Dementia diagnosis rates
Recent research by the NHS shows a record 487,432 people in England received a dementia diagnosis in June 2024.
Find out more about how diagnosis rates differ between local authorities in our recent blog.
Housing market trends
According to Homes England’s latest research, the average price of homes sold in London has fallen to its lowest since 2021, while asking prices have shown a slight increase in recent months.
The new ONS stats (updated monthly), find that the average monthly private rent in London hit a record high of £2,070 in April 2024, reflecting a 10.7% increase over the past year.
Average UK private rents increased by 8.6% in the 12 months to June 2024 (provisional estimate). This was down from 8.7% in the 12 months to May 2024 (revised estimate), and below the record-high annual rise of 9.2% in March 2024.
This data is available by local authority across the UK.
Education
The Department for Education published the latest school exclusion data, including by local authority.
Key Highlights from the 2022/23 Report:
- Record High Suspensions: The 2022/23 academic year saw 787,000 suspensions— an increase from 578,300 the previous year and the highest annual number recorded to date. This equates to 933 suspensions per 10,000 pupils.
- Rise in Permanent Exclusions: There were 9,400 permanent exclusions, up from 6,500 in 2021/22. This marks another record high, with 11 permanent exclusions per 10,000 pupils.
- Persistent Disruptive Behaviour: The most common reason for both suspensions and permanent exclusions was persistent disruptive behaviour, accounting for 48% of all suspensions and 39% of permanent exclusions. This trend aligns with previous years, highlighting ongoing challenges in maintaining classroom discipline.
Crime in England & Wales
The latest ONS data for March 2023 showed no statistically significant change in the overall headline figures, but there were notable shifts in specific categories. :
- Fraud decreased by 10%, with significant reductions in bank and credit account fraud (12%), advance fee fraud (23%), and other fraud (39%).
- Conversely, computer misuse saw a 37% increase, driven by a 42% rise in unauthorized access to personal information.
- While overall theft remained statistically unchanged, the sub-category of theft from the person surged by 40% and shoplifting reached a 20-year high.
New data is released every quarter and is broken down by police force area.
Further reading: Using police force data to create constituency crime level estimates
Road casualties due to drink driving
Department for Transport data revealed that in 2022 an estimated 290 to 320 people were killed in drink-driving collisions in Great Britain, with a central estimate of 300 deaths—the highest since 2009. This increase reflects potential changes in driver behavior due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
This data is available by UK region.
Road Conditions
The National Audit Office’s reported on the condition and maintenance of local roads in England. The report found that the Department for Transport doesn’t have a clear understanding of the condition of local roads, nor uses the data it does have to allocate its funding as effectively as possible.
The report doesn’t contain localised data, though is partly based on a survey of councils, to which 37 out of 153 responded.