Neighbourhood Data: Exploring the Role of Open Data in Locally Devolved Policymaking Processes

There is a growing public, political, and academic discourse around the idea that data has the potential to empower citizens. In particular, evidence-based policymaking is at the centre of national and regional planning processes. At the same time a shift towards Localism in planning means that while citizens and civic groups are centrally involved in decision-making about their communities, they lack the skills, resources and access to data that might inform their decision-making. This paper explores the need to establish new ways of supporting deliberation and decision-making in local planning. We report a study that explores the role of data in the complex processes involved in consultation events and the broader collaborative processes surrounding them. In doing so we highlight the need for the integration of dialogic forms of participation with other locally produced data, and for this to be shared in ways that position data as a resource for action.