Research and Information team

What we do

The Research and Information Team helps turn data and evidence into practical insight, supporting the LGA and councils to understand change, improve services and make informed decisions: We conduct a range of work related to data, information, research and analysis. This includes:

• Research – we conduct and commission (or support commissioning) of research on behalf of the LGA, to support policy developments, inform our lobbying or negotiating position, examine good and interesting practice in authorities to support sector-led improvement, and evaluate LGA work:
  • surveys – we design postal, telephone and on-line surveys, and present the results using basic descriptive statistics or more advanced analysis (for example, survey of heads of housing about their views of the current housing landscape)
  • depth interviews – we conduct telephone and face to face interviews, and produce reports that provide a thematic analysis of this (for example, interviews with leaders about LGA leadership training they have received)
  • focus groups – we have expertise in facilitating and presenting the results of group discussions (for example, we have conducted discussions with portfolio holders of leisure services to understand the impact of COVID-19) 
  • secondary analysis – we conduct new analysis of existing datasets, either our own or other organisations’, to uncover new results or to present old results in new ways (for example, we have analysed data on pupil forecasts and school places, to examine school capacity within councils)
  • literature reviews – we conduct literature reviews on any given topic, pulling together the evidence and literature to present what is already known about the topic (for example, we have conducted a review on health and well-being initiatives in the public sector)
  • case studies – we produce case studies, through interviews with officers in authorities, either face-to-face or by telephone (for example, how authorities tackle pockets of deprivation).

How we support councils and the sector

• LG Inform, LG Inform VfM and LG Inform Plus – we deliver the content and manage the developments of the LGA’s free data services for councils and fire authorities, LG Inform and LG Inform VfM; and manage the subscription-based LG Inform Plus, that helps authorities view data at ward level and gives them access to a range of resources such as mapping tools, information governance tools and lists of powers and duties.
• Data and transparency support – we run a programme to support councils to make better use of data, including performance management, data maturity, open data, data standards and transparency; and represent the sector and lobbying on their behalf in relation to policies that involve data or research in some way (such as plans for the Census, the Single Data List/data burden).
• Data and information – we help colleagues access information about the sector or individual local authorities for use when visiting authorities, when looking at local government overall, or as part of media work (through LG Inform or other sources)
• Managing and influencing spend on research – we manage or advise on programmes of research, such as those for the UK Research and Innovation (formerly the research councils), to ensure their work meets the needs of the sector; and influence the spend of other research funders, such as government departments, and innovation foundations, to maximise the value to the sector; we currently have a member of staff seconded part-time to the National Institute of Health Research
• Customer relationship management system (CRM) –we design and deliver the LGA’s system for managing information, to meet our corporate needs
• Commissioned research – we commission research from leading academic institutions, research organisations and consultancies to ensure councils have access to independent, high‑quality evidence. This includes:
  • public opinion research, such as our national residents’ satisfaction survey, which councils use to benchmark against their own residents’ surveys.
  • policy‑focused studies, where we work closely with commissioners and partners to ensure findings are relevant, accessible and useful to councils.
• Bespoke analysis and advice – on occasion, our analysts use a wide range of datasets to provide tailored analysis and advice, helping put local challenges into context, and to support:
  • policy development and strategy
  • understanding of local performance and variation
  • making sense of official and administrative data.
• Working with the wider data and research system – we represent local government within key national data, research and workforce forums, helping to ensure that the sector’s needs are reflected in how data is collected, analysed and shared. We also work with central government and statistical bodies to improve the local value of national data and research outputs.