LG Inform (data benchmarking)

Apple App Store: Download LG Inform app

Google Play Store: Download LG Inform app

About LG Inform

Since the LGA's successful campaign to reduce the burden of central government inspection and assessment of authorities, we have been working with local government to develop an approach to improvement which is based on the sector's learning about what works best.

Access LG Inform

Local Government Inform (LG Inform) is a practical response to the local government sector’s call for greater freedom to take responsibility for its own improvement and increase transparency with the public. This online service allows registered users to access, compare and analyse data, and present their findings online or offline.

LG Inform brings together in one accessible place a range of key performance data for authorities, alongside contextual and financial information, in an online tool. Users can view data from over 6,600 individual items, make comparisons between their authority and other councils or groups of councils. Registered users can tailor LG Inform outputs to suit their own needs by constructing their own reports and by bringing several data items together. Importantly, the data is maintained by the LGA and updated quickly after being published at its source.

LG Inform is a flexible tool that can be personalised to each authority's needs. Users can tailor their own home page dashboard to monitor important indicators and link to their own reports.

With the focus on transparency and the desire to increase local accountability, local government has an obligation to be more open. LG Inform helps facilitate this by being viewable by the public. Authorities can also embed their own reports, along with other supporting information, into their websites, sharing evidence of authority performance with residents in a meaningful, open and transparent way.

LG Inform is not an end in itself. It gives local government the ability to start thinking about its own data needs, rather than simply responding to requests for data from central government.

Case studies

• Barnet – using LG Inform to support benchmarking, promote transparency and inform strategic decision making
• Devon – using LG Inform to inform strategy and engage with members
• Dorset – improving performance and managing risk using LG Inform
• Harlow – using LG Inform to collate and present information more efficiently

What to expect from LG Inform