The ONS announces changes to its statistical releases, with subnational and health statistics likely to be targeted.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published a letter announcing cuts to their statistical portfolio so as to prioritise quality over quantity. The changes to releases will reflect a reduction in health data, sub-national data and funding for crime statistics.
The ONS’s updated strategy involves reallocating resources to concentrate on what it considers the ‘most vital statistics’: prices, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the labour market, population data, and preparations for the 2031 Census. This enhanced focus will be achieved by narrowing the overall scope of the Office’s work.
1. Reconsidering subnational statistics portfolio
The breadth, sequencing, and frequency of sub-national publications and development work are under review ahead of the 2031 Census to free up resources. The ONS is also considering the future of the Annual Population Survey.
2. Reducing commitments in health
While core population outputs like births, deaths, and healthy life expectancy will continue, other work in the health domain will be curtailed. The ONS plans to identify outputs that can be transferred to, or led by, other government bodies or stakeholders.
3. Reviewing funding of crime statistics
Headline crime data will remain consistent via the Crime Survey for England and Wales. However, the ONS will review and potentially reduce broader work on crime that falls outside the scope of this core survey.
4. Engaging government departments in economic statistics
The ONS will explore opportunities for partnerships or shared responsibility with central and devolved government departments for statistics in areas such as housing, tourism, and wellbeing where there is already close related output.
5. Narrowing the focus on international work
The scope of international collaboration, which covers data from migration to trade, will be narrowed to focus strictly on themes most relevant to the ONS’s core statistics, the census, and other major surveys.
Through this process of prioritisation and consolidation, the ONS aims to reduce the total number of statistical outputs by 10% in 2026.
