Resources
Delve into data, learn about local government
Here you will find factsheets and explainers about all things data, and all things local. Work through our guides on how to access data spreadsheets, and how to do basic calculations. Use our templates to write your own press release, or to contact your MP.
What is data?
Read the first of our factsheets to find out more about data, and why data is important for women.
This brief explainer will also introduce you to some data analysis that has already been done at the local level, using publicly available data. Find out about housing costs for women in Coventry, for example.
The Lowdown on Local Government
Read our factsheet about local government, and why it is important for women.
This brief explainer will also introduce you to some of the key responsibilities of local authorities. Find out about why local government is so central to women’s lives.
If you’d rather listen to a podcast, the Local Government Association has an interesting series about local government. Here is one about what councils do.
Local Budget Basics
Read our factsheet about local government budgets, and why they are important for women.
This brief explainer will also introduce you to some key facts about spending and income for local authorities. Find out why cuts to spending can have a disproportionate impact on women.
New Local have produced a detailed breakdown of how funding works if you want more information.
The Institute for Government produce explainers on local government regularly. This one has a useful breakdown of the shape of councils across all four nations.
How to read a spreadsheet
Work through our first explainer on how to access government datasets.
This brief ‘how to’ will introduce you to a publicly available dataset: The Family Resources Survey. Screenshots will guide you through where to find the data, and what to expect when you open the spreadsheet. You can also try out some simple calculations.
How to use nomis
Work through our first explainer on how to use nomis to find local labour market data.
This brief ‘how to’ will introduce you to a website which brings together data from lots of different sources: Nomis. Screenshots will guide you through how to find data on your local area, and how to build your own spreadsheets using the labour force survey. You can try out some simple tasks to get information on your local area.
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