Information Resources

Regional Compendia

Listed below are a series of regional compendia containing statistics on a wide range of subject from economics to labour market information. The RIU has hot-linked this document to allow you to move straight to the data listed.

State of the Region 2008 Report
The State of the Region report is a culmination of work that has been carried out by the Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU) throughout 2008. It draws together work carried out within the 2007/08 research programme, drafting of the Regional Strategy Evidence Papers and the constant data and intelligence monitoring work the team does.

Northwest Pocket Databook - March 2009
The Databook, compiled by the NWDA Research Team, is split into two sections. The first section contains information on the Northwest, its sub-regions and local authorities whilst the second section presents information on the Northwest and other regions.

If you would like to receive a hard copy please forward you contact details to nwriu@nwda.co.uk.

Regional Snapshot: Subnational Data
Regional Snapshot is a comprehensive source of official statistics about the regions and sub-regions of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides information on a wide range of topics including population, economy, labour market, education and training, housing, transport, crime and the environment. Regional Snapshot tables and text are updated annually in four batches during March, June, September and December. At any time they may not reflect the latest data available on the topic elsewhere on the National Statistics website.

Regional Trends 41 - June 2009
Regional Trends is a comprehensive regular source of official statistics for the Statistical Regions of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Government Office Regions within England). It includes regional profiles and information on the European Union, population and migration, education and training, labour market, housing, health and care, income and lifestyles, crime and justice, transport, environment, regional accounts, industry and agriculture. A directory of regional statistics can be found here and previous versions of Regional Trends can be accessed here.

Region in Figures - North West
Region in Figures is a comprehensive source of official statistics about the regions and sub-regions of England. Nine reports (covering the Government Office Regions) include data on the population, economy, labour market, education and training, transport and the environment and living in the North West.

Neighbourhood Statistics
The Neighbourhood Statistics Service (NeSS) was established in 2001 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) to provide good quality small area data to support the Government's Neighbourhood Renewal agenda. This cross-Government initiative also involves the co-operation and partnership of data suppliers across departments, agencies and other organisations.

NeSS provides a powerful platform through which an ever increasing range of high quality small area data are disseminated. It provides relevant and comprehensive information, allowing users to paint a picture of life in communities and contains over 300 datasets, covering Health, Housing, Education, Deprivation, Age, Ethnicity and 2001 Census data; around 1 billion counts of information; data down to neighbourhood level (often to areas of around 250 people in size); on-line e-learning to guide users through the site; and a statistical toolkit to help users understand the data.

State of the Countryside Report
The State of the Countryside report, which is published every year, sets out to provide a broad picture of social, economic and environmental conditions and change across rural England. It aims to raise the profile of rural issues, to develop understanding of the rural dimension and to generate and influence debate about the challenges and choices ahead.

Regional Economic Performance Indicators
This is the eighth edition of Regional Economic Performance Indicators, albeit the first under this title. It was previously known as Regional Competitiveness and State of the Regions. There are 17 indicators in this publication, intended to give a balanced picture of all the statistical information relevant to regional economic performance, competitiveness and the state of the regions.

Guide to Regional And Local Labour Market Statistics
Labour Market Statistics are amongst the most prominent official statistics produced. Indicators spanning employment, unemployment, economic activity, economic inactivity and vacancies are published each month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the eleven government office regions in England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, a wide range of data are available through ONS publications and official dissemination channels. This report gives guidance on data sources, geographies, employment, unemployment, activity and inactivity, earnings, vacancies, historical comparisons, the ONS geographical referencing strategy, definitions and abbreviations, availability by area and topic and sampling variability or survey data.

Data Availability by Geography
The Office for National Statistics provides a guide to the availability of labour market data at different geographical levels, and the frequency in which these data are published.

North West Environment
This is a link to the North West page of the Environment Agency's website.

Vital Signs 2005
Vital Signs assesses a wealth of data from established sources to provide you with an annual ‘State of the Region’ picture of the region’s performance, against a wide and comprehensive set of themes and indicators.

Monthly Digest of Statistics (ONS)
National data contained in twenty chapters of tables, covering the following topics: National accounts, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP); Population and vital statistics; Labour market; Social services, Law enforcement; Agriculture, food, drinks and tobacco; Production, output and costs; Energy; Chemicals; Metals, engineering and vehicles; Textiles and other manufactures; Construction; Transport; Retailing; External trade in goods; UK balance of payments; Government finance; Prices and wages i.e. Retail Prices Index (RPI); Leisure; and Weather.

Economic Development