Events Archives - LARIA - Local Area Research + Intelligence Association

LARIA Autumn Webinar Series 2026: Book Now!

Laria — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000

Events

LARIA Autumn Webinar Series: Registration now open

Tickets are free of charge for LARIA Members (Full Individual, Additional Corporate, Corporate and Full Corporate Members). For Non Members and LARIA Associate Members, sign up to membership today to gain access to the webinars. For more information on the different memberships and benefits available, see here: LARIA Membership benefits

Webinar 1 — Local Insight, Community Data & Neighbourhood-Level Understanding
Monday 5 October 2026, 13:00 – 14:30 BST

Session 1: 1.00pm-1.30pm
Turning Data into Action: Community Insight Profiles for Local Impact
This session showcases how Community Insight Profiles and an interactive dashboard are transforming the way we understand and respond to local needs. National strategies often set the direction, but they can miss the nuances that define individual communities. Our work bridges this gap by using localised research and data to create practical insights that shape priorities and deliver targeted interventions.

The Community Insight Profiles programme brings a deeper understanding of the factors influencing health and wellbeing in Oxfordshire’s most disadvantaged areas. The community voices in the profiles bring local data to life, along with mapping community assets, identifying challenges and opportunities, and setting out recommendations for action. These profiles are not just descriptive; they include tailored action plans designed to respond to the priorities identified by local people. Community Health Development Officers and grant schemes are helping to implement the recommendations and we are working with the University of Oxford to assess their community impact.

The interactive dashboard builds on this by offering a dynamic platform where users can visualise trends, compare neighbourhoods, and drill down into specific indicators—making complex data practical and usable.

In this session, we will share the journey of developing these tools, including the methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and lessons learned along the way. We will also present practical examples of how the Community Insight Profiles have influenced local action, from health improvement initiatives to community projects, as well as the scalable findings from the programme evaluation.

Participants will explore the dashboard, engage in discussions about innovative approaches to local data analysis, and consider how similar tools can be adapted to their own contexts. This session offers practical insights into using evidence as the foundation for meaningful, sustainable change.
Reece Remedios, Kate Austin & Fiona Ruck, Oxfordshire County Council

Session 2: 1.30pm-2.00pm
Understanding and modelling loneliness among older adults at the neighbourhood level in England
Loneliness and social isolation have been recognised as critical health concerns by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In 2023, the WHO launched a Commission to help tackle social (dis)connection and in June 2025 published its first report. The report outlines the impact chronic loneliness and social isolation can have on human health, including on older population groups, with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety regularly referred to as implications, plus increased stoke risk and potential for early death. Research also suggests that loneliness is one of several lifestyle factors associated with dementia onset.

This session will present a prototype composite index and dashboard which seek to quantify, model and map loneliness risk amongst older adults at the small-area (neighbourhood) level, incorporating all of England. The index, known as the Loneliness Risk Composite Index (LRCI), fuses a series of known determinants of loneliness and infers the level of risk per neighbourhood unit. The tool is designed to aid the targeting of resources and interventions designed to tackle loneliness.

More specifically, this session will discuss the difference between loneliness and social isolation, their associations with health among older populations, and the risk factors (including modifiable risk factors) which are deemed to increase the risk of loneliness. The prototype composite index / dashboard will also be presented and demonstrated.
Dr Luke Burns, University of Leeds

Session 3: 2.00pm-2.30pm
Evaluating place-based and person-centred interventions – Balancing number crunching with local peoples’ experiences
The Horden Together Partnership is a place-based and person-centred intervention designed to improve the lives of residents in Horden, a former coal mining village in County Durham. It is currently being evaluated by the PHIRST Elevate research team based at the University of Edinburgh (more info here). Estimated completion is April 2026.

The evaluation has drawn on various data sources, many of them quantitative in nature. However, we recognise that people are not numbers. How do you make sure that the “human element” of the intervention is not lost through the evaluation, whilst maintaining objectivity and rigour?

Learning will be based around a case study of the evaluation. This session will explore how bringing together data from different local sources can help us tell the story of an intervention while keeping people at the heart of it. The evaluation method used machine learning as the technique to create “personas” by combining quantitative data sets. This helped us identify patterns of multiple needs without focusing on a single individual—a crucial approach in a small community like Horden.

