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This document explores the multifaceted aspects of population projections at the local authority level, focusing on size, geography, and types of governance (unitary, county, district). It highlights issues such as ethnic diversity, rural challenges, and population growth or decline. Additionally, the text examines the use of projections in strategic planning for health, education, housing, and transportation. It discusses the influence of grants and policy-based forecasts, addressing concerns around data accuracy and the need for more tailored approaches to fit diverse local contexts.
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Variety • Is there a single local authority view? • Size: population and geography • Type: Unitary, county, district, metropolitan, London • Local issues: BME, rural, growth,decline • Expertise, interest, resources • My personal perspective only
Uses of projections/forecasts • The Grant Formula – major impact • Planning • Spatial (RSS/LDF) • Health, “Wanless” strategic needs review • Education, Skills • Leisure, Open Space, Retail, Crematoria • Transportation • Housing needs • Boundary reviews
Time Horizons • Long-term • Regional Spatial Strategies and LDFs • Short-term • The grant settlement! • Current year planning/monitoring/PIs • Short/medium term service plans
Beyond population • Households • Ethnic Group • Labour Force • Disability
Why some(?)Councils do not use ONS projections • Technical reservations about method • Concerns over data quality • Need Policy-based forecasts • Migration • May use technical inputs from projections • May use selectively
Possible Wants • Accurate • Timely, regular, frequent • Valid over long and short term • Other geographies • Details about population • Access to detailed assumptions and results • Variants or indicators of sensitivity • Policy related? • The impossible dream?
Timing • Time-lag in production • In past – irregular & sometimes infrequent • Out of sync with policy deadlines • Discrepancies between projections and estimates • The grant settlement! • Current year planning/monitoring • Should we simplify to • increase frequency? • cut time lags?
Geography • ONS is local authority based, but are other needs • PCTs • Small area • Wards/ Census Output Areas • New development areas • City Centres • Traffic Zones • Regional & Cross border strategies • Birmingham/Solihull Corridor
Detail about the population • End Users • The beginning & the end • Children and older people - detailed ages • The middle • Workforce & Housing – less interest in age detail • Age groups overlap (0-17; 12-19 etc) • Implications of turnover & migration • Add-ons – disability, ethnic groups • Analysts and demographers need • Quinary, preferably single year
Access to data & assumptions • To build our policy-based models we need access to • detailed assumptions behind projections • fertility, mortality, migrant age structures • unrounded & detailed ONS projection data in appropriate formats
Variant Projections? • Probably unmanageable for all areas with current model but perhaps for regions? • Natural Change only • Sensitivity indicators
Policy v Trend? • ONS projections are ‘trend-based’ but is the future they project the most likely? • Policy based forecasts • What policy? • Birmingham Plan informed by 1996 projections • Regional Strategy uses 2003-based (being revised to 2004-based) • Policy takes time to affect outcomes
Hierarchy & Inflexibility • Model ensures consistency with national projections and balances internal migration flows • Does hierarchical control produce unrealistic results in some areas? • Inflexibility in modelling international migration flows at local level
One Size fits all? • Can one method work in all areas? • Population size (25,000 to 1 million) • Scale & nature of population change • Students, armed forces, ethnic groups • Retirement areas, commuter hinterlands, areas close to ports of entry for immigrants
A tailored approach? • Local Authority level • Short term, simple method, frequent review • Data & methodology advice • Regions • Long term • Variant assumptions & policy effects