shared data unit

The BBC Shared Data Unit: Who are we

An innovative team of journalists investigating datasets to tell stories of public interest that matter to local audiences.  We passionately believe that in a world where the amount of digital information has increased exponentially, public bodies will only be held to account if journalists have the tech skills and time to interrogate these sources.  We will work with partners in the local media industry to widen the reporting of public data across the UK.

We believe in making our journalism accessible to as many people as possible.  We believe data journalism opens up the potential for new storytelling techniques.

What we do

• Monitor and interrogate officially published datasets to investigate issues of public interest

• Use Freedom of Information laws to gather data not publically available

• Extract structured content from web pages

• Analyse datasets for local angles we can share with media partners

• Present our findings in easy-to-understand guides

• Work alongside secondees from the industry to help them bring ideas from conception to journalism that can be used on BBC platforms

• Foster and develop a network of trained data journalists

• Encourage best practice in working with and reporting on data, and increase the capability of data journalism at a local level.

• Make packaged content for BBC English Regions audiences

• We will be open and transparent with our methodologies, and encourage a conversation between our network of reporters.

Our stories

Deadly new drugs found in fake medicines in the UK

In October 2024, we worked with BBC News's Midlands & South Bureau to report super-strength drugs linked to hundreds of deaths had been found in samples of fake medicines bought across the UK.

• GitHub repo

Children face 'lifetime cost' of council crisis

In October 2024, we reported how the wellbeing of children and young people was at risk from cuts to local services, according to a warning from the Children’s Commissioner.

• GitHub repo

Burning rubbish now UK’s dirtiest form of power

In October 2024 we published analysis revealing that burning household rubbish in giant incinerators to make electricity is now the dirtiest way the UK generates power.

• GitHub repo

Public libraries in 'crisis' as councils cut services

In September 2024 we revealed more than 180 council-run libraries had either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups in the UK since 2016.

• GitHub repo

Delays in food hygiene inspections a 'serious public health issue'

In July 2024, we revealed that one in five restaurants and takeaways had not been seen by food inspectors for more than two years.

• GitHub repo

Synthetic opioids: how the spread of killer drugs was not tracked

In March 2024, we reported criticism the UK government was behind the curve in tracking the spread of new super-strength drugs. We found there had been more than 100 deaths linked to synthetic opioids called nitazenes between July 2023 and February 2024.

• GitHub repo

NHS crisis: Patient care hit by disrepair in buildings

In February 2024, we reported on the scale of the repairs backlog hospitals faced. Our investigation revealed that disrepair in NHS buildings led to thousands of potentially harmful incidents including critically ill patients being moved when rainfall came through the ceiling.

• GitHub repo

Councils in crisis: Town Hall debt levels staggering, MPs warn

In January 2024, we reported that UK councils owed a combined £97.8bn to lenders, equivalent to around £1,400 per person.

• GitHub repo

NHS: Woman waited nine months for hospital discharge

In November 2023, we looked at the large proportion of patients - around 60% - who were having to stay in hospital at the end of each day despite being classed as fit to leave.

• GitHub repo

Black hole in town hall budgets rises to £5bn

In August 2023, we revealed that a black hole in local authority budgets continues to grow, prompting fears some will not be able to provide basic services.

• GitHub repo

Carer shortage: Woman stuck in hospital for 11 months

In July 2023, we reported that 23% of councils in the UK who provided data had average delays of over a month for care assessments, with some people waiting years for care.

• GitHub repo

Small firm closures behind rise in liquidations, experts say

In June 2023, we analysed The Gazette to gain a regional picture of the business insolvencies being experienced across the UK as a result of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

• GitHub repo

Renting: Six out of 10 renters live in energy-inefficient homes

In April 2023, we worked with BBC's Newsbeat to report that six out of 10 recently inspected UK rental homes failed to meet a proposed new standard for energy efficiency.

• GitHub repo

Hundreds of UK sex offenders went missing, figures show

In March 2023, we collaborated with BBC News's Midlands & South Bureau to report hundreds of sex offenders across the UK had slipped off the radar of police in a three-year period.

• GitHub repo

More councils drop holiday food voucher schemes for Christmas

In December 2022, we looked at the patchwork provision of holiday food vouchers being offered to families with children in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) in England.

• GitHub repo

Stalking victims not protected by police, say campaigners

In November 2022 we collaborated with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour to report the rate of reported stalkers charged by police had almost halved over the previous two years, according to government data.

• GitHub repo

Scale of "toxic" tweets received by politicians revealed

In November 2022 we shared an analysis of almost 3 million tweets mentioning politicians' Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 tweets were sent to UK Members of Parliament every day that a Google algorithm classified as "toxic", it found. The project used "big data" tools and artificial intelligence to analyse the data.

