Housing and planning statistics: 2023 to 2024 work programme
The work programme for 2023 to 2024 was last updated on Tuesday 12 March 2024.
Transformation of UK private rental prices statistics
Initiative
We are undertaking a transformation of our statistics about private rental prices. This transformation work includes finding ways to:
- make better use of existing data sources
- improve methods and develop systems to provide more timely and detailed data
We currently produce the Index of Private Housing Rental Prices (IPHRP) and the Private Rental Market Statistics (PRMS). But, in the future, we envisage our rental price statistics to be a new, single, monthly publication that provides a more detailed insight into the rental market.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by April 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Progress
We are improving our statistics about private rental prices through better use of existing data sources, and improved methods and systems. This will allow us to offer rental price data that is more timely and detailed. For example, this could include providing information on changing rental prices by numbers of bedrooms, property types, and at local authority level.
ONS published an overview of the intended methodology, including impact analysis as part of this transformation project in December 2023. They also held an event to coincide with the impact analysis to communicate changes and explain what they mean for users of inflation statistics. ONS will begin publishing these new statistics on a monthly basis from March 2024.
ONS had to make the difficult decision to delay the inclusion of Northern Ireland rental price data in the Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) until 2025. This is because there were differences in the data for Northern Ireland which made it more difficult to develop PIPR. ONS intends to publish Northern Ireland indices using the current IPHRP methodology for Northern Ireland until 2025.
Develop homeless deaths statistics in Northern Ireland
Initiative
Develop and publish homeless deaths statistics for Northern Ireland based on death registrations.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by April 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Progress
An output is scheduled for Quarter 1 2024. We have made progress with the work to define the methodology and availability of data. We are also working closely with Scottish Government to align methods.
Review of Scottish homelessness data collections
Initiative
Update the Scottish homelessness data collection content and systems to better:
- reflect changes in homelessness policy
- meet user needs
This includes updating the homelessness prevention data collection content and systems.
This is an extensive project which seeks to:
- identify the changes that will be needed to all homelessness and prevention data collection content to reflect current and future homelessness policy in Scotland
- identify any data gaps
- review data collection and processing system requirements — this also includes exploring options for future systems, and developing and building these systems
- determine the feasibility of changes to collection content and systems, as well as assessing the quality implications of these changes
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by December 2027.
Lead
This work is being led by the Scottish Government.
Progress
The content review has been split into 3 phases:
- an initial information gathering exercise to allow the scope of the review to be determined — this will involve assessing the current collections with input from Scottish Government policy, local authorities, wider stakeholders, and data users
- consideration of collections in detail with an iterative approach to developing future content
- working with stakeholders to refine content to produce a finalised question set
Other workstreams around collection and processing systems, governance and documentation will be developed alongside the content. Not all workstreams will be in progress at the same time, but there will be overlap.
Update the design of the Smart policy, Housing system, All in it together, Relational, Ecosystem of Services (SHARE) platform
Initiative
The Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) will redesign the SHARE platform to concentrate on the needs of data users. We will work closely with the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and other data users to ensure homelessness data is easy to navigate and provides the most relevant data to users.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by April 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by CHI.
Progress
User feedback suggests that a more streamlined version of the SHARE platform would better meet the needs of data users. Significant resource is needed to update the SHARE platform, so this workstream was paused to enable the development of a new data framework to measure progress around Rough Sleeping in England. CHI is exploring opportunities to develop a more streamlined version of the SHARE platform that will integrate with the new Rough Sleeping Framework.
Coherence article on energy efficiency statistics from the UK
Initiative
Publish a coherence article that brings together energy efficiency statistics from across the UK, including information about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Target date
This work has been paused.
Lead
This work would be led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Progress
There are currently no resources to progress this project. Further work on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be considered alongside other priorities.
Coherence blog on affordable housing across the UK
Initiative
Publish a blog that will explore available data about affordable housing across the UK.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by July 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Improve data on affordable housing supply in England
Initiative
This long-term project will improve the coherence of statistics on additions to the affordable housing for rent sector and losses from it.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by March 2025.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Progress
The 2022 to 2023 edition of ‘Social Housing England’ further developed official statistics in development on the net supply of affordable housing for rent, including new analysis breaking down net supply by tenure. We will continue to develop the data and presentation of the statistics on this topic over the coming year.