The evaluation has also placed importance on gathering local “data” from a “public involvement group” made up of 12 Horden residents. This group has helped guide the evaluation by providing context and insights, commenting on emerging findings and will support knowledge mobilisation.
Julie Englund & Sarah Janac, Durham County Council & University of Edinburgh

Webinar 2 — Analytical Innovation, Automation & Insight-Driven Service Delivery
Thursday 8 October 2026, 10:30 – 11:30 BST

Session 1: 10.30am – 11.00am
From Analytical Priorities to Organisational Value: Reflections on HDRC Newcastle’s Collaborative Data Projects
This session will provide an honest and practical overview of how HDRC Newcastle works with council directorates to identify, prioritise and develop analytical projects. Drawing on two collaborations with Housing and Communities, the session will explore the project journey from early scoping and engagement at strategic, managerial and operational levels through to analysis, prototype development and the translation of learning into service and organisational improvement.

The session will share our practical approaches to collaborative workshops, project prioritisation and the development of realistic data projects with a focus on health inequalities. It will highlight both successes and challenges, as well as the importance of recognising and building upon the value generated throughout the project lifecycle.

The case studies will illustrate how data from different systems can be brought together to develop a clearer understanding of local need. We will summarise the analytical methods and tools used, alongside the ethical, data quality and operational considerations encountered.

We will also reflect openly on the challenges that can prevent analytical projects from progressing as originally planned. A central theme will be the importance of recognising and capturing value throughout the project lifecycle. The session will consider how individual projects can contribute to longer-term culture change, build analytical capability and create the conditions for future work. We will also share practical ways in which project teams can “help their future selves” by improving documentation, data definitions, governance and reusable analytical processes as part of every collaboration.

We will also reflect openly on the factors that can prevent analytical projects from progressing as originally planned. The session will consider how projects can nevertheless generate wider organisational value, including improved data quality and standards, stronger relationships between analytical and service teams, increased analytical capability and more confident use of evidence in decision-making. We will also share practical ways in which analysts and researchers can “help their future selves” by improving documentation, data definitions, governance and reusable analytical processes through each collaboration.

Throughout the session, delegates will be invited to reflect on how they scope and prioritise analytical projects, maintain engagement across different organisational levels, overcome bottlenecks and demonstrate value beyond the delivery of a final product. The session will conclude with practical lessons for developing sustainable, insight-driven working across local government.
Ruth Boldon & Lee Burns, Newcastle City Council

Session 2: 11.00am – 11.30am
Improving school attendance in Newcastle: understanding the local challenge through mixed-methods research
This session will present findings and reflections from a mixed-methods research project undertaken by Newcastle City Councils Health Determinants Research Collaboration in collaboration with Children and Families directorate.

The research combined statistical analysis of attendance of pupils in Newcastle upon-Tyne to identify factors associated with attendance and inform the sampling design for qualitative analysis. Qualitative research captured perspectives from children and young people, parents, school staff, council attendance officers and wider partners from health, social care and voluntary and community organisations.

The session will focus on the research findings, how we are disseminating the research findings with various stakeholders including children and young people and reflections on conducting research projects within a local authority setting.

What the webinar will cover
During the proposed 30-minute session, the presenters will:
• introduce the scale and significance of school absence in Newcastle;
• explain how quantitative and qualitative evidence were brought together;
• share the principal statistical findings and lived-experience themes;
• highlight practical recommendations for schools, families, local authorities and wider partners.

The session will conclude by inviting delegates to consider how local authorities can combine administrative data with the voices of children, families and practitioners to develop more informed, proportionate and collaborative responses to persistent absence. Key areas for discussion will include early identification, data linkage, multi-agency working, the role of schools as community hubs and how local evidence can be translated into service improvement.
Dr Grace Gardner & Dr Ruth Boldon, Newcastle HDRC

Webinar 3 — Cross-Sector Collaboration, Health Equity & System-Wide Approaches
Wednesday 14 October 2026, 10:30 – 12:00 BST

Session 1: 10.30am – 11.00am
Using Data to build cross sector relationships and shared vision
Since 2022, Centre for Thriving Place (CTP) has worked with three district councils in the Mid-Essex region on a long-term approach to cross-sector collaboration around public health, housing and economy. Initiated by the desire to bring a data-led, evidence-based approach to collaboration during the establishment of the Integrated Care System, this work shows how drawing together and understanding datasets can be a starting point to build practical collaborations, and innovative programmes that tackle silos.

