Local Government Association

LG Inform Plus - API Key

LG Inform Plus API- An open data service providing consistent data from over 50 trusted open data sources including the ONS, DEFRA, DLUHC, Public Health England and many others. It covers 275 collections, 17,000 metrics and 2.4 billion+ data values, aligned to geographical/administrative boundaries covering all of England and Wales.

Features

• Quick and easy to use API
• Rapid, consistent and reliable
• Comprehensive range of indicators
• Metrics are easy to find
• Easy setup
• Free trial available

Benefits

• Saves precious time for data analysts, sourcing/updating data
• Removes duplication
• API calls directly into reporting tools such as Tableau/PowerBI
• Support and training available
• Many applications including policy, operations, planning, market analysis, logistics etc.

£3,300 a licence a year

• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at alex.rigge@local.gov.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

872742643519315

Contact

Alex Rigge
07796376354
alex.rigge@local.gov.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: N/A
• System requirements: Web browser

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: 1 Working Day
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: Webchat box on the homepage
• Web chat accessibility testing: Regular accessibility reviews, current accessibility in progress, upcoming investigation with the Shaw Trust.
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: We provide 'how to videos' and technical support to get started. ; ; Following set up access to help and advice is provided via the LG Inform Helpdesk Monday to Friday (9:00am to 5:30pm). The Helpdesk provides first-line support answering basic queries and questions associated with the use of the LG Inform plus API. ; ; Additional support on training can be agreed.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Online documentation, webinars
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: HTML
• End-of-contract data extraction: N/A
• End-of-contract process: Account deactivated

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: None
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: API is the core functionality. Users cannot preview results of API queries without using the web interface, but that is all.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: HTML
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: We constantly monitor the use of our AWS resources and automatically scale them in the event of a spike in demand.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Monthly data usage

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Staff screening not performed
• Government security clearance: None

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with another standard
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Through the API, the core functionality.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • HTML
  • JSON
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Our availability target is 99%
• Approach to resilience: We use public cloud infrastructure, with standby infrastructure available. This relies on AWS datacentres and servers and further details are available on request.
• Outage reporting: No public dashboard or API, our service provider is notified of specific thresholds being exceeded and our support team are available to answer questions on the service status during office hours.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: N/A
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication: 2-factor authentication

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: No audit information available
• Access to supplier activity audit information: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Certified by British Assessment Bureau First
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Certified 12/10/2010 recertified 26/02/2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N/A
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications:
  • Cyber Essentials Plus held by our key subcontractor
  • ISO27001 held by our key subcontractor
  • Cyber Essentials held by our key subcontractor

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus held by our key subcontractor
• Information security policies and processes: ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus held by our key subcontractor

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: We use a completely separate development environment to track and test changes to the main service, and changes are recorded using a configuration management database. All changes to the code in the production environment are preceded by backups and server snapshots. We are also working on bringing a continuous integration toolset to our development practices.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: This is managed by our key subcontractor, who is CE+ and ISO27001 certified.
• Protective monitoring type: Undisclosed
• Protective monitoring approach: Should a compromise be discovered we would aim to restore service from a backup, having first identified the route a compromise was made by, and issuing an emergency change to workaround the issue before reporting the vulnerability to others in the community.
• Incident management type: Undisclosed
• Incident management approach: Incidents are reported to us via email and logged and tracked in a centralised system. We do not currently provide incident reports.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Our key subcontractor works from home so we have no transportation impacts. When we need to travel, we use public transportation as much as possible or carpool if a car is necessary.; ; The LGA; Staff engagement and empowerment: The LGA contract workforce is 450 FTE, and it already provides ongoing staff training to create increased understanding of environmental issues and the tools needed address them. This increased awareness empowers staff to take environmentally responsible actions within their roles, such as implementing energy-saving measures or reducing waste. ; What: Deliver climate training to LGA and CAT staff to broaden their knowledge and ability to pass on strategies, methodology and tactics to the cohort of councils. Due to the training being accessible online, the training will be available throughout the contract.; How: Deliver e learning to staff via online modules on biodiversity, transport, housing retrofit, green finance and so on. The training is optional but encouraged by managers. It is advertised to staff through weekly bulletins and videos from the Chief Executive.; It will be important for the delivery team to keep up to date with the current climate news and educate themselves on a broad range of topics. Building on an already talented team, we will be able to further support councils across a number of different focuses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As staff members become more engaged and committed to the environmental protection, they can act as advocates for positive change within their organisations. Staff employed beyond this contract will also benefit from the organisation wide e learning and will be able to make more carbon literate decisions. For example, when procuring other organisations, they will be more mindful of environmental considerations.

