Research and data – 2022/23 highlights

Overview

In 2022/23 our Better Use of Data programme:

• improved the understanding and skills of councillors and officers in relation to data
• helped councils understand what good looks like and how to leverage the value of data
• provided guidance and resources to support the proactive development of a data-informed culture
• promoted the benefits of data transparency and accountability
• worked with other organisations where we identified data work that may impact on the sector, to ensure this work meets councils’ needs.
  
   

Highlights

During 2022/23, programme highlights and achievements included:

• our performance management workstream provided a wide range of training and resources to promote good performance management as a means of delivering efficiencies and transformation
• 100 per cent of councillors who attended our virtual training sessions on data and the role it plays in managing council performance responded to a survey saying that attending the training helped improve their confidence in understanding and using data
• we held 10 performance management roundtable events, with 96 performance management officers attending
• our data maturity workstream provided a data maturity model and self-assessment tool to enable councils to assess their current organisational data maturity and help in the planning and design of organisational approaches to improving their use of data
• 94 per cent of respondents who had participated in the data maturity self-assessment tool process said that the data maturity tool process was useful in helping them to identify areas where their council could improve its use of data
• our advanced and predictive analytics support included running a network to allow analysts to discuss issues and share ideas, providing access to training, webinars and the sharing of guidance and resources
• 97 per cent of officers who accessed training via our data analysts network and responded to our survey said that this training had helped improve their confidence in analysis.
  
   

Case study – Performance management at Bath and North East Somerset Council

We published our case study on performance management at Bath and North East Somerset Council as a general performance management resource. This resource also highlights how the council benefited from actively participating in our regional performance management panels which we organised with our LG Inform Plus (paid data benchmarking service) team.