Beginning with a series of workshops with the Mid Essex Integrated Care Alliance, CTP used the Thriving Places dataset as a starting point for discussions about not just a more holistic picture of wellbeing in the region, but also about drivers of wellbeing intersect with each other. These discussions were augmented by qualitative interviews with people working across the system to understand where there was good join-up and where there were problematic gaps in relationships and communication between teams, departments and organisations.

This generated a bespoke indicator framework for the Alliance, containing data on policy areas that intersect in people’s lives (for example health and housing) but about which most organisations in the public health, NHS, local authority and VCS, do not tend to review data all together in one place – much less collaborate with different parts of the system.

This initial 6 month work, resulted in a follow-on 2 year learning partnership over two years through which the Thriving Places Dataset became integrated across the three district councils’ work including VCSE sector mental health funding, transport inequalities, and joining up retrofit, respiratory health and housing. further ongoing project to better integrate the work of the Public Health and Economic Growth teams at Essex County Council, and to feed into the development of new foundational strategies for the emerging Greater Essex Mayoral Combined Authority.
Adekemi Okmisakin & Rosie Maguire, Centre for Thriving Places and Adrian Coggins & Alexandra Card, Essex County Council

Session 2: 11.00am – 11.30am
Embedding health equity: Tools from the MATCH process
A key initiative of the Population Health Hub is the eMbedding heAlth equiTy in City & Hackney (MATCH) programme. The vision behind the Hub and MATCH is inherently bold: to transition from addressing health inequalities solely through targeted services to embedding health equity as a core function within all partner organisations across the system (applicable in different local contexts).

The MATCH approach is built on a robust evidence-informed process, ensuring solutions are targeted, relevant, and effective. The MATCH approach includes five main steps: bringing the right people together, collating data and insights, establishing conditions for change, prioritising key changes, and implementing, testing, and learning. It is adaptable, flexible and can be applied in tackling a wide range of health inequalities, and importantly can be applied with or without designated funding.

Using a participatory format, the session will share practical tips, insights and uses of the MATCH process to inspire and enable others to adopt it in their work to reduce health inequalities.

Participants will be taken through the five steps and supported to use the MATCH process to successfully tackle deep-rooted challenges, providing real-world examples of impact from the first two years of MATCH – from taking action on food poverty, poor cardiovascular outcomes, inequalities in maternity outcomes, mental health of people seeking asylum, and inequalities in healthy weight outcomes through partnership work.

Attendees will leave equipped with the inspiration and practical tools needed to adapt and implement this flexible framework, ensuring health equity is no longer an optional project but a core, built-in function of their day-to-day operations and service design.
Jessica Veltman and Missy Matz, Population Health Hub, City & Hackney Public Health Team

Session 3: 11.30am – 12.15pm
Partnering for better outcomes with the London Borough of Barnet, CACI and Snowflake
CACI’s webinar session will consist of three speakers; CACI, Snowflake and the London Borough of Barnet. CACI will focus on our perspective and experience of working with local authorities from a data and solutions perspective; Snowflake will talk through their technology solutions and partnerships with public sector organisations; while Barnet will provide a live case study demonstrating practical application and impact where they’ll discuss their approach to developing a vulnerability index.
CACI: Stewart Eldridge & Lorcan Wade
Snowflake: Simon Tobias
London Borough of Barnet: James Rapkin

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LARIA Summer Webinars 2026: Recordings and Presentations Now Available

Laria — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:08:15 +0000

Events

LARIA Webinars

Recordings and presentations are now available in the members area, sign in to view.

Webinar 1
Friday 10 July 2026, 10:00 – 11:30 BST

Session 1: 10:00-10:45
Ageing in Place Spatial Risk Model: An evidence-based approach to tackling inequalities in ageing
The Ageing in Place Spatial Risk Model has been developed to support evidence-informed policy development, strategic planning, and place-based decision making to address social isolation and healthy ageing across Greater Manchester. Developed as part of the Ageing in Place Pathfinder in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University, the model provides a consistent analytical lens through which policymakers and neighbourhood-based teams can understand how spatial, social, and demographic factors enable or constrain residents aged 50 and over to age well in their communities.