Publish statistics on the energy efficiency of housing
Initiative
We are planning to work across government to analyse and publish statistics and research relating to housing and energy. This will include using the new Integrated Data Service (IDS) Private Beta.
We will start with a detailed investigation into the energy efficiency of housing at a subnational level, using Energy Performance Certificates and Property Attributes data.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
Work completed
Energy Efficiency of Housing was one of the pilot projects for the Integrated Data Service (IDS). Our participation helped improve the IDS and inform how it could operate in the future.
Unfortunately, we were not able to produce any new statistics using the IDS. But we were able to use other systems to help us:
- publish new analysis of the insulation and energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales
- develop our regular Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales publication
Other Government Departments and Devolved Administrations have completed lots of further development work. Both DLUHC and Welsh Government have created dashboards which make the data more available.
Enhance the accessibility of the Scottish Government Planning Performance Statistics and Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey publications
Initiative
Enhance the accessibility of the:
- Scottish Government Planning Performance Statistics publication — this is published twice a year
- Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey publication — this is published once a year
We are following the guidance produced by the Scottish Government Office of the Chief Statistician. We will concentrate on improving the accessibility of publication text, tables, and charts.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Scottish Government.
Progress
Work is ongoing on the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey publication. Accessibility improvements will be made incrementally to each successive publication of the Annual Planning Performance Statistics publication.
Ensure the coherence of the Integrated Data Service housing and homelessness outputs
Initiative
Work alongside the Integrated Data Service (IDS) to provide coherence expertise that will inform future IDS platforms that are aimed at transforming the accessibility of open housing and homelessness data.
Target date
This work has been paused.
Lead
There is currently no lead on this project.
Progress
Work on this initiative is currently paused because of resourcing constraints.
Add interactive data visualisation tools to accredited official statistics publications on housing and planning
Initiative
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has developed the capability to host and publish Power BI products. We are using this capability to make our statistical publications more accessible and engaging for users.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by DLUHC.
Progress
We have introduced interactive data visualisation tools, or dashboards, as part of our statistical publications on housing supply, dwelling stock, social housing lettings, planning applications, land use, and green belt.
Improve accessibility of the Northern Ireland Planning Monitoring Framework
Initiative
The Northern Ireland Planning Monitoring Framework publication is being reviewed to:
- consider how to reduce the overall file size of the published document
- develop visuals
- carry out work towards further meeting accessibility requirements
- engage with users
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland.
Progress
The introduction of the new planning portals has meant that several data outputs need more development to enable reporting against indicators within the Planning Monitoring Framework to continue. Work is underway, but the publication for 2022 to 2023 will be delayed. A publication date has not been set at present.
The future releases will be Microsoft Excel and .ODS tables only. These tables will meet accessibility requirements.
Publish and improve statistics on homeless deaths in Scotland
Initiative
Continue to publish and improve statistics on the deaths of people experiencing homelessness in Scotland.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
Progress
Homeless Deaths in Scotland 2022 was published in November 2023. The next homeless deaths publication for Scotland has a provisional publication date of November 2024. This publication will consider 2023 death registrations.
We hold regular meetings with other statistical producers to:
- share developments and ideas
- consider the UK coherence of statistics on the deaths of people experiencing homelessness
As part of the work to make continual improvements to this output, NRS are investigating a new data stream for the identification of homeless deaths in Scotland. This involves asking local authorities to report any known homeless deaths in the data they submit to NRS. The statistics will be calculated as normal, and the new data will be analysed alongside the usual process to assess its quality.
Publish and improve statistics on homeless deaths in England and Wales
Initiative
Continue to publish and improve statistics on the deaths of homeless people in England and Wales.
Target date
This work has been paused.
Lead
This work would be led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Progress
Homeless death statistics for England and Wales were last published in November 2022. These statistics were for 2021 registrations. A health and social care statistical outputs consultation collected feedback to understand how these data can best meet user needs. This consultation was produced by:
- ONS
- the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
- NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
- UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- NHS England
This consultation included a proposal to stop producing the deaths while homeless publication. The consultation closed on Tuesday 5 March 2024. A decision on the future of the deaths of homeless people output will be made once the consultation responses have been considered.
