Housing and Environment
Where young people live and the communities in which they reside can have a huge impact on their wider socio-emotional development. Data is available about the places where young people live, those young people who experience homelessness, the quality of the local environment and access to spaces. Local plans are available about developing the local community and reducing homelessness.
There is plenty of data relevant to housing and environment across local areas in England. Much of it is specific to geographical location and not broken down by age, but does provide valuable context about the places young people live.
A growing list of resources relevant to the environment and public health is available on the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)’s Built and Natural Environment resources page. This brings together datasets and tools that cover issues as diverse as density of fast-food outlets, incidence of overcrowded housing at ward level, and modes of transport used. The Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s dataset on access to gardens and public green space is also useful.
If you are seeking information about housing, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes information on the cost of private rentals in across local authorities. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities publishes lots of data about housing stock and housing statistics, but in its raw form it can be overwhelming and complicated to understand; important statistics are accessible at local levels through an interactive tool developed and updated by the House of Commons Library.
Data about pollution is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) but in its original form is difficult to use; it is much easier to use the UK Emissions Interactive Map or, if you are interested in London, London Air’s Annual Pollution Map. These tools allow you to find data specific to a location, usually through postcode.
Within the Public Health Outcomes Framework, you will find information on excess mortality related to air pollution broken down by local authority. Learn more in our ‘health’ section.
Things to consider
You should not assume that headline information on housing or the environment reflects young people's place of residence or use of space. Without age breakdown the experiences of young people can be significantly different than the population average. You should consider how the headline information can provide context about where young people live without this necessarily being representative of the experience at that stage of life.
Sources for such different fields as housing prices and air quality will of course be collected and presented in different ways. While it is important to be careful when making comparisons and connections between different sources, making basic connections- for instance through maps or postcodes- can yield valuable insights.
Example
Jamilla is working with a local youth council which are trying to build support for pollution reduction measures in her local authority area. They decide to develop a competition for young people to use data in posters and campaign materials.
Jamilla supports the young people to look at data online. Together they look at data about air pollution and asthma from the Public Health Outcomes Framework. Using information from the site they make posters and campaign materials including key statistics. The posters are printed and distributed across local schools and youth groups.
Data sources
What this is:
Local authorities are required to produce a homelessness strategy based on a review of all forms of homelessness in their area. In 2017, a greater emphasis was placed on preventing homelessness.
Homeless young people aged 16-17, and care leavers, especially those aged 18-20, are priority groups for support, as are people made homeless as a result of domestic abuse.
Strategy documents should therefore provide detailed local information on homelessness and risk factors, especially for these priority groups, as well as services and plans.
Who it includes:
Whole population, likely to include specific sections on young people in priority need groups
Where it covers:
Local authority
When updated:
At least every 5 years
How to use:
The Homelessness Strategy or Plan for your local area may be available as a published report / pdf, or as a website-based interactive document. It will generally be published on your Local Authority website. Search for the name of your local area and “Homelessness Strategy”.
Bear in mind:
Local authorities are required to conduct a detailed review as part of the strategy development process. However, it may not always be clear where the data they use comes from or how recent it is. If possible, check the references in the document as these may help you find the original data source.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has issued statutory guidance for local authorities' duties to carry out a homelessness review and to formulate and publish a strategy based on the results of that review. You can read the Homelessness Code of Practice.
What this is:
The Local Plan is the strategic framework for planning and development in a local authority area.
Neighbourhood Plans set out local policies and priorities for a smaller area or community, and must be led by a local community group.
As well as housing, plans may include policies or strategies for provision of local schools, transport and other services, and for green space, community facilities, safe streets and public places. The Local Plan is likely to include detailed statistics on demographics and population projections (including children and young people) and the local economy. You may also be able to find detailed profiles of specific neighbourhoods.
Who it includes:
Each local authority.
Where it covers:
Local authority, neighbourhoods.
When updated:
At least every 5 years.
How to use:
Find the Local Plan or relevant Neighbourhood Plans on your local authority’s website - this is likely to be a pdf although some authorities may also publish it in a more interactive format. Search for the name of your local area and “Neighbourhood Plan”. Your local Councillors will also be able to provide you with information on any Local Plan or Neighbourhood Plan.
Bear in mind:
Local Plans are primarily about housing supply. They will give you lots of very interesting background on your local area, but you may not be able to find everything you want, especially when it comes to specific groups or communities. Plans are typically very long and detailed documents which will take time to read.
Not every neighbourhood will have a plan - given the requirement for a community group to register and dedicate significant time and effort to developing the plan, they may be more common for more affluent areas.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has issued guidance on their expectations on neighbourhood planning and more widely about planning.
What this is:
One of the few housing datasets specifically focused on young people is Centrepoint’s Youth Homelessness Databank which provides information updated yearly at both national and local authority level covering the number of young people Who approach the local authority about being homeless or at risk of homelessness, the number assessed, the number offered support, those with positive outcomes and those not supported into housing.
Who it includes:
Young people in the UK.
Where it covers:
Local authority level (some are missing as a few local authorities failed to respond to request for data).
When updated:
Updated annually.
How to use:
The databank is a simple tool; simply select a nation or type the required region or local authority to access relevant figures.
Bear in mind:
This data is collected through freedom of information requests and some local authorities failed to respond.
What this is:
Median monthly rental prices for the private rental market in England by bedroom category, region and administrative area, calculated using data from the Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics.
Who it includes:
Covers England
Where it covers:
England, regions, and local authority
When updated:
Updated monthly
How to use:
The summary page includes useful statistics and graphs. To explore rental prices in local authorities by property size use the interactive ‘local authority analysis’ tool. All source data can be downloaded and explored.
Bear in mind:
Be aware pf the small sample sizes in some local authorities which can affect interpretation. Details are provided on the site.
What this is:
Data on housing supply for district-level and unitary local authorities in England. Data is available on housing stock broken down by tenure, net supply of new housing, and supply of affordable housing. It summarises data from several DLHC’s datasets.
Who it includes:
Covers the UK.
Where it covers:
Local authority.
When updated:
Updated annually.
How to use:
Selecting a local authority will load graphs and statistics on housing stock, new supply and affordable housing, with data available from 2012 to 2021.
Bear in mind:
There have been several local authority mergers in recent years. This page shows data for district and unitary local authorities that existed on 1 April 2020.
What this is:
Analysis of Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency for Great Britain, data on access to private gardens, public parks and playing fields in Great Britain. Also includes Natural England survey data on garden access in England, broken down by characteristics including age and ethnicity.
Who it includes:
Covers Great Britain - some additional information is available for England.
Where it covers:
OS data is available by country, region and Local Authority.
When updated:
The Natural England survey is annual. The Analysis of Ordnance Survey (OS) data on access to private gardens is not regularly updated
How to use:
The downloadable spreadsheets available through Access to gardens and public green space in Great Britain are relatively easy to navigate, with data available for all local authorities.
Several interactive tools are available on the ‘One in eight British households has no garden’ page including an interactive map, and a tool to identify the nearest green space for a postcode, and analyse average proximity to green space within a local authority.
Bear in mind:
Issues with the data, such as the model not being able to distinguish public and private playing fields- are explained clearly in the source.