  Covid-19 recovery

  The LGA / IDeA provided specific support to council employers (343 employers covering 1.2 million workforce) to all aspects of working conditions that support COVID-19 recovery effort. https://www.local.gov.uk/covid-19-employment-law-faqs LGA have run fortnightly support networks, workforce surveys and updated national joint advice with TUs on COVID19 working conditions ; ; LGA set up a COVID 19 hub which provides good council practice case studies, service specific information, FAQs and support for councillors and council officers.; The LGA / IDeA has provided direct support to local authorities through the covid pandemic working with central government and local teams to support the response effort. Our website highlights the range of work we have done and continue to do: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/coronavirus-council-information-and-support

  Tackling economic inequality

  How /where we construct/lot contracts inclusively: We use small size contracts to enable small/micro diverse/VCSE organisations to bid. Out of the total of 376 active contracts with suppliers, 254 contracts are under £20k. ; Where larger pieces of work are to be commissioned on this programme we will consider whether breaking this down into smaller lots, or working with smaller organisations through a prime contractor would be more appropriate. ; Our contract register (for all contracts over £5k) tracks information about diversity of our suppliers. Out of 376 active contracts 347 contracts are with SMEs, including small/micro/diverse-led and VCSEs. Our RFQ documentation includes diversity monitoring form, and since the beginning of this year this information is fed into the contract register. Where we advertise contracts (attracting small/micro/diverse/VCSE organisations): We are advertising contracts on our own website, through Delta and potentially the MSDUK. We will ensure in our communications in relation to this work that potential suppliers are aware of how we will advertise and encourage them to sign up early to Delta and Contracts Finder for early alerts. Enabling Councils to open up and create diverse supply chains: In 2018, the LGA created an open access procurement toolkit to help councils to procure well. Two key sections of the toolkit (Enabling Voluntary, Community and community organisation engagement and Enabling Local SME and micro business engagement) built in specific guidance for i) facilitating relationship building; ii) internal contract management and reporting (volume/type) of these organisations; iii) commissioning; iv) market engagement and partnerships and more. The tool was updated in 2022 and is used by 60% of councils to measure their maturity in these areas.

  Equal opportunity

  The LGA is a Disability Confident employer. We have been working within our EDI steering group on an a range of interventions to support EDI. The LGA has recently established in collobration with the LGA's disability network a Reasonable Adjustment Passport. This passport supports disabled colleagues navigate the discussion with their line managers on what reasonable adjustments they may require. The LGA's recruitment policy clearly states the importance or reasonable adjustment through the recruitment life cycle, this is also clear within every advert from the LGA. Our recruitment webiste does have the recite accessability tool which can be used by any potential applicant when applying for a job and alternative formats are provided on request.; ; In July 2020, the LGA commissioned an external review of all policies, processes and practices from an equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) perspective. This review concluded in December 2020 and led to the introduction of an EDI strategy and action plan, which was approved by the board in April 2021. The EDI Strategy and Action plan and recent EDI audit is available on request.; The LGA has an improvement programme to help employers tackle inequality in the workplace provding guidance, practice and leadership nationally. We also provide councils with peer review on EDI. https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-workforce.

  Wellbeing

  The LGA works with councils to help build integrated communities through a range of support programmes working with government on policy and implementation. A recent guide highlights our approach https://local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/10.31%20Community%20cohesion%20guidance_04.2.pdf ; Councils are place leaders and are pivotal to achieving net zero in their local communities. By bringing together networks of different stakeholders,, such as councils, businesses, academics and local grass roots organisations it will foster collaboration, allow an exchange of knowledge and best practice as well as create innovative solutions to carbon reduction. These networks can then create alliances, enabling resource-sharing, coordinated efforts and advocacy for policy changes. By bringing in local communities, councils can empower them to take action for their local environments.

Pricing

• Price: £3,300 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: On registration free use of the API up to a 2GB lifetime limit.
• Link to free trial: https://developertools.esd.org.uk/api

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at alex.rigge@local.gov.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.