Explore case level homelessness data collection in Wales
Initiative
Explore the feasibility of introducing case level homelessness data in Wales.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Welsh Government.
Work completed and next actions
The first stage of engagement with the 22 Local Authorities (LAs) in Wales is complete and feedback has been provided. A draft data specification has been developed and shared with internal colleagues and some external stakeholders.
Work is continuing to advance the data specification, which will involve further engagement work with LAs.
Governance structures are being established.
Separately, a pilot project is underway to simulate the receipt, deidentification, and linkage of individual-level homelessness data into the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. A Data Protection Impact Assessment for this pilot project is complete, and a data sharing agreement is nearly finalised for the first pilot LA. Once this has been signed, transfer of the first data can begin.
Improve homelessness and rough sleeping statistics in Wales
Initiative
Improve monthly management information on homelessness and rough sleeping in Wales.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Welsh Government.
Progress
Monthly management information on homelessness accommodation provision and rough sleeping continues to be published regularly, with a time lag of approximately 2 months.
To further improve the usefulness and quality of the data we have been:
- working with local authorities to strengthen the data collection guidance
- modifying some of the data items collected
From July 2023 onwards, we have expanded the homelessness accommodation provision and rough-sleeping data published. We have taken a phased approach with this. From the March 2024 publication onwards, which covers the period from January 224 onwards, we will be publishing all data at local authority level and will begin publishing as accredited official statistics.
Develop the Housing Conditions Evidence Programme in Wales
Initiative
Welsh Government will continue developing the Administrative Data on Homes in Wales project. We will:
- bring together a range of data on the condition and energy efficiency of housing stock
- consider the need for any future housing conditions evidence programme
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Welsh Government.
Progress
In November 2022, we published detailed fuel poverty estimates for Wales based on October 2021 data. We then published the Fuel Poverty in Wales interactive dashboard in July 2023, which brings together a range of data on fuel poverty.
We have used Council Tax billing data to map second homes where Council Tax is chargeable as at March 2023. We have worked with ONS and Welsh local authorities to improve the quality of data collected and will begin planning for more regular publication of this data.
We published an interactive dashboard of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for homes in Wales in May 2023. We are currently:
- working on updating this dashboard
- quality assuring EPC data against the information collected in the most recent Welsh Housing Conditions Survey — the results of this will be published alongside the dashboard
- exploring the possibility of using machine learning to create a more representative dataset for Wales
We are also exploring the feasibility of using Ordnance Survey AddressBase data to supplement some housing supply statistics.
Improvements to the annual Council Tax stock of properties statistical release showing statistics for England and Wales
Initiative
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) will continually look to make improvements to both the quality and content of this annual release by incorporating feedback obtained from users. Because of limitations with GOV.UK, we will look for opportunities to publish our data geospatially, possibly through the Integrated Data Service.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the VOA.
Progress
This work will be continuing throughout 2024 and beyond. We will continue to identify changes and improvements that can be made following the introduction of new data and IT systems in 2024.
Development of an Ending Rough Sleeping Data Framework in England
Initiative
Develop a new data framework to measure and track progress towards ending rough sleeping in England.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the:
- Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI)
- Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
Progress
The core indicators of the new Ending Rough Sleeping in England Framework have been published. There are 5 core indicators that sit under the 4 main aims. These core indicators were co-created with Local Authorities and have now been shared across England.
We are exploring the idea of a second phase that would use additional optional indicators.
Development of an Ending Homelessness Together Data Framework in Scotland
Initiative
Develop an Ending Homelessness Together (EHT) framework for Scotland.
Target date
The Measuring Impact Task and Finish Group, a short-life sub-group of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, published an EHT framework in December 2023. A response from the Scottish Government to the group’s report and a wider consultation on the EHT framework are expected in 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Scottish Government.
Progress
The Scottish Government commissioned a task and finish group to provide recommendations on how to measure the outcomes of the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan.
The task and finish group final recommendation report to measure the effectiveness of the Ending Homelessness Together action plan was published in December 2023. Ending Homelessness Together Monitor: strategic outcomes and indicators 2024 was also published in December 2023.
