Analysis · No. 5 · Sectors
Local government: the most checked-up-on sector.
We sorted everything government published, bought, discussed and was asked about since the July 2024 election into 39 sectors. Local government is the third busiest.
We read 456,455 records across 24 sources. We placed each record in the sectors its words are about, with the same scorer that runs search on Seam. We measure activity in five strands: what government publishes, what it buys, who it meets, what Parliament asks, and who checks it. The method is at the end of the page.
Where local government ranks
Local government is the third busiest of the 39 sectors, alongside health and social care and education and skills. It is strongest in “who checks it”, where it takes 19.2% of records, about 13 times the typical sector’s share, the highest of all 39 sectors (next is justice and policing, at 12.0%).
The busiest sectors in government
Each sector’s share of activity in the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026), averaged across the five strands. It shows the top 12 of 39. The three busiest are darker, and Local government is darkest.
- Local government
- The other two busiest sectors
- Other sectors
- 1. Health and social care7.9%
- 2. Education and skills8.1%
- 3. Local government8.3%
- 4. Energy and utilities6.1%
- 5. Transport5.2%
- 6. Digital and telecoms4.7%
- 7. Justice and policing5.4%
- 8. Life sciences5.3%
- 9. Manufacturing3.9%
- 10. Small business3.7%
- 11. Housing3.9%
- 12. Construction3.3%
We order sectors by their average rank on three measures: the average strand share shown here, the middle (median) strand share, and the raw number of records. Ties go to the higher average share. The table shows all three.
Show the numbers
| # | Sector | Average share | Rank | Middle strand share | Rank | Records | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health and social care | 7.9% | 3 | 8.6% | 1 | 22,613 | 1 |
| 2 | Education and skills | 8.1% | 2 | 7.9% | 2 | 22,370 | 2 |
| 3 | Local government | 8.3% | 1 | 6.0% | 3 | 13,388 | 7 |
| 4 | Energy and utilities | 6.1% | 4 | 5.5% | 4 | 15,165 | 5 |
| 5 | Transport | 5.2% | 7 | 4.5% | 7 | 17,494 | 4 |
| 6 | Digital and telecoms | 4.7% | 8 | 5.3% | 5 | 13,865 | 6 |
| 7 | Justice and policing | 5.4% | 5 | 5.2% | 6 | 10,366 | 10 |
| 8 | Life sciences | 5.3% | 6 | 3.4% | 12 | 18,079 | 3 |
| 9 | Manufacturing | 3.9% | 10 | 4.1% | 8 | 10,918 | 8 |
| 10 | Small business | 3.7% | 11 | 3.5% | 11 | 10,441 | 9 |
| 11 | Housing | 3.9% | 9 | 3.5% | 10 | 8,246 | 14 |
| 12 | Construction | 3.3% | 12 | 3.3% | 13 | 9,133 | 11 |
| 13 | Financial services | 3.2% | 13 | 3.7% | 9 | 8,066 | 15 |
| 14 | Environment | 2.9% | 15 | 2.9% | 14 | 8,254 | 13 |
| 15 | Employment | 3.1% | 14 | 2.7% | 17 | 8,299 | 12 |
| 16 | Children and families | 2.8% | 16 | 2.7% | 16 | 7,613 | 16 |
| 17 | Charities | 2.5% | 17 | 2.9% | 15 | 6,541 | 18 |
| 18 | Planning | 1.9% | 21 | 2.5% | 18 | 6,140 | 19 |
| 19 | Defence | 2.3% | 18 | 1.4% | 26 | 7,560 | 17 |
| 20 | Research and science | 1.8% | 23 | 1.8% | 20 | 4,498 | 24 |
| 21 | Tax and accounting | 2.2% | 19 | 1.0% | 30 | 5,661 | 20 |
| 22 | Farming and food | 1.8% | 24 | 2.2% | 19 | 4,403 | 26 |
| 23 | Media, culture and sport | 1.7% | 25 | 1.5% | 24 | 5,538 | 21 |
| 24 | govaffairs | 2.1% | 20 | 1.8% | 21 | 3,355 | 32 |
| 25 | Foreign affairs and trade | 1.9% | 22 | 1.3% | 28 | 4,651 | 23 |
| 26 | Aviation, maritime and ports | 1.6% | 27 | 1.6% | 22 | 4,165 | 27 |
| 27 | Welfare | 1.7% | 26 | 1.0% | 29 | 5,413 | 22 |
| 28 | Pensions | 1.5% | 28 | 1.5% | 25 | 4,134 | 28 |
| 29 | Retail | 1.5% | 30 | 1.5% | 23 | 3,743 | 30 |
