Local LSOA Names for Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire LSOA (2021) Local Names | Cambridgeshire Insight Open Data

What is an LSOA?

LSOAs or Lower Super Output Areas are statistical geographies that have been created by the ONS to present Census data after 2001.  They are used to present data at a very local level (sub-ward) in a consistent way across the country.

Each LSOA has a comparable population size of approximately 1000 to 3000 people and consists of 400-1200 households. In England there are around 33755 LSOAs. In Cambridgeshire there are 395 LSOAs. LSOAs are also one part of a hierarchy of statistical geographies with OAs or output areas being the smaller building block areas that feed LSOAs. There are also MSOAs (Middle Super Output areas) which are larger and are made up of several LSOAs grouped together.  

Why do they need names?

As well as the Census outputs, many key datasets produced by the government such as the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, Universal credit statistics are released at LSOA level. This enables a very local view of data in Cambridgeshire and can be compared with those around the country. This can highlight local pockets or need / demand vs other areas.

However, LSOAs do not have local names that people can recognise or identify with easily. LSOAs are named with a standard ONS code e.g. E01017975 and a schematic name relating to the local authority where it is located e.g. Cambridge 001A.

This has meant that reporting data at LSOA level is not as accessible as at ward or parish level. To solve this issue Cambridgeshire Policy and Insight team set out to name all 395 LSOAs in Cambridgeshire. The aim was to provide a local name for each area that resident, councillors and officers can recognise more easily. These names can be used in local data publications by anyone in Cambridgeshire under a UK Open government data licence.

Crucially these names are not designed to replace any names that might already be used locally and they are not official names that the County Council are imposing. Rather, they are intended as a resource to make data easier to present and interpret at a hyper local level.

What do the names look like?

With the example above, Cambridge 001A has been named ‘Nun’s Way’ in Cambridge. Purposefully, there is no wider geography suffix attached within the name field e.g. no ward name or local authority name because it is assumed that any use of the LSOA name in a publication will include that wider geographical context. However, to provide that geographical context within the release, the LSOA names have been released as part of a lookup with the associated Ward Name and Local Authority included.  

The below example shows the LSOAs that are contained within King’s Hedges ward in Cambridge;

How were they named?

Given the number of LSOAs to name and the large range of geographies that the area covered this process was undertaken with a set of guiding principles to follow. These included efforts to name the areas where populations reside (as opposed to large expanses of rural uninhabited areas) and to try to avoid duplication with ward, constituency names etc.

The full methodology can be found in Methodology notes in the release.  

The task of naming was taken on by a working group within the Policy and Insight team who followed the principles set out and devised names accordingly. The outputs were then quality assured through the wider Policy and Insight team. A further consultation was then conducted with our Communities Service, who provided further local knowledge and suggested improvements which were then implemented in line with the methodology. We thank all those that contributed to the process.

Why not just use Wards?

Ward populations are generally much larger than LSOAs and can also vary significantly in terms of population, making it harder to compare data between areas.

Wards and LSOAs are also not coterminous, meaning that the geographical areas do not fit within each other making it difficult to compare as a LSOA may cross a ward boundary.


I’ve found a mistake – are you still open to suggestions?

Yes, the plan is to review the names periodically or when changes are made to other boundaries. Please feel free to email us at policyandinsight@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and your suggestion will be added to a list and considered at an appropriate point. 

Where can I find the data? 

Just here - Cambridgeshire LSOA (2021) Local Names | Cambridgeshire Insight Open Data