We are pleased to announce that we are currently in the process of updating the National Data Service to use the 2024 Ward boundaries. We are aiming to go live with this change over the weekend of the 5th & 6th October 2024.
Below a few questions and answers around this update.
1. Will the 2024 Ward boundaries replace the existing ward layer in the National Data Service?
Yes, the 2024 ward boundaries will become our standard ward geography. We will not retain the older ward layer. If you have another vintage of wards as a custom geography, this will remain. If you would like us to remove the custom ward layer, please get in touch with our Technical Support team.
Most datasets will be aggregable from LSOA 2011, LSOA 2021 or OA 2021 layers. Where the smallest published level is the older ward layer, there will be some gaps in the data where it does not exist for 2024 wards and cannot be aggregated. This will not affect the majority of datasets.
2. What data will be available for the new ward layer?
When the source data is updated in its normal cycle for 2024 wards, we will include the source data in the service. Where data is available at LSOA 2011, LSOA 2021 or OA 2021, and can be aggregated or calculated, we will aim provide this for the 2024 wards.
3. Will Census 2021 data be available for the new ward boundaries?
We understand that there are no plans from the ONS to republish the Census 2021 data for the newer wards. We will, therefore, fill in the gaps where possible (see answer question 2 for more detail)
4. Will the historic time series of datasets be retained?
Yes, we will try and retain historic time series where possible (see answer to question 2 for more detail).
5. What methodology are you using for the update?
We use the same approach as the ONS. In summary, this means we use the ONS population weighted centroids. Each of them falls into one Ward and the entire value of the source area will be assigned to that Ward.
6. When can we expect the next update of the ward boundaries?
The aim moving forwards is to update the ward boundaries for all customers in the July/August of each year.