The Scottish Government still has to formally respond to the recommendations made, which will happen in the course of 2024. A consultation is also needed on the outcomes and indicators in the EHT framework before a decision on formal adoption of the framework can be made.
Explore the feasibility of using the Ending Homelessness Data Framework in Wales
Initiative
Explore whether it would be feasible to use the Ending Homelessness Framework in Wales.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by April 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI).
Development of an Ending Homelessness Data Framework in Northern Ireland
Initiative
The Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) continue to work together in the form of an Impact Partnership. CHI provides support on:
- developing indicators
- exploring success measures
- plans for implementation
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by:
- CHI
- NIHE
Progress
The CHI Ending Homelessness Framework is included in the NIHE Homelessness Strategy for 2022 to 2027 Year 2 Action Plan. This plan covers 2023 and 2024.
Improve the evidence base for homelessness in England
Initiative
Use Homelessness Case Level Collection (H-CLIC) data in England to improve the evidence base for homelessness through the:
- Homelessness Data England (HDE) project
- Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) shared outcomes project
Both projects facilitate the linking of H-CLIC data over time and across geographical boundaries. The projects have been enhanced with information from other government departments. This aims to help us develop our understanding of how households and individual people cycle in and out of homelessness over time and across the country.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK.
Progress
DLUHC, CHI, and 40 early adopter areas have been working together on a new data-led framework that provides a vision for ending rough sleeping.
DLUHC have been collecting these data across England since the beginning of May 2023. The DLUHC data-led framework includes indicators on:
- the numbers of people experiencing long-term rough sleeping
- the numbers of people returning to rough sleeping
- first-time rough sleepers
- rough sleepers who have been discharged from institutions — for example, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and the armed forces
Alongside the work on this November release, DLUHC are also testing a range of other indicators with the early adopter areas. These indicators will form phase 2 of the project. They may look at the average length of time people sleep rough, as well as moves in and out of accommodation or back onto the street.
Programme of homelessness and rough sleeping research and evaluation in England
Initiative
Work on ongoing homelessness and rough sleeping research and evaluation programme in England.
Target date
This work is complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Progress
DLUHC has continued to explore options to develop, analyse and publish data. They published management information about the support for people sleeping rough and people at risk of sleeping rough in local authorities across England in November 2023.
Publish analysis on people sleeping rough in England
Initiative
Collect information to understand people that sleep rough, including:
- trends
- spatial patterns
- characteristics
- the duration and frequency of rough sleeping
This information comes from a variety of data sources including the annual rough sleeping snapshot and management information.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Progress
This year’s annual rough sleeping snapshot for England started on 1 October 2023 and ran until 30 November 2023. Information from this snapshot was published in February 2024.
Share learnings from case level homelessness data across the UK
Initiative
Share learnings of case level homelessness data to:
- enable colleagues to consider introducing this kind of data in Wales and Northern Ireland
- help with coherence across the UK
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed and next actions
Producers of homelessness data from across the UK met in March 2023 to:
- support the development of case level homelessness data systems
- consider opportunities to align data
The Government Statistical Service (GSS) continue to work together to share learning and best practice.
Improve homelessness and rough sleeping statistics in Northern Ireland
Initiative
Commission research with Queen’s University Belfast to explore the relationships between homelessness and health.
Target date
This work is ongoing.
Lead
This work is being led by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).
Progress
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) worked with Queen’s University Belfast on a research project that aimed to explore relationships between homelessness and health using case level data. All relevant parties signed a data sharing agreement for this work and analysis was shared as part of this project.
Improve homelessness and rough sleeping statistics in Northern Ireland
Initiative
Complete a Street Needs Audit to understand street activity in major cities to develop the evidence base.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).
Work completed and next actions
NIHE have completed the Street Needs Audit and are in the final stages of the data analysis. NIHE will produce a final report from this analysis which will contain recommendations for themselves, the Department for Health, and the Department for Justice.
Improve homelessness and rough sleeping statistics in Northern Ireland
Initiative
Develop new insight and analysis on homeless populations using data collected during Census 2021 in Northern Ireland, subject to user needs and data quality.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the:
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)
- Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
Work completed and next actions
Exploration of Census 2021 data in Northern Ireland has confirmed that the census cannot provide an accurate count of homeless populations. There may be opportunities to link census data to homelessness outputs from other producers to provide additional characteristic data. NISRA will continue to consider options or proposals for linking Census 2021 with data which could enhance other outputs or analysis.
