Diana Rebaza
Senior Research Analyst Socitm
Your data is a strategic asset. Going beyond storage and management sets you up to become a genuinely data-led organisation. With LGR affecting so many in England, this is the time to tackle it.
Fifty-four per cent of UK councils lack a formal data strategy.1 Let’s get you started, or start checking what’s underway.
Building your data strategy
1. Establish a data governance framework and start data literacy training (0–6 months): Set a clear structure, defining roles and responsibilities for data management. You’ll need to keep this framework current and keep testing its effectiveness. Find (and repeat) training for yourself and colleagues to improve data management and data-driven decision-making skills.
2. Implement a data integration platform and data quality framework (6–18 months): Implement a unified platform or warehouse for access to data and connected information across all your systems. Create and use standards and processes so your data is up to date.
3. Set up data security, compliance and decision-making tools (6–18 months): Secure residents’ data while ensuring transparency and trust. Set up dashboards and reporting systems to support your data-driven decision-making.
4. Create a data-driven culture (18+ months): Support everyone to confidently and effectively use data. Make sure you know where or who to go for support.
A clear, pragmatic data strategy builds core capabilities
(people, process, technology, governance, culture)
5. Collaborate (6–18 months): Benchmark and check with other councils to share best practices and learnings.
6. Monitor (ongoing): Set clear KPIs, milestones and reviews to check progress toward better data management practices.
The timescales are estimates, and the steps don’t need to be sequential. Adapt them to your own priorities, maturity, capacity and local context.
A clear, pragmatic data strategy builds core capabilities (people, process, technology, governance, culture) and aligns place-based outcomes, public trust (data protection and ethics) and service reform goals. Find out what others are doing. You don’t have to start from a blank page.
[1] Local Government Association. (2024). Local government data capacity and capability. https://tinyurl.com/54cfsxdc.