| 30 | Water | 1.5% | 29 | 1.4% | 27 | 4,042 | 29 |
| 31 | Facilities and estates | 1.1% | 32 | 0.8% | 34 | 4,421 | 25 |
| 32 | Automotive | 1.0% | 33 | 0.9% | 31 | 3,413 | 31 |
| 33 | Immigration | 1.1% | 31 | 0.9% | 32 | 3,285 | 33 |
| 34 | Aviation | 0.8% | 34 | 0.8% | 33 | 1,946 | 35 |
| 35 | Artificial intelligence | 0.8% | 35 | 0.7% | 35 | 2,099 | 34 |
| 36 | Hospitality and tourism | 0.5% | 36 | 0.6% | 36 | 1,827 | 36 |
| 37 | Insurance | 0.3% | 37 | 0.3% | 37 | 998 | 37 |
| 38 | Semiconductors and compute | 0.2% | 38 | 0.2% | 38 | 668 | 38 |
| 39 | Gambling | 0.1% | 39 | 0.1% | 39 | 349 | 39 |
Where local government shows up
Share of each strand’s records that affect local government, latest twelve months, against the typical (median) sector.
- Typical sector
- Local government
- What government publishesAnnouncements, policy papers, consultations, guidance, transparency releases, statistics, NHS England5.7%
- What it buysContract notices and awards3.1%
- Who it meetsMeetings ministers and senior officials hold with outside organisations7.3%
- What Parliament asksWritten and oral questions, debates, select committee letters and evidence, Holyrood and the Senedd6.0%
- Who checks itRegulators, the Information Commissioner, the public auditors, the RPC19.2%
A record can touch more than one sector, so shares across sectors add up to more than 100%.
Show the numbers
| Strand | Records in the strand | Local government | Typical sector | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What government publishes | 33,752 | 5.7% | 2.9% | 2.0× |
| What it buys | 98,295 | 3.1% | 1.7% | 1.8× |
| Who it meets | 11,870 | 7.3% | 1.6% | 4.6× |
| What Parliament asks | 102,894 | 6.0% | 2.6% | 2.3× |
| Who checks it | 7,018 | 19.2% | 1.5% | 12.8× |
How it has changed
Since the government’s first year, local government’s share of “what government publishes” has moved most upward (+2.3 points). Its shares of “what it buys” and “who it meets” have grown least (+0.7 points each).
Then and now, strand by strand
Local government’s share of each strand in the government’s first year (Jul 2024–Jun 2025) and the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026).
- First year
- Latest twelve months: bigger share
- smaller share
- What government publishes+2.3 pts
- What it buys+0.7 pts
- Who it meets+0.7 pts
- What Parliament asks+0.8 pts
- Who checks it+1.9 pts
Show the numbers
| Strand | First year | Latest 12 months | Change, points |
|---|---|---|---|
| What government publishes | 3.4% | 5.7% | +2.3 |
| What it buys | 2.4% | 3.1% | +0.7 |
| Who it meets | 6.6% | 7.3% | +0.7 |
| What Parliament asks | 5.2% | 6.0% | +0.8 |
| Who checks it | 17.3% | 19.2% | +1.9 |
Month by month, in each strand
Local government’s share of each strand, averaged over three months to reduce the effect of single busy weeks. Each panel has its own scale. Hover over the line to see each month.
- Higher now than at the start
- Lower
What government publishes
3.4% → 5.7%
What it buys
2.4% → 3.1%
Who it meets
6.6% → 7.3%
What Parliament asks
5.2% → 6.0%
Who checks it
17.3% → 19.2%
Meetings appear a quarter or more late, so that panel stops earlier than the rest.
How much activity affects local government, month by month
Records affecting local government each month, July 2024 to October 2026, coloured by strand. Hover over a column for the detail.
- What government publishes
- What it buys
- Who it meets
- What Parliament asks
- Who checks it
The busiest month was October 2026. Counts swing with the parliamentary calendar and with how sources publish (a council can post a hundred contract awards in a day). That is why the rest of this page uses shares.
