2024 Highlights Day 7: Scotland-Wide Data Agreement with CACI

COSLA secured access to CACI's Acorn and Paycheck products in October, with 23 Councils already participating in the first year of the agreement. This initiative aims to build on the experience of Councils who have already used this data to improve policy and planning decision-making and enable targeted interventions across Scotland using detailed demographic data.

About the Scotland-Wide Data Agreement

The Agreement is a five-year initiative that provides councils with demographic and financial insights through CACI’s Acorn and Paycheck products. Acorn categorises communities based on socio-demographic factors such as age, income, and lifestyle, assisting councils in understanding community needs and resource allocation. Paycheck offers statistical household income data.

Benefits to Local Government

Together, these datasets can help councils to better understand the needs of communities, inform policy and planning decisions, and implement targeted interventions. The Councils that were already using the data prior to the Agreement have already demonstrated how it can be used across a range of different policy areas, for example, it has been used to: 

• ·       Identify areas with high demands for affordable housing and develop appropriate housing policies.
• ·       Pinpoint areas with the highest rates of child poverty and implement targeted interventions such as free school meals, childcare support, etc.
• ·       Identify the optimal location for warm places initiatives.

To ensure that Councils benefit from the Agreement, the Digital Office and CACI are working in partnership to help councils with the adoption of the data, create shared learning, and to identify opportunities for Councils to work together to use the data to improve outcomes associated with Scottish Local Government’s key policies and priorities.

An example of this will be a white paper on how the data can support decision-making and targeted interventions to reduce child poverty which will be published in the coming months.

Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA Resources Spokesperson (Finance, Employers and Digital ) "The Scotland-Wide Data Agreement demonstrates the power of partnership working to deliver real benefits for local authorities across Scotland. Given the context of increasing demand and expectations on local government, alongside limited budgets and resources, this initiative equips councils with the tools they need to make smarter, more informed decisions, target interventions effectively, and ultimately improve the lives of the people and communities we serve."

Colin Birchenall, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government: “The availability of this data has the potential to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland. This initiative illustrates how improved access to data can help Councils to improve policy and planning decision-making, enable more targeted interventions, make more efficient use of resources, and ultimately improve the wellbeing of our communities.”

If you would like to find out more about the Scotland - Wide Data Agreement with CACI, please contact info@digitaloffice.scot