The media is currently full of speculation on the contents of the spending review, alongside pleas from different public sector stakeholder groups for more cash.
So this week I wanted to write a blog that referenced the spending review while tying to the data-backed insights we can provide here at Polimapper.
I went in search of the key themes likely to emerge from the parliament-defining review that chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver to parliament exactly two weeks today.
But to begin with I really struggled to find a hook.
Browsing several national news outlets, it was apparent that defence and health are likely to be the big winners.
Day-to-day spending in other departments and council budgets, on the other hand, are likely to be squeezed.
All interesting stuff, but nothing so far that provided a seamless link back to what we do at Polimapper.
However, I then stumbled across Laura Kuenssberg’s most recent column, and that picture changed.
The BBC presenter revealed that while the chancellor will keep a tight rein on routine spending, there will be a splurge in capital expenditure.
New hospitals, prisons, roads, rail, Sizewell C nuclear power station and other major infrastructure projects will all be given the go-ahead.
But the really interesting quote was not from Reeves, but her deputy Darren Jones, who, Kuenssberg noted, wanted to create “stories not spreadsheets”.
According to Kuenssberg, Jones has been talking to MPs about what the government has got lined up for their area, so they can sell the plans to their constituents and help reverse Labour’s falling ratings in the polls.
Bingo.
A better link to Polimapper I could not have hoped for.
After all, using localised data and shaping a narrative around it to sell to MPs is exactly what most clients use our platform for.
Jones’ “stories not spreadsheets” quote resonated because it speaks to a wider challenge at the heart of communications: how we use data.
Data is everywhere; almost every policy conversation is underpinned by rows of numbers, especially when the Treasury is involved.
But no matter how powerful, numbers sat in a spreadsheet don’t move the dial for decision makers, or for the electorate.
Numbers framed around relatable, localised stories do.
In a policy landscape that’s increasingly shaped by attention spans, the challenge isn’t gathering data — it’s making it matter.
That’s why storytelling through data is so powerful. Not at the expense of evidence, but in partnership with it.
So next time you’re preparing a briefing or setting up a stakeholder meeting, remember Darren Jones’ advice.
Ask not just what your spreadsheet says — ask what story it tells.
And if you need help turning your data into a story that sticks, reach out.