By bringing together multiple indicators linked to deprivation, health, mobility, employment, ethnic diversity, social connection, and access to assets alongside the voice and lived experience of older residents, the model helps identify where risks to ageing well are concentrated and where they overlap. This enables more targeted and preventative responses to be co-produced with residents, supporting interventions that are tailored to local community needs and address inequalities in mid and later life. The model directly informed delivery across 10 neighbourhoods, supporting partners to engage socially isolated residents, identify priority areas for action, and co-design Ageing in Place Action Plans. The approach is now being scaled within the Greater Manchester wide approach to Live Well in Later Life.
Sandaru Weerasinghe, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Ageing Hub)

Session 2: 10:45-11:30
From Data to Action: Tackling Health Inequalities in Gamesley Through Community-Led Insight
The Gamesley Community Needs Assessment (GCNA) provides a robust, mixed-methods investigation into one of the most deprived wards in Derbyshire. Using a neighbourhood approach and through detailed ward-level epidemiology, ACORN segmentation and qualitative engagement with 23 residents and professionals, the project uncovered inequalities masked at district level, including Gamesley having the highest standardised incidence ratio for colorectal cancer in England alongside lower screening uptake. The research illuminated the lived experience of local people, revealing interconnected themes: strong community ties, limited transport and opportunity, financial hardship, safety concerns, living with poor health and a history of “project-fatigue”.

The findings directly informed evidence-based decision-making across Derbyshire County Council and partners. Four actionable recommendations were agreed: a targeted communication plan, a Health Equity Audit of screening and behaviour change services, a deep dive into mental health, and ongoing community-led monitoring. Early outcomes include a well-attended community feedback event, reinvigoration of a residents’ association, establishment of a new Community Neighbourhood Group, and co-production of a mental health guide with local residents.

The GCNA demonstrates how rigorous local area research, grounded in authentic community participation, can shift practice, strengthen partnerships and drive improvements in health equity.
Caroline Mackie, Derbyshire County Council Public Health

Webinar 2
Tuesday 14 July 2026, 12:30 – 14:00 BST

Session 1: 12:30-13:05
Independent 3-month evaluation of the new Kent & Medway Multi-Agency Risk Assessment (MARAC) Hub Model
This entry presents the independent 3 month evaluation of the newly implemented Kent & Medway MARAC Hub model. The evaluation was commissioned to understand whether the redesigned multi agency framework had begun to improve risk management, information sharing and coordinated safeguarding for
high risk domestic abuse cases. The project addressed two core questions: what enabled successful implementation, and what barriers were limiting the effectiveness of the new model.

The research used multiple data sources including interviews, focus groups, surveys, meeting observations, referral audits and analysis of the new Case Management System (CMS). A total of 43 professionals participated in qualitative sessions, 92 professionals completed the survey, and several MARAC meetings were observed to examine practice in context. CMS analytics, referral data and case reviews provided insight into emerging operational patterns.

The evaluation generated a robust understanding of successes such as improved partnership working, strengthened information sharing, and early benefits of digital transformation. It also produced practical recommendations related to licensing, training, role clarity, referral quality, action planning, and meeting structure. Findings have already informed adjustments to MARAC processes, and the report will guide the upcoming 12 month review.

The work demonstrates how local research can support system learning, strengthen accountability and improve safeguarding outcomes.
Sarah Collins, Kent County Council

Session 2: 13:05-13:25
LG Inform App: Engaging Decision-makers Through Clear, Accessible Data Insights
The LG Inform App, developed by the Local Government Association, provides senior officers and councillors with clear, accessible and timely insight into council performance. Designed to complement the comprehensive LG Inform platform, the app presents a curated basket of 110 metrics across 11 topic areas,
enabling leaders to monitor performance quickly and meaningfully. It has been shaped by extensive engagement with councils and professional networks, ensuring the chosen metrics genuinely reflect sector priorities.

The app responds directly to a key communication challenge: decision-makers need rapid, unambiguous insight without navigating complexity. The app achieves this through streamlined visualisations, contextual notifications and intuitive comparisons across relevant groups—including statistical neighbours, region or geographic neighbours. For multi-tier areas, responsibilities are handled clearly, greyed out where not relevant, and with intuitive prompts.

With integrated alerts, simple sharing functionality and direct links into deeper LG Inform content, the app supports better-informed conversations, scrutiny and strategic decision-making. It has already generated high levels of interest due to its clarity, simplicity and alignment with sector needs.
Alex Rigge, Local Government Association – LG Inform Programme

Session 3: 13:25-14:00
The Intervention Index: Data-Driven Prioritisation of £1.58 Billion Transport Investment in Liverpool City Region
The University of Liverpool’s Geographic Data Service, in partnership with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), developed the “Intervention Index”, which is a composite spatial indicator framework that directly informed the allocation of £1.581 billion in transport infrastructure funding, the largest settlement in the city region’s history.