• GitHub repo

Child speech delays increase following lockdowns

In November 2022, we reported the number of five and six year olds who needed speech and language support at school had risen by 10% in England over the past year.

• GitHub repo

Benefit cuts for disabled people in hospital called unfair

In November 2022, we reported thousands of disabled people had had their benefits paused during extended hospital stays under a rule which charities said penalised the most vulnerable.

• GitHub repo

Postcode lottery of menopause care revealed

In October 2022, we revealed a postcode lottery in terms of the amount of money NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) spend per woman aged 45-60 on common hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatments.

• GitHub repo

Growth in NHS recruits from abroad prompts concern about over-reliance

In August 2022, we reported how the share of homegrown doctors and nurses joining England's NHS had reached its lowest point in seven years.

• GitHub repo

Music festivals: Only 13% of UK headliners in 2022 are female

In May 2022, we teamed up with Radio 1's Newsbeat to report only one in ten headliners at the UK's top music festivals that summer would be women.

• GitHub repo

Gross misconduct probe police officers avoid sack

In February 2022, we reported around half of police employees who had committed gross misconduct since the formation of the latest police watchdog had not been dismissed.

• GitHub repo

NHS dentistry "hanging by a thread" with two-year waits for check-ups

In January 2022, we reported around 1,000 NHS dentists left the health service in the past year - equivalent to more than 2,500 posts across England and Wales.

• GitHub repo

Hundred people die fighting for terminal illness benefits

In November 2021, we reported around 100 people who were denied fast-tracked disability benefits for terminal illness had died challenging the decision since 2018.

• GitHub repo

Seven out of 10 win benefits challenges at tribunal

In September 2021, we reported seven out of ten people who appealed in court against a decision to deny them disability benefits were successful.

• GitHub repo

Record numbers of mental health referrals across Great Britain

In August 2021, we reported on record numbers of combined mental health referrals to NHS Services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• GitHub repo

DWP sees 'sharp rise' in benefit death reviews

In July 2021, we reported the number of internal reviews held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when a person claiming benefits died or had come to serious harm had risen in the previous two years, according to newly-released figures.

Covid leaves UK councils with £3bn financial black hole

In July 2021, we reported UK councils faced a £3bn black hole in their budgets as they emerged from the coronavirus pandemic, based on an analysis of the budgets set by 170 upper and single-tier councils.

• GitHub repo

'My stalker told my friends and family I had HIV'

In May 2021, we worked with Newsbeat and BBC Radio Wales to report on new stalking laws that were not being used by all police forces in the country to protect victims.

• GitHub repo

Deaths of people on benefits prompt inquiry call

In May 2021, we reported that cases where people claiming benefits died or came to serious harm had led to more than 150 internal reviews by the Department for Work & Pensions(DWP) since 2012.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Prisoners' children 'forgotten' during pandemic

In March 2021, we reported some 300,000 children of UK prisoners had been "forgotten" during the pandemic, with some inmates limited to just one or two face-to-face visits.

• GitHub repo

Tourism hotspots hit hard by Covid-19 jobs crisis

In March 2021, we reported parts of the UK reliant on tourism had been most affected by the Covid-19 jobs crisis, according to analysis.

• GitHub repo

Blue badge permit 'shocking disparity' revealed

In January 2021, we worked with the Local Democracy Reporting Service to report people with non-visible disabilities such as autism or Parkinson's disease faced what a charity called a "shocking disparity" when applying for a blue badge parking permit.

• GitHub repo

Covid: Cancer scan backlog raises late detection fears

In December, 2020, we reported millions of people missed out on potentially life-saving scans when non-Covid-19 NHS services almost ground to a halt during the pandemic.

• GitHub repo

Covid: Small charities face 'slow death'

In November 2020, we reported experts' fears that thousands of smaller charities across the UK could cease to exist in the new year, following a shift in the nature of giving.

• GitHub repo

UK police forces wrongly cancelled reports of serious crimes

In October 2020, we reported police had wrongly cancelled records of serious crimes, in many cases without informing victims, analysis of official reports shows.

• GitHub repo

Covid: UK live music scene on 'red alert' amid pandemic

In October 2020, we reported how the UK risked losing its status as a leader of live music, according to KT Tunstall, with hundreds of venues at risk of closure due to the pandemic.

• GitHub repo

Surgeries at face-to-face capacity, GP body warns

In September 2020, we reported how the number of GP appointments had reduced post-lockdown, with concerns from charities that some elderly people felt their GP was not "open for business".

• GitHub repo

Benefit claimants face landlord discrimination despite ruling

In August 2020, we reported thousands of landlords were trying to avoid renting their properties to benefit claimants, despite a judge ruling a blanket ban was unlawful.