Improve the quality of case level homelessness data in England
Initiative
Expand coverage and quality of case level homelessness data in England. This will help continue improvements to data reporting as part of the national statistics accreditation process.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Work completed
DLUHC have achieved accredited national statistics status for the Statutory Homelessness publication. DLUHC have:
- added a technical note and user engagement note to the annual publication
- introduced one to one sessions to support Local Authorities (LAs) with data
- updated the data specification
- published tables with homelessness data
Publish data on short term accommodation
Initiative
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will develop and publish statistics on UK short term lets based on data provided by:
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Expedia Group
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by April 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Progress
The planned first release is provisionally due at the end of February 2024. This release will be based on data about short term lets from:
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Expedia Group
Develop housing affordability indicator
Initiative
Develop a new national indicator on housing affordability.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Welsh Government.
Progress
The national indicator on housing affordability has been published as part of the Wellbeing of Wales annual report. The indicator refers to the percentage of households that spend 30% or more of their income on housing costs. Data about this is published by tenure.
Release data on Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
Initiative
Investigate sources to produce data on the EPC ratings of domestic properties in Northern Ireland.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by April or May 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland.
Progress
Validation of the data is underway. We are considering this data to decide whether we can produce a new output similar to the one that is produced for England and Wales.
Explore housing stock by tenure data sources
Initiative
Explore data sources and the feasibility of producing a breakdown of housing stock by tenure.
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by March 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland.
Progress
We are investigating data sources to establish whether it would be feasible to create the breakdown of housing stock by tenure.
Improvements to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK Dwelling Stock Statistics
Initiative
We plan to make improvements to the ONS’s UK Dwelling Stock publication, including improved:
- metadata
- quality and accessibility standards
This will improve the overall effectiveness and quality of the publication.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by August 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Improving and introducing Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) in the production of housing statistics
Initiative
We aim to improve the quality, reliability and timeliness of our housing statistics publications by following best practice from elements of RAP.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Progress
Work towards this initiative is ongoing. We continue to gradually improve the RAP and automation of our outputs.
Quarterly statistics on housing supply: indicators of new supply
Initiative
We will move data ingestion, storage and processing to the department’s strategic data store. This will enable us to:
- introduce more automation
- reduce risks
- increase quality assurance and analysis work
This will help produce better quality statistics more efficiently.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Progress
Some further work is needed to complete these improvements as intended this year.
New system for collecting data on social housing lettings and sales, known as CORE
Initiative
The new system will make it easier and less burdensome for approximately 3,000 data providers to supply accurate data. This should improve the completeness and quality of the data, which will also improve the statistics.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Work completed
All data suppliers have now been moved over to the new data collection system and the old system has been switched off.
Explore the feasibility of moving to census-like housing statistics that are based on administrative data
Initiative
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is exploring how we can use an administrative base to produce subnational estimates of housing characteristics, including tenure and levels of overcrowding. The findings will form part of the evidence base for the National Statistician’s recommendation in 2023 on the future of population, migration and social statistics in England and Wales.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed
A summary of the ONS’s current and future work related to subnational statistics and analysis was published in October 2023.
Admin-based housing characteristics data for all, and occupied, addresses in England and Wales, by local authority was published in June 2023.
Development of new record level data collection from Scottish local authorities on Short Term Lets Licensing Data
Initiative
Produce a new statistical data series on short term lets licencing to track the number and outcomes of applications.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Scottish Government.
Work completed
Data specification and data collection systems were completed and implemented. After successful data collection, Scottish Government published a new regular publication on short term let applications.
Develop a new Northern Ireland Planning Portal
Initiative
The new planning portal is an administrative system to enable planning functions to be carried out across Northern Ireland. It will provide the necessary data to produce the suite of planning statistics currently published.
The new system holds information that was not previously held on the planning system. This will remove the need to maintain some production processes that were carried out alongside the current system.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland.