The research integrated multiple open and administrative datasets to create a bespoke index measuring compound inequality across four domains: Transport Accessibility, Deprivation and Socioeconomic Status, Economic Development, and Housing Opportunities. The methodology was co-produced through extensive consultation with LCRCA officers, Merseytravel, and six Local Authority partners.

The resulting evidence base and interactive dashboard became the primary tool for strategic decision-making in the Transport for City Regions (TCR) programme bid. The index enabled objective identification of areas experiencing intersecting disadvantages and provided transparent criteria for evaluating competing transport proposals.

The Department for Transport praised the approach which, in December 2025, allowed LCRCA to be the first Combined Authority nationally to confirm how it would spend its funding. Liverpool City Region was subsequently ranked third among 400 European cities in the European Capital of Innovation awards, an achievement the Metro Mayor specifically attributed to this data-driven approach to policy development.
Alex Singleton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) & Geographic Data Service, University of Liverpool

Webinar 3
Wednesday 15 July 2026, 10:00 – 10:45 BST

Session 1: 10:00-10:45
Survivor Voice Ambassadors: Embedding Lived Experience in Domestic Abuse Policy, Training and Public Communication
The Survivor Voice Ambassadors (SVA) programme amplifies the lived experiences of domestic abuse survivors to inform commissioning, strengthen training, improve public communication and enhance service design across Kent and Medway. The programme invites survivors to share their experiences safely, with trauma informed protocols embedded throughout all stages of involvement. Ten ambassadors representing a range of backgrounds, identities and experiences have contributed to a range of local and national outputs. Their voices shape the Domestic Abuse Partnership website, media campaigns, professional training, and strategic policy discussions. They have provided insights that informed the commissioning of cybercrime support and specialist mental health input. Ambassadors have co produced content for public awareness campaigns, contributed testimonies to radio and press coverage, and recorded material for online training. The programme demonstrates meaningful involvement of survivors in shaping communication, service improvement and public understanding. It advances inclusive and ethical research practice by positioning survivors as partners rather than subjects. This entry shows how local research and engagement can drive organisational change, strengthen public messages, improve practitioner confidence and directly enhance support pathways for victims. The programme meets LARIA criteria through high quality engagement and demonstrable impact on decisions, service development and communication strategies.
Sarah Collins, Kent County Council

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LARIA Webinars 2024: Recordings now available

Laria — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 09:03:31 +0000

Events

LARIA Webinars: Recordings

AI: What is it? Why is it? Where is it?
The world is awash with references to AI, despite it not being a new practice. The recent advancements and easy accessibility of AI tools mean it’s the buzzword of the moment. But, for many of us there are still many foundational questions when it comes to AI – what is it? why is it? And where is it?

In this session CACI’s AI and Data Science experts Sue MacLure, Director of Data and AI Ethics, and Edward Sewell, Data Strategy Partner will share the journey we’ve been on at CACI as we adopted advanced AI techniques to enhance our data insights products, as well as the use of generative AI in the interpretation and application of those data insight products – bringing to life the what, why and where of AI at CACI.

They will also dive into the ethical and legislative challenges of adopting AI techniques to undertake data insight practices, and how we’ve addressed them – sharing our key learnings with you, so your data scientists can act with integrity, always considering the ethical side of AI in their day-to-day work.

Finally, we’ll bring this all to life with some real-life use cases of how organisations are adopting these AI driven tools to improve consumer and resident experiences.

We’re confident you’ll walk away with:

• Insights on how you can embrace the AI & Data Science opportunity for your organisation.
• A deeper understanding of the key ethical and legislative considerations that all organisations seeking to adopt AI should be aware of and considering.
• A clearer view of the variety and potential of ways in which data science and AI can drive tangible benefits to organisations across the Public and Commercial sectors both now and in the future.
Ed Sewell, Partner – Data Strategy & Sue MacLure, Director of Data, CACI

Developing skills for AI: how and why
This session will provide delegates with inspiration for how their councils can take practical steps to develop data science skills to take advantage of the opportunities that AI presents. Attendees will also hear from two councils who will give examples of AI projects that showcase the benefits of investing in these skills.