• GitHub repo

UK flu jab rates prompt complacency warning

In August 2020 we reported that flu vaccination rates among the most vulnerable were falling, revealing the scale of the challenge in expanding the vaccination programme.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Business rescue package has 'delayed the inevitable'

In July 2020 we reported how businesses tided over through summer with government measures could face insolvency coming out of lockdown as social distancing and other economic pressures hit.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Gambling addiction treatments paused as staff redeployed

In July 2020 we reported treatments for dozens of people with gambling addictions across Great Britain were paused as NHS staff were redeployed due to coronavirus.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Young people on benefits double in lockdown

In July 2020, we reported how more than one in six young people are now claiming out-of-work benefits in some parts of the UK.

• GitHub repo

Gambling addiction fear over council-run lotteries

In July 2020 we reported on fears over lotteries with jackpots of up to £25,000 being run by local authorities in a bid to raise funds for cultural activities and events in the wake of coronavirus.

• GitHub repo

UK councils fear bankruptcy amid Covid-19 costs

In June 2020 we reported how some of the largest UK councils may have to declare themselves effectively bankrupt unless the government agrees to further support.

• GitHub repo

Remote hearings for family courts 'horribly cruel'

In June 2020 we reported on how remote court hearings by video or telephone used during the pandemic could be disadvantaging more vulnerable people.

• GitHub repo

Lockdown break-ups and job changes boost rentals

In June 2020 we reported on how lockdown break-ups, job losses and urgent relocations were thought to have led to a surge in the rental sector, according to data provided by Rightmove.

• GitHub repo

Online casino searches at 'all-time high' during lockdown

In May 2020 we reported search interest in online casinos had hit an all-time high in the UK since lockdown began, according to data.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Push for cycling despite safety fears

In May 2020 we reported that three in five people felt cycling on the road was too dangerous, as cycling was pushed as an alternative to public transport.

• GitHub repo

Live music circuit 'risks collapse within weeks'

In May 2020 we reported on fears that the UK's scene would collapse without government support, as the lockdown left 140,000 performers, agents, promoters and technicians without a steady income since the end of March.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Council bosses 'short-changed' by government fund

In May 2020, we reported that emergency council funding during the crisis could fail to cover care costs.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Firms face 'inexcusable' delay over lockdown grants

In April 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported that about half of companies eligible for emergency coronavirus grants had not yet received funding.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Pub landlords turn to punters to survive lockdown

In April 2020 the BBC England Data Unit and the BBC Shared Data Unit reported on pubs and restaurants turning to crowdfunding websites to survive the coronavirus lockdown.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Airports 'at risk' of closure as flights drop 90%

In April 2020 the BBC England Data Unit and the BBC Shared Data Unit reported experts warning some airports were "at risk" of closure because of the loss of business during the coronavirus pandemic.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Thousands fined by police for flouting lockdown

In April 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit shared with partners the rate of fines for breaching social distancing rules per 10,000 people in each police force area between 27 March and 13 April.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: How GPs have stopped seeing most patients in person

In April 2020 the BBC England Data Unit and the BBC Shared Data Unit reported on the change in GP appointments - from 80% being in person in 2019, to 7% during the coronavirus outbreak, according to Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus lockdown sees air pollution plummet across UK

In April 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported on significant drops in air pollution in the two weeks since the country went into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Firms urged to honour living wage pledge

In April 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported hundreds of thousands of key workers considered critical to the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis were earning below the so-called “real living wage”.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus delays cleaner air plans in cities

In March 2020 the BBC England Data Unit and the BBC Shared Data Unit worked with the Local Democracy Reporting Service to report on delays to plans to reduce high-polluting vehicles travelling around UK cities due to the coronavirus crisis.

• GitHub repo

Coronavirus: Volunteers flock to join community support groups

In March 2020, the BBC Shared Data unit reported that nearly 1,000 mutual aid groups had been set up since the outbreak of coronavirus.

• GitHub repo

Two thirds of UK homes 'fail on energy efficiency targets'

In March 2020, the BBC Shared Data unit reported that nearly two thirds of UK homes fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets.

• GitHub repo

Fly-tipping: Organised crime behind large rise

In February 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported organised criminal gangs were believed to be behind a rise in major flytipping incidents.

• GitHub repo

UK councils' benefits pages push credit card adverts

In February 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported high-interest credit card ads were being targeted at people seeking benefits advice on UK local council websites.

• GitHub repo

Empty business rates relief 'costs £1bn'

In January 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported empty businesses costed UK taxpayers £1bn a year, prompting calls for urgent reform of the system.