Work completed
The new Planning Portal for Northern Ireland is now live. It is intended for the use of 10 of the 11 Councils in Northern Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure. Mid Ulster District Council provides its own online service for anyone wishing to submit or comment on a planning application in the Mid Ulster area.
Improve data on second homes, empty homes and short-term holiday lets in Wales
Initiative
Welsh Government has worked with local authorities, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Welsh Revenue authority and others to improve data available on second homes, empty homes and short term holiday lets in Wales.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Welsh Government.
Work completed
A statistical article called ‘Second homes: What does the data tell us?‘ was published in June 2023. This article provides an overview of the main sources of data on second homes including:
- Census 2021
- Council Tax data
- Land Transaction Tax data
- non-domestic Rates data
The article provides:
- information on the definitions used in each data source
- an overview of the strengths and limitations of each data source
- information about data availability
- detail about some of the differences between the sources
- information about the main points for the latest time period for each of the sources
Analysis of housing variables for Census 2021 in England and Wales
Initiative
Develop new insight and analysis on homeless populations using data collected during Census 2021 in England and Wales, subject to user needs and data quality.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed
On 6 December 2023, ONS published an official statistics in development bulletin looking at the characteristics of people counted at hostels and temporary shelters for the homeless in Census 2021. This is only a small part of the overall population of people experiencing homelessness at that time, so the estimates are lower than other official estimates of homelessness. This means you must be careful when interpreting the results of the bulletin.
Analysis of Census 2021 in England and Wales: housing
Initiative
Analysis of census housing variables for England and Wales began in 2022. A range of publications were planned between mid-2022 and late 2023. The information in the census will be quality assured and enhanced using other data sources.
Beyond March 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will be concentrating on more complex projects that require linking or comparing Census 2021 data with other data sources, such as:
- Scotland and Northern Ireland’s Census data
- previous censuses
- other government surveys
- administrative sources
This will enable ONS develop detailed insights to inform future policy initiatives.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed
Although the initial release of Census 2021 data was delayed, the ONS published 10 housing related Census 2021 publications for England and Wales throughout 2023. These publications included:
- headline household measures
- dwelling stock
- overcrowding
- holiday homes statistics
Census 2021 data was linked with Council Tax and other data to investigate vacant and second homes. It was also linked to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data to look at characteristics of high and low EPC scoring households.
Analysis of housing data from Scotland’s Census 2022
Initiative
Finalise plans and specifications for the analysis of data on housing and households for Scotland from Scotland’s Census 2022. This will include Census data comparisons with:
- data from the previous censuses
- data from Census 2021 for the rest of the UK
Target date
We expect this work to be completed by March 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
Progress
We expect detailed topic data from Scotland’s Census 2022 to become available from Spring 2024.
Analysis of the housing variables for Scotland’s Census 2022
Initiative
Plans for the analysis of census housing variables for Scotland were developed in 2022. These were informed by:
- the consultation with users on Scottish census outputs — the National Records of Scotland (NRS) began this work in 2022
- the analysis of 2021 Census housing variables for England and Wales being undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by NRS.
Work completed
Analysts in NRS and Scottish Government met in October 2022 to do some initial scoping of potential analysis of housing and household variables in Scotland’s 2022 Census. A consultation with users on census output plans was completed in spring 2023 and a consultation report was published in May 2023. This confirmed user support for topic analysis, including analysis of housing. The first release of the census population and household estimates for Scottish council areas was published on 14 September 2023.
Using analysis of Census 2021 data on housing
Initiative
Make best use of analysis of Census 2021 data relating to housing, households and dwellings in Wales to:
- inform the public
- help develop policy for the public good
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Welsh Government.
Work completed
In January 2023, we published a statistical output called ‘Housing in Wales (Census 2021)’ to coincide with the ONS publication of Census 2021 data on housing, communal establishments and people with second addresses. These ONS data were released in 3 separate bulletins. This presented important results for Wales.
In June 2023, we published a statistical article providing an overview of the different data sources relevant to second homes.
The publication of the statistical article coincided with the publication of a Census 2021 holiday home output from ONS. We published a summary of the main points for Wales.
