Geography Policy Public Consultation

Opening date: 15 November 2006
Closing date: 21 February 2007
Department: Office for National Statistics
Category: Population and Migration

The National Statistics Consultation on Small Area Geographies (for England and Wales) ran from 15 November 2006 to 21 February 2007. A total of 243 complete questionnaires were received, as were around 40 separate direct comments and submissions on particular aspects of the proposed policy.

A total of 65 comments were posted on the online blog which, in the final month of the consultation received in excess of 1,000 unique visitors. The consultation was considered a success by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) both in terms of the level of response and the high quality of responses made.

The consultation was carried out in order to inform thinking on the future policy on the use of small area geographies for national statistics – and specifically the way forward on the use of output areas (OAs) and super output areas (SOAs). All views received were considered and analysed. The report which is available to download summarises the findings of the analysis and the implications for national statistics and census geography policies. (Note that this document consists of 55 pages and, if possible, should be printed in colour.)

Please contact Census Customer Services if you have any queries or requests for further information.