• GitHub repo

UK dementia diagnoses rise 40% in five years

In December 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported some parts of the UK had seen the number of people diagnosed with dementia more than double in five years, according to analysis of NHS data.

• GitHub repo

Half of disability benefits appeals won in tribunal court

In November 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported one in two people who appealed in court against a decision to deny them disability benefits was successful.

• GitHub repo

UK gardeners 'punished by quiet green tax' for kerbside collections

In September 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported the claim that a "quiet green tax" was deterring gardeners from recycling their waste.

• GitHub repo

Railway bicycle theft hotspots revealed

In August 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported railway stations serving London's commuter belt remained a prime target for bike thieves.

• GitHub repo

Violent offences 'dealt with informally' by police forces

In June 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported violent offenders were being handed informal punishments by the police, despite guidance restricting their use to low-level offences.

• GitHub repo

Rise in deaths of offenders on probation since reforms

In April 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported the number of people dying while on probation in England and Wales had risen by almost a third in three years.

• GitHub repo

Lack of electric car charging points 'putting off drivers'

In March 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported a "patchy" network of charging points was discouraging UK drivers from embracing electric cars.

• GitHub repo

Right to Buy homes re-sold since 2000 made £6.4bn in profit

In March 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported on the impact of the Right to Buy policy under which former social housing tenants were allowed to buy their home at a discount, the size of which depended how long they had lived there.

• GitHub repo

Bulky waste charges for fridges and furniture 'confusing'

In January 2019 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported on the postcode lottery of council charges to collect unwanted furniture and other large waste items.

• GitHub repo

Legal aid advice network 'decimated' by funding cuts

In December 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported cuts to legal aid had created "deserts" of provision across England and Wales

• GitHub repo

London dominates UK jobs growth over past decade

In November 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported one in three new jobs created in the UK over the past decade has been in London.

• GitHub repo

More students seek mental health support, analysis shows

In October 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported the number of students seeking mental health support whilst at university has increased by more than 50% in five years.

• GitHub repo

More takeaways on high street despite anti-obesity push

In October 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported UK high streets had the highest concentration of fast food outlets since 2010.

• GitHub repo

UK house-building 'below pre-crash levels'

In August 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported house-building across half of England was slower than it had been before the financial crash.

• GitHub repo

Millions miss out on seven-day GP access

In July 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported there were more than five million people across England who were unable to book an appointment with a GP outside of working hours, when all patients were due to have full extended access by 1 October 2018.

• GitHub repo

Premier League and EFL football matches 'over-policed'

In July 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported some of the most heavily policed football matches in the UK had one officer present for every 50 fans, prompting calls for a review.

• GitHub repo

Poverty link to early death 'scandalous'

In July 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported people living in the poorest parts of the UK were more likely to die prematurely.

• GitHub repo

UK prisons 'awash' with smuggled phones and SIM cards

In May 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported one smuggled mobile phone or SIM card had been seized for every six inmates in English and Welsh jails in 2017.

• GitHub repo

Thousands of miles of UK roads in poor condition

In March 2018 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported some 10% of the road network maintained by local authorities in Great Britain is in poor condition, or had been flagged for further inspection.

• GitHub repo

Britain's bus coverage hits 28-year low

In February 2018, the Shared Data Unit revealed Britain's bus network had shrunk to levels last seen in the late 1980s.

• GitHub repo

Neighbourhood police: One in seven officers axed were beat bobbies

In February 2018, the Shared Data Unit reported out of around 11,000 police officers lost from 2012-17 across forces in England and Wales, 1,500 worked in neighbourhoods - around one in seven.

• GitHub repo

Cost legacy of decades-old NHS blunders begins to rise

In January 2018 the Shared Data Unit reported the compensation bill for NHS mistakes that took place before 1995 - mainly maternity failings - had begun to rise for the first time in five years.

• GitHub repo

Empty homes spike in London commuter belt

In November 2017 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported London's commuter belt had seen a spike in the number of homes left long-term empty despite a downward trend across the UK since 2010.

• GitHub repo

Share of European Union staff leaving NHS rises following Brexit

In October 2017 the Shared Data Unit reported that the proportion of EU nationals leaving jobs in the NHS is rising, while the share of those joining is shrinking.

• GitHub repo.

Teacher vacancy rate double in poor areas

In September 2017 the BBC England Shared Data Unit reported teacher vacancy rates were at their highest in primary schools in the most deprived parts of England.

This was the first story to come out of the data arm of the BBC Local News partnership and was picked up by a range of partners and other news outlets.

• GitHub repo.

Repositories for all our stories can be found tagged 'shareddataunit'.