In this session, hear from Anna Gibson, Senior Data Analyst at Hackney Council, about her experience participating in a level 7 AI apprenticeship. Anna will explain how she has put the skills she developed to practical use in an exciting project that aimed to predict which council-managed properties and associated households were most at risk of damp and mould, to help prioritise proactive interventions for the most vulnerable of residents.

Simone Thomas, Senior Manager for Strategic Data Systems at Cheshire West and Chester Council will describe the Data Hive skills development programme the council has implemented to build data culture and skills across the organisation. Simone will also tell us how her Data Science and Engineering team is developing a predictive modelling project that focuses on SEND pupils to help support sufficiency planning and budget forecasting.

Finally, Kate Cooper will outline the support available from the LGA to help councils develop data skills and build capacity around AI, as well as the opportunities available to participate in networks to share learning and build relationships with other councils also working in this area.
Anna Gibson, Senior Data Analyst, Hackney Council, Simone Thomas, Senior Manager for Strategic Data Systems, Cheshire West and Chester Council
Chaired by Kate Cooper, Programme Manager – Data and Transparency programme, Local Government Association

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Tanni Grey-Thompson: Councils must protect staff with data skills

Laria — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:17:43 +0000

Events

Financial pressures will make it tempting to cut research and analysis teams but covid revealed the importance of having people with these skills, writes the president of the Local Government Association.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson spoke about the value of using data to identify and tackle inequalities in local areas, to support different groups facing difficulties, at the LARIA one-day event that took place on Thursday 16 November. Read more here.

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LARIA North East 1 December Event Write Up

Laria — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 19:53:58 +0000

Our first virtual event!

With 10 of us attending via Teams, it was good to catch up! Louise Reeve (LARIA North East Organiser) led with a presentation on ‘The Census: What’s New, and What’s In It for You?’, describing how ONS plan to increase digital participation in Census to 75% in 2021, and get the data outputs to users in a way that works best for them. We discussed both plans for the Census, and issues that members were facing and expect to face in future, such as:

For some attendees, the challenge of successfully carrying out their regular role whilst at the same time completing a Data Analyist Apprenticeship – and whether local authorities have fully embraced data science and what it can offer us.
The extent to which local authorities are able to do ‘in-depth’ or ‘proactive’ research, rather than reactive research.
How we will manage workloads in 2021 when tasks that were put on hold during the pandemic have to be caught up with.
The difficulties of keeping up with what’s happening when no-one’s in the office – and how we’re looking forward to hopefully getting back into it in 2021.
The logistical difficulties of the upcoming vaccination programme.
The opportunities offered by Census 2021, particularly for those of us managing data platforms such as Durham Insight.

Despite the challenges, all agreed it was good to catch up. We’ll have another event soon!

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Laria North East Networking Event 15 October 2019 – Research Strategies and Techniques

Lousie Reeve — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 12:27:03 +0000

The fifth LARIA North East Networking event was well-attended, with 17 attendees and five presenters. Held at Newcastle Civic Centre, we enjoyed a mixture of presentations on research strategies and techniques, and the chance to meet other North East local area researchers.

We first heard from Dr Mandy Cheetham and Samantha Redgate on the topic ‘A new way forward for local authority research; the LACOR project’. They discussed how Newcastle City Council and the FUSE centre had worked together to develop an embedded culture of research in a local authority. For more information please contact Dr Cheetham here: M.Cheetham@tees.ac.uk

Next, Gary Murphy from Newcastle City Council discussed how the Python software and machine learning can help to map the private rented sector in a local authority area. For more information about this please contact Gary here: gary.murphy@newcastle.gov.uk LARIA North East members had mentioned at earlier networking events that they wanted more time to get to know each other, so we had a tea and coffee breaks after each presentation for people to discuss their projects and explore opportunities to work together.

Louise Reeve from Newcastle City Council and Simon Taylor from QSR International talked about how qualitative analysis software, such as Interpris, can be used to speed up analysis of consultation and survey responses. For more information, contact Louise Reeve at: louise.reeve@newcastle.gov.uk Finally, Louise Reeve, the LARIA North East Regional Organiser, presented on ‘What’s happening with LARIA nationally?’, including the online forum, the recent LARIA Awayday strategic planning meeting, and the upcoming LARIA One Day Conference in November 2019.

