Adopting a strategic approach to data – Cornwall Council

In 2019, Cornwall Council recognised the need to take a more strategic approach to data. The council built a small internal data team, completed by a trusted private sector partner, to develop its data capability. The aim was to break down silos, create consistency across the organisation, and enable better decision-making through data. This journey began with a focus on building technical capability and fostering a culture that values data-driven insights.

Cornwall Council’s approach centres on collaboration, consistency and empowerment. To build capacity, Cornwall invested in Power BI and a data warehouse, enabling staff to move away from siloed Excel and PowerPoint reporting to a more unified interactive platform. The team worked across the organisation to standardise reporting, not just in branding but in choosing the right visualisations and telling compelling stories with data.

A key focus was on improving data literacy, helping staff become comfortable producing and interpreting reports, and shifting mindsets to value data quality. Training included both external providers and in-house sessions tailored to Cornwall’s needs, such a ‘Dashboard in a Day’ and a self-led ‘Data 101’ course accessible to all staff.

Major projects included creating a single view of the employee, citizen and property. For the properties Cornwall used Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs), using the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) to include every property in Cornwall, not just council owned properties. This involved combining data from multiple sources to create definitive records, using tools like Microsoft Customer Insights for matching and merging disparate records. The council aspired to use this holistic view not just for operational efficiency, but also for preventative interventions, identifying triggers for support, such as vulnerable residents not putting their bins out for collection.

A data governance framework based on principles (such as ‘use data once’ – the idea of collecting data only once and then reusing and sharing that data across different internal systems and processes) and policies underpins their approach. The small core team works alongside service areas, enabling those closest to the data to act while ensuring legal, ethical and technical standards are met.

The council has seen a major cultural shift towards data-driven decision-making, assisted by a significant increase in Power BI adoption.

There has also been an improvement in transparency and accountability. For example, the council has developed an external performance report, now being iterated and expanded, aligning with a new performance framework.

In areas like supported housing, bringing together data has enabled a clearer understanding of demand and supply, supporting better service delivery for residents. The work has matured and accelerated the effectiveness of frontline services, making them more efficient and impactful. Cornwall now track individual supported housing unit vacancies in real time through input from the support providers, by area and the support provision. This enables more efficient needs matching and client placement, with an overview of demand fulfilment, which has led towards informed commissioning of further units.

Projects like the single view of the employee have led to practical benefits, such as reducing duplicate licenses which saved around £200,000.

Meeting demand has been a challenge for Cornwall. The success of the data programme created a strong appetite for more insights, which has been challenging for the small team to meet. The council must balance supporting innovation with responsible governance, especially as advanced tools like Fabric enable more powerful analytics.

There is a risk that staff may ask the wrong questions or misinterpret data. The team’s approach is to say ‘Yes’ to requests while putting the appropriate support and guardrails in place to allow services to tackle the challenges independently, rather than defaulting to ‘no’ due to capacity constraints within the data team.

Keeping up with rapid technological change is another challenge. The council’s approach is to roll out new functionality, review usage and maturity, and then expand further, ensuring staff are comfortable and supported at each stage.

Ongoing investment in data literacy is essential for long-term success, but it can be challenging prioritising this against urgent operational needs.