Audit Commission

Links and advice provided by the Improvment and Development Agency (IDeA)

• Local Government Association (LGA): Analysis and research - commissions and undertakes research on behalf of the LGA Group and local government
• Communities of Practice - including on: Customer Insight, Local Information Systems, Building Analytical Capacity, Data Quality, Information Architects in Local Government, Knowledge and Information Management for the Public Sector, Digital Inclusion and Data Sharing Advisors Network, Policy and Performance
• Partnership and Places Library - themes on data management and performance management
• Improvement Network: Planning and decision making
• Ashridge Virtual Resource Learning Centre (available to anyone with a .gov.uk email address)

Information sources

• Practical ways to engage with your community
• People and participation
• Connecting with Communities - communications toolkit
• Customer insight
• Customer insight tools, data and techniques (including sources of information and analytical techniques)
• Sustainable energy - getting the information you need
• Association of Public Health Observatories
• National Obesity Observatory
• CLG wiki: 'Sources of Local Information to Support LAA Negotiations' in 'Local Area Agreements & Local Strategic Partnerships' community of practice

Analysis

• Ashridge: Strategic awareness
• Partnerships and Places Library - how to analyse data
• The use of statistics and data for monitoring the health of individuals and communities

Evaluation

• Corporate Peer Review Benchmark
• Locality self-evaluation
• Evaluating your empowerment performance
• Building the evidence and business case for community empowerment
• Driving economic prosperity - diagnostic tool

Performance management

• Performance management
• Review of performance improvement models and tools
• Public involvement in performance management
• PMMI target setting guidance
• Performance measurement and the use of performance information

Knowledge management

• Knowledge management
• Ashridge: Knowledge management
• Information and records management advice

Decision making

• Ashridge: Decision making and problem solving
• Ashridge: Decision making pocket book
• Ashridge: Problem solving pocketbook
• Front-line councillors and decision making
• Information needs when making complex decisions (N.B. about citizens' rather than councils' decisions)
• Case study 'Gaming the Tibby': Young people engaged in decision making about the local area using computer-game type simulation

Training, advice and support provided Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion

Research

• The CLG/GOs Places Handbook
• Office for National Statistics (ONS): Neighbourhood Statistics - case studies and guide to using, presenting and interpreting data
• Data for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration (Data4NR): Resources to help obtain, analyse, interpret and present data
• CLG: Supporting local information and research
• LGA: Effective research in local government
• CLG: Local information systems - a review of their role, characteristics and benefits

Data sharing

• CLG: Data sharing for neighbourhood renewal
• ONS: Data sharing for statistical purposes
• CLG: Research on the costs and benefits of personal data sharing at local partnership level
• Social Market Foundation: Who shares wins? Transforming the public services with intelligent information

Other links

• IDeA: Local improvement advisors
• Association of Regional Observatories

Toolkit resources

• Local eGovernment Standards Body information governance toolkit
• National Archives' pre-assessment questionnaire (Excel) (opens in a new window)
• NHS information governance toolkit

Information Commissioner's Office

• Data sharing between different local authority departments (PDF)
• Data Protection myths and realities (PDF)
• Sharing personal information: Our approach (PDF)
• Framework code of practice for sharing personal information (PDF)

For the public

• It's your information: Sharing information about you (PDF)