Feedback on the event was generally positive and included comments such as:

‘It is really interesting to see how others do things, and ideas I can take back into my workplace for the analysis I carry out, in particular Interpris [qualitative analysis software] and the survey analysis techniques.’

‘It felt informal enough to be able to have good honest discussions.’

Topics suggested for future events were:

‘Health and Wellbeing’

‘Talk through R’

‘Data visualisation, and career progression within the research and analysis field.’

‘Possibly something around data sourcing? We spend a lot of time trying to source data and it may be interesting to find out how others do it to help us to use our time more efficiently and effectively.’

Thanks to everyone who attended for making it such an amazing event. The next one will be in Spring 2020. Watch this space! Louise Reeve Email: louise.reeve@newcastle.gov.uk

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LARIA North East Networking Event 2019

Lousie Reeve — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:40:54 +0000

LARIA NE event attendees in 2018

The first LARIA North East networking event of 2019 will take place on Thursday 21st March, 1-4pm at North Yorkshire County Council in Northallerton. There’ll be plenty of chances to network, and we have speakers discussing: Intelligent Council project, Durham Insight, how local authorities and universities can work together more effectively. Free to attend – reserve your place here!

If you have questions, contact me at: louise.reeve@newcastle.gov.uk I look forward to seeing you!

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LARIA Listens Event, Perth – A Summary

Laria — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:29:27 +0000

On Friday 21 April 2017 LARIA in Scotland had an interesting and informative event which explored the topic of Engaging Communities and Understanding Poverty. Presentations and discussions of the day included:

Learning from Participatory Budgeting in Paris: Coryn Barclay, Fife Council, presented a an overview of participatory budgeting in Paris based on her participation in the What Works Scotland’s two-day visit to Paris to learn about the city’s experience of participatory budgeting.
Evaluating the use of the Place Standard Tool: Megan MacPherson, NHS Health Scotland provided a ‘sneak peek’ to the evaluation of the Place Standard Tool, how it has been used across Scotland.
Less Heard Voices: Paul Nelis, SCDC, provided an overview of the National Standards for Community Engagement and how they can be used to engage with communities including those that are ‘less heard’.
Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill: Alastair McAlpine, Scottish Government led a discussion about the data/information that may assist in understanding child poverty in Scotland and contribute to the proposed “Local child povety action report”.
ScotPHO Profile Development: Vicky Elliot, ISD NHS Scotland, along with Jamie Villicampa, presented an update on the future development of the SCOTPho profiles with discussions about data sources, considerations when selecting /defining indicators, current challenges and using a new technical platform.

The next LARIA Listens event will be held in the autumn, topics TBD – ‘Watch this Space’, the Analysis, Intelligence and Research (AIR) – Scotland site, and the LARIA website.

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The LARIA One Day Conference 2016: Output to Outcome

Laria — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:55:20 +0000

On Thursday 24th November, the LARIA One Day Conference took place at the Royal Northern College of Music. The event was a great success, and LARIA would like to say a big thank you to our exhibitors, Enventure Research, QSR International and Data Orchard.

To view the presentations from the event, please log into the Members’ Area. The presentations can be found on the page entitled ‘Past Events’. If you’re not sure of your LARIA log in details, please select the ‘Don’t know you’re password?’ link and follow the steps; if you have any queries about this, feel free to contact admin@laria.org.uk.

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LARIA North West October 2015 – summary of event

Linda Frost — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 10:12:04 +0000

Manchester Town Hall

LARIA NW welcomed around 60 delegates to its event in Manchester, chaired by Linda Frost, to hear from a range of speakers. The event began with discussions in groups, covering data harmonisation, the Index of Multiple Deprivation and working with the voluntary sector.

Research into skills needs of voluntary,community and social enterprise organisations in Greater Manchester – Susanne Martikke, Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation and Dr Noemi Sinkovics, Manchester Business School

This session shared findings from a collaborative research project into the skills needs of the voluntary sector and social enterprise organisations (VCSE) in Greater Manchester. After some the background to VCSE skills and the methodology used, the speakers explored some of the quantitative and qualitative findings to highlight the need to focus attention not only on skills, but also on capabilities.