Show the numbers
| Month | What government publishes | What it buys | Who it meets | What Parliament asks | Who checks it | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | 32 | 4 | 92 | 180 | 114 | 422 |
| August 2024 | 36 | 3 | 45 | 61 | 83 | 228 |
| September 2024 | 39 | 2 | 99 | 168 | 85 | 393 |
| October 2024 | 71 | 3 | 151 | 326 | 113 | 664 |
| November 2024 | 74 | 2 | 114 | 332 | 137 | 659 |
| December 2024 | 68 | 2 | 82 | 323 | 139 | 614 |
| January 2025 | 53 | 3 | 121 | 521 | 102 | 800 |
| February 2025 | 75 | 14 | 93 | 458 | 93 | 733 |
| March 2025 | 90 | 44 | 102 | 463 | 84 | 783 |
| April 2025 | 68 | 60 | 111 | 471 | 81 | 791 |
| May 2025 | 40 | 58 | 95 | 369 | 140 | 702 |
| June 2025 | 75 | 137 | 130 | 490 | 94 | 926 |
| July 2025 | 109 | 133 | 128 | 444 | 106 | 920 |
| August 2025 | 44 | 107 | 41 | 130 | 70 | 392 |
| September 2025 | 46 | 120 | 83 | 298 | 106 | 653 |
| October 2025 | 64 | 119 | 166 | 514 | 173 | 1,036 |
| November 2025 | 89 | 117 | 136 | 499 | 94 | 935 |
| December 2025 | 85 | 120 | 90 | 359 | 107 | 761 |
| January 2026 | 117 | 120 | 135 | 663 | 108 | 1,143 |
| February 2026 | 162 | 118 | 111 | 492 | 95 | 978 |
| March 2026 | 220 | 165 | 147 | 502 | 167 | 1,201 |
| April 2026 | 135 | 176 | 80 | 321 | 85 | 797 |
| May 2026 | 157 | 146 | 71 | 247 | 231 | 852 |
| June 2026 | 172 | 173 | 101 | 762 | 105 | 1,313 |
| July 2026 | 197 | 206 | 0 | 371 | 116 | 890 |
| August 2026 | 173 | 410 | 0 | 660 | 104 | 1,347 |
| September 2026 | 190 | 639 | 0 | 508 | 94 | 1,431 |
| October 2026 | 223 | 681 | 0 | 792 | 44 | 1,740 |
What it is about
The biggest themes are audit, accounts and governance, data, IT and information rights and housing and homelessness. Growing fastest: buildings, repairs and energy, data, IT and information rights and communities, culture and leisure. Fading: devolution and mayors and bins, waste and parks. Parliament drives elections and councillors and council finances and funding.
What local government activity is about
Share of local government records touching each theme, first year (Jul 2024–Jun 2025) against the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026). Sorted by the latest share.
- First year
- Latest twelve months: bigger share
- smaller share
- Audit, accounts and governance17.7%
- Data, IT and information rights17.0%
- Housing and homelessness12.8%
- Communities, culture and leisure11.7%
- Devolution and mayors9.2%
- Council finances and funding7.2%
- Buildings, repairs and energy6.0%
- Reorganisation5.9%
- Roads and local transport4.7%
- Planning and development4.1%
- Bins, waste and parks4.0%
- Social care and children3.6%
- Elections and councillors3.0%
- Local growth2.4%
A record can affect several themes, or none. 31% touch none of these, usually because the title says too little (“Lot 2”, “Provision of services”). The word lists are in the method box at the end of the page.
Show the numbers
| Theme | Records | First year | Latest 12 months | Relative change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit, accounts and governance | 4,410 | 19.0% | 17.7% | −7% |
| Data, IT and information rights | 3,735 | 13.2% | 17.0% | +29% |
| Housing and homelessness | 3,012 | 11.6% | 12.8% | +10% |
| Communities, culture and leisure | 2,587 | 9.2% | 11.7% | +27% |
| Devolution and mayors | 2,433 | 11.9% | 9.2% | −23% |
| Council finances and funding | 1,671 | 7.4% | 7.2% | −3% |
| Buildings, repairs and energy | 1,240 | 4.1% | 6.0% | +46% |
| Reorganisation | 1,298 | 4.7% | 5.9% | +26% |
| Roads and local transport | 1,052 | 3.8% | 4.7% | +24% |
| Planning and development | 960 | 4.0% | 4.1% | +2% |
| Bins, waste and parks | 1,040 | 4.7% | 4.0% | −15% |
| Social care and children | 791 | 3.0% | 3.6% | +20% |
| Elections and councillors | 671 | 2.7% | 3.0% | +11% |
| Local growth | 545 | 2.1% | 2.4% | +14% |
The themes, quarter by quarter
Share of local government records touching each theme in each quarter, in per cent. We set the shading row by row. The darkest cell is that theme’s busiest quarter. Hover over a cell for the detail.
