Guidance

Single Data List

The Single Data List is a list of all the datasets that local government must submit to central government.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2018 to 2021) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
17 October 2012
Last updated
27 November 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

The Single Data List

HTML

Detailed Single Data List

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 819 KB

The Single Data List: a guide

HTML

The Single Data List Gateway Group data collection 'top sheet'

ODT, 9.32 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Changes to the Single Data List from April 2020

HTML

Changes to the Single Data List between April 2015 and March 2020

PDF, 114 KB, 4 pages

List of data collections that have ceased or been reduced between 2010 and April 2015

PDF, 174 KB, 10 pages

Details

The Single Data llist is a list of all the datasets that local government must submit to central government. If a data requirement is not on the list, councils won’t have to collect and provide it without receiving extra funding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government set up a ‘gateway group’ on July 2012, responsible for ensuring that any new proposed data requirement is necessary, places a minimal burden on local authorities, is fully funded as outlined in new burdens procedures and meets at least 1 of the 6 data principles before it can be added to the single data list.

Principles for assessing new data requirements from local government

Each data request must comply with at least one of these principles.

Central government may reasonably require data from local councils:

  • to fulfil international obligations
  • to support the effective administration of funding - clarity is important here in highlighting where data are being used as proxies (for example, data on free school meals being used as a proxy for need)
  • to support accountability to Parliament for national public funds and national policy decisions
  • to hold public services to account, for example holding government to account for national delivery
  • to support the evaluation of economic, social and environmental trends
  • to provide comparable local performance data, by exception, where it doesn’t already exist, to enable local people to hold local services to account

Updates to this page

Published 17 October 2012
Last updated 27 November 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated The Single Data List: a guide.

  2. Updated the single data list and detailed single list to 2023 to 2024. Updated changes to the single data list from April 2020 onwards.

  3. Updated The Single Data List: a guide.

  4. Updated the single data list and detailed single list to 2022 to 2023. Updated changes to the single data list from April 2020 onwards.

  5. Updated: the single data list and detailed single detail list to 2021 to 2022 Added: changes to the single data list between April 2015 and March 2020 and changes to the single data list from April 2020

  6. Added The single data list: 2020 to 2021. Updated the Detailed single detail list, and Changes to the single data list since April 2015.

  7. Added The single data list: 2019 to 2020. Updated the Detailed single detail list, and Changes to the single data list since April 2015.

  8. Added Single Data List 2018 to 2019; updated list of changes to the Single Data List since April 2015; updated the detailed Single Data List.

  9. Added 'single data list: 2017 to 2018', updated detailed single data list, and 'changes to the single data list since April 2015'

  10. Single data list and supporting documents updated.

  11. Added updated single data list documents.

  12. Single data list documents updated.

  13. Added detailed single data list.

  14. Updated single data list added.

  15. First published.

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