Susanne Martikke is the research officer at the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO). She has managed and conducted a wide range of qualitative research projects on various aspects of the VCS and volunteering in Greater Manchester Susanne is also the co-founder and the coordinator for the Greater Manchester Third Sector Research Network, which brings together academics with a research interest in the voluntary sector and voluntary sector staff with a research remit for peer support and learning. Susanne is one of three associates of the UK Community Partner Network initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the mutual benefits of equal and fair partnerships between voluntary sector organisations, their communities and university researchers. She is currently working on her PhD as part of an ESRC-funded collaborative CASE Studentship between GMCVO and the Morgan Centre at the University of Manchester.

Dr. Noemi Sinkovics is Lecturer in International Business and Management at Alliance Manchester Business School. She holds a PhD in International Business and has a track record of peer-reviewed publications in a number of internationally recognised journals such as International Business Review, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business Research, etc. Her research and teaching is focused on responsible business, social value creation, as well as theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship (commercial, social, and international).

Presentation 1: Session 1 Susanne Martikke and Noemi Sinkovics

Using Open Data to map the city – Chris Pope, New Economy

The wealth of public sector open data – and open source products to analyse these – provide local authorities with a range of new and unique opportunities to better understand the local area, and improve people’s lives. To this end, Greater Manchester sought to utilise open data to better understand our social and physical infrastructure, to better support pre-planning decisions. This session explored some of the wider opportunities available for local authorities from using open data, some of our learning along the way, and the creation of our open data infrastructure map – mappinggm.org.uk.

Chris Pope has been a senior analyst for over 6 years at New Economy. He has worked in areas as wide as mental health support, skills and employment services, public service reform and planning and housing. For the past 8 months, Chris has project managed the Greater Manchester Open Data Infrastructure Map, working with colleagues in the LEP, AGMA and Salford City Council, who built the map.

Presentation 2: Session 2 Chris Pope

NVivo – Diane Armstrong, QSR International Ltd

Diane talked about a collaborative project between QSR International and Cheshire East Council in which data from a public consultation project was analysed in NVivo against the more traditional analytic methods and approaches (Man ‘V’ Machine). The aim of the project is to demonstrate the potential time and cost savings the software could bring to teams in similar local authorities.

Diane Armstrong is employed as a Business Development Manager at QSR International Ltd who are the developers of NVivo, an award winning qualitative research software. However, her background is in public sector, working for 23 years in NHS around the North West. In later years, Diane was employed as a Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Liverpool Primary Care Trust and was responsible for successfully project managing a number of large-scale public consultation projects resulting in the creation of 10 new neighbourhood health and wellbeing centres across the city and the development of the new Royal Liverpool and Alder Hey Hospitals.

Presentation 3: Session 3 Diane Armstrong

Efficient frontline service planning using RouteSmart and OS ITN data – the Newcastle-upon-Tyne perspective – Clive Melleney, Ordnance Survey and Mark Mohun, Newcastle City Council

This session heard about the possible savings to Local Authorities through the use of PSMA data in support, not only of savings in Waste Management, but many other areas of the business, as shown on the OS Case Study finder.

Clive Melleney is a GI Consultant with the Ordnance Survey. He supports over 100 PSMA customers within the North West and West Midlands Regions. He also works with energy and infrastructure companies across GB.

Mark Mohun is a Business Analyst with Newcastle City Council.

Presentations 4a and 4:
Session 4a Clive Melleney
Session 4 Mark Mohun

DemograFire – creating a national geo-demographic profile of fire and rescue incidents – Philip Usher, Cheshire Fire and Rescue

This session heard about the DemograFire project, which aims to produce a robust, geo-demographic profile of fire and rescue incident data to assist in the creation of social marketing campaigns.

Philip Usher has worked in analytical roles within the emergency services for 12 years and he is currently Business Intelligence Manager at Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service. In 2015 Philip took on the role of lead for Social marketing and Analysis in the Chief Fire Officer’s Association (CFOA) Integrated Data Group which led him to create DemograFire. Philip is also in the final stages of an MSc in GIS at University of Leeds where he is modelling a regional approach to Fire & Rescue in the North-West.

Presentation 5: Session 5 Philip Usher

Projecting populations by ethnic group for local authorities, 2001 to 2051 – Dr Paul Norman, Leeds University

Data on future populations by ethnic group are needed for a variety of purposes. This presentation showed: how population projections are constructed, how choices made affect outputs and why differences in observed population change (what actually happened) and expected (what has been projected) might (will!) occur.

Paul Norman is a population and health geographer with wide experience of estimating and projecting populations.

Presentation 6: Session 6 Paul Norman

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