Inclusive Data Taskforce
Initiative
Evaluate and address issues with the coverage of populations not resident in private households.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed and next actions
Two pieces of work related to homelessness have been published:
- a “hidden” homelessness in the UK: evidence review — this review is intended to help us understand more about the people experiencing homelessness who we know the least about
- findings from research that was commissioned into developing a methodology for capturing the scale of women experiencing hidden homelessness across the UK
During 2023, we also conducted extensive stakeholder engagement activities to review:
- the existing evidence on data in relation to the Non-Household Population more broadly, including residents of communal establishments
- any ongoing external work to address some of the gaps identified
We have adapted the existing equalities data audit to include some of the information captured within this evidence review. We expect to publish an updated audit between winter 2023 and spring 2024. This is the first stage of an ongoing programme of work to maintain and further develop the audit to include relevant information on populations that are not resident in private households. These populations are often excluded from standard statistical outputs because they are not resident in private households.
Conduct qualitative research to understand more about the lived experiences of specific non-household population groups that are under-represented in UK data and evidence
Initiative
Complete qualitative research to understand more about the lived experiences of specific non-household populations. Our research for 2022 to 2023 explored the lived experiences of domestic abuse survivors with experience of living in temporary ‘safe’ accommodation.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed
A report on the experiences of domestic abuse survivors’ experiences with temporary ‘safe’ accommodation has been published.
Conduct qualitative research to understand more about the lived experiences of young people aged 14 to 18 who are refugees, asylum seekers, and on a range of resettlement schemes, as well as their parents or carers
Initiative
Complete interviews to explore:
- priorities
- needs
- well-being
- engagement with services, including education, health, and housing
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Work completed
A report on the lived experiences of young refugee, asylum seekers, and those on a range of resettlement schemes was published on Tuesday 23 January 2024.
Stakeholder management plan for users of Council Tax statistics
Initiative
At the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), we are committed to publishing statistics that follow best practice across government. We are mindful that our statistics are part of the wider context of statistics on property, which other parts of government produce. We are working with colleagues across government to publish coherent statistics which meet the wider user need.
Target date
We expect this work will completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the VOA.
Progress
We are continuing to develop our strategy on user engagement. We will be working with users when identifying or making any changes to our statistics following the introduction of new data and IT systems in 2024.
Northern Ireland Planning Statistics user engagement survey
Initiative
Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) will undertake a user survey to invite feedback on the Northern Ireland Planning Statistics publication.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland.
Work completed
Following engagement with users, the planning statistics publication was revised to concentrate on the 3 legislative targets and high-level planning activity. The Microsoft Excel and .ODS tables were also enhanced. We produced:
Transform our published statistical tables to comply with accessibility legislation
Initiative
Change the published statistical tables on housing and planning statistics to use formats that meet accessibility requirements and comply with accessibility legislation.
Target date
We expect this work will be completed by December 2024.
Lead
This work is being led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Consult stakeholders about Scottish Government Planning Performance Statistics and Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey
Initiative
Hold face to face consultations at stakeholder working group meetings and with policy stakeholders.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Scottish Government.
Work completed
Feedback exercises are complete. The results of the feedback exercises about Scottish Government Planning Performance Statistics and Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey have been published.
Review of housing statistics publications
Initiative
Complete a customer survey and hold user engagement events to inform the future content of National Statistics annual compendium reports.
Target date
This work is now complete.
Lead
This work was led by the Department for Communities (DfC), Northern Ireland.
Work completed and next actions
Several changes have been made to housing statistics publications in Northern Ireland based on customer feedback. Further updates will be made throughout 2024.
The following changes have also been made:
- social housing waiting lists data is now provided quarterly rather than annually
- data that is produced and published elsewhere has been removed from the Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin — this includes data that is published in the Northern Ireland House Price Index and the Building Control Housing Starts and Completions publication
- the annual Northern Ireland Housing Statistics report for 2022 to 2023 was published in December 2023, but plans are in place to release future reports each September to make the data more timely
- plans are in place for the Northern Ireland Homelessness Bulletin to revert to Financial year reporting rather than Calendar year reporting — this will provide consistency with our other publications and improve the timeliness of revised data
- all publications have moved to HTML format
A full response to the user survey and our future plans will be provided on the DfC Housing statistics webpage.
This page was last updated on Tuesday 12 March 2024.