Abstract

Every local authority in the country is likely to have some form of information or database management system. Many of these systems are not dynamic and do not have the capacity for public engagement or interrogation over the internet. It is also not uncommon to find geographically contiguous districts manipulating policy-related statistics differently, thereby making it difficult to embark on crossborder comparisons. This article presents a review of the issues that underpinned the delivery of the Local Area Statistics Online Service (LASOS) for the South Yorkshire sub-region and some key lessons learnt in the process of developing the system.