- Quietest quarter for the theme
- Busiest quarter
| Jul–Sep2024 | Oct–Dec2024 | Jan–Mar2025 | Apr–Jun2025 | Jul–Sep2025 | Oct–Dec2025 | Jan–Mar2026 | Apr–Jun2026 | Jul–Sep2026 | Oct2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit, accounts and governance | 26.7 | 20.8 | 14.3 | 18.9 | 18.0 | 19.1 | 17.4 | 20.2 | 19.6 | 9.8 |
| Data, IT and information rights | 19.5 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 18.8 | 20.1 | 18.5 |
| Housing and homelessness | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 13.5 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 13.7 | 13.2 |
| Communities, culture and leisure | 7.4 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 10.7 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 12.7 | 14.9 |
| Devolution and mayors | 12.5 | 11.6 | 13.6 | 10.1 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 13.6 |
| Council finances and funding | 5.4 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.5 |
| Buildings, repairs and energy | 4.9 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 7.3 | 9.4 |
| Reorganisation | 3.8 | 3.1 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.2 |
| Roads and local transport | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Planning and development | 6.6 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| Bins, waste and parks | 6.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Social care and children | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Elections and councillors | 1.9 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| Local growth | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 5.4 |
| Local government records in the quarter | 1,043 | 1,937 | 2,316 | 2,419 | 1,965 | 2,732 | 3,322 | 2,962 | 3,668 | 1,740 |
The first quarter starts on 5 July 2024, the day after the general election. The last runs only to the end of October 2026. Read along a row, not down a column.
Where each theme comes from
Share of each theme’s records by strand, since July 2024. Sorted by how much comes from Parliament.
- What government publishes
- What it buys
- Who it meets
- What Parliament asks
- Who checks it
- Elections and councillors80%
- Council finances and funding14%74%
- Communities, culture and leisure15%70%
- Housing and homelessness14%64%
- Planning and development12%54%20%
- Roads and local transport17%12%53%12%
- Reorganisation12%15%52%14%
- Devolution and mayors10%29%51%
- Social care and children31%10%50%
- Local growth18%27%39%
- Buildings, repairs and energy10%37%37%
- Data, IT and information rights14%11%30%42%
- Bins, waste and parks18%29%44%
- Audit, accounts and governance12%12%27%47%
Themes near the top are what MPs and peers raise. Themes near the bottom are what government buys, publishes or is checked on.
Show the numbers
| Theme | What government publishes | What it buys | Who it meets | What Parliament asks | Who checks it | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elections and councillors | 4.9% | 3.9% | 4.5% | 79.9% | 6.9% | 671 |
| Council finances and funding | 13.9% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 74.0% | 5.4% | 1,671 |
| Communities, culture and leisure | 14.7% | 7.8% | 3.7% | 69.8% | 4.0% | 2,587 |
| Housing and homelessness | 14.2% | 6.3% | 7.5% | 64.2% | 7.7% | 3,012 |
| Planning and development | 12.5% | 5.9% | 7.9% | 54.2% | 19.5% | 960 |
| Roads and local transport | 6.5% | 16.7% | 11.7% | 53.0% | 12.1% | 1,052 |
| Reorganisation | 12.2% | 15.2% | 7.5% | 51.5% | 13.6% | 1,298 |
| Devolution and mayors | 8.9% | 10.0% | 28.8% | 50.8% | 1.5% | 2,433 |
| Social care and children | 30.7% | 3.7% | 10.1% | 50.1% | 5.4% | 791 |
| Local growth | 17.8% | 8.4% | 27.2% | 38.7% | 7.9% | 545 |
| Buildings, repairs and energy | 10.2% | 37.3% | 8.1% | 37.4% | 6.9% | 1,240 |
| Data, IT and information rights | 14.3% | 11.4% | 2.5% | 29.5% | 42.3% | 3,735 |
| Bins, waste and parks | 4.8% | 18.1% | 3.9% | 28.9% | 44.2% | 1,040 |
| Audit, accounts and governance | 11.6% | 12.4% | 2.7% | 26.6% | 46.6% | 4,410 |
Who is involved
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes most, Sutton, Achieving for Children and Kingston buys most, and Local Government Association is the organisation ministers and officials meet most often on local government.
Who is doing the local government activity
The ten bodies with the most records in each strand since July 2024. Hover over a bar for the full name and count.
Who publishes most · 151 bodies
Who buys most · 818 buyers
Who ministers and officials meet most · 1,105 organisations
Which departments answer the questions
Contracts went to 2,407 different suppliers. The ten busiest won 8% of them. The meetings chart counts each organisation named on a return once per meeting.
What Parliament asks
Conservative members ask about 1.3 times their usual share of local government questions (53.7% against 39.9%). Written questions here take a median 8 days to answer, against 8 across government.
Who asks about local government
Share of written and oral questions on local government asked by each party, against its share of all questions, since July 2024.
- All questions
- Local government: more than its usual share
- less
- Labour22%
- Conservative54%
- Liberal Democrat15%
- Reform UK2%
- Independent4%
- Crossbench1%
- Green1%
- DUP1%
Based on 10,057 questions where the asking member’s party is recorded. Peers sit in the Lords. “Crossbench” members belong to no party.
Show the numbers
| Party | Local government | All questions |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 21.5% | 29.0% |
| Conservative | 53.7% | 39.9% |
| Liberal Democrat | 15.0% | 18.4% |
| Reform UK | 2.0% | 2.5% |
| Independent | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Crossbench | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Green | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| DUP | 0.8% | 2.7% |
Where the money goes
3,882 contract notices and awards since July 2024. The typical (median) one is worth £147k, against £120k across all of government.
Contracts, quarter by quarter
Local government contract notices and awards each quarter. The figure above each column is its share of all contracts that quarter.
The last quarter runs only to the end of October 2026.
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Contracts | Share of all contracts |
|---|---|---|
| Jul–Sep 2024 | 9 | 2.0% |
| Oct–Dec 2024 | 7 | 1.1% |
| Jan–Mar 2025 | 61 | 2.0% |
| Apr–Jun 2025 | 255 | 2.6% |
| Jul–Sep 2025 | 360 | 2.5% |
| Oct–Dec 2025 | 356 | 2.3% |
| Jan–Mar 2026 | 403 | 2.1% |
| Apr–Jun 2026 | 495 | 2.7% |
| Jul–Sep 2026 | 1,255 | 3.4% |
| Oct 2026 | 681 | 5.0% |
How big the contracts are
Share of local government contract notices and awards in each value band, against all contracts, since July 2024.
- All contracts
- Local government: more common
- less common
- Under £10k13%
- £10k–100k30%
- £100k–1m32%
- £1m–10m16%
- £10m–100m7%
- £100m and over2%
Values are what the buyer published: an estimate for an open notice, the award for a closed one, and for a framework the ceiling across every buyer that might use it.
Show the numbers
| Value | Local government | All contracts |
|---|---|---|
| Under £10k | 13.4% | 5.9% |
| £10k–100k | 30.3% | 40.2% |
| £100k–1m | 31.9% | 33.1% |
| £1m–10m | 16.0% | 13.9% |
| £10m–100m | 6.7% | 4.9% |
| £100m and over | 1.8% | 2.0% |
On the record
The most recent policy papers and consultations that affect local government, dated by when each consultation closed or each paper was last updated. Every one is on Seam with the rest of its source.
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM Revenue & CustomsHigh Value Council Tax Surcharge on residential properties
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM Revenue & CustomsStatutory reorganisations: general power
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM TreasurySupporting local investment: An offer to places
- Consultation · closed 16 October 2026 · Department for Environment, Food & Rural AffairsConsultation on powers for local authorities to issue conditional cautions to fly-tipping offenders
- Consultation · closed 7 October 2026 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentBest Value Duty: consultation on revised statutory guidance
- Policy paper · last updated 2 October 2026 · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and SportIT Reuse for Good Charter
- Policy paper · last updated 14 September 2026 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentLocal Outcomes Framework
- Consultation · closed 13 September 2026 · Environment AgencyThames regional flood and coastal committee: composition change
If you work in councils and local public services
- Know where your sector stands out. For local government it is “who checks it”, at 13 times the typical sector’s share. That is where your sector stands out most against others.
- Follow the rising themes. Growing fastest: buildings, repairs and energy, data, IT and information rights and communities, culture and leisure. Watch these for new consultations, contracts and questions.
- Find the people already talking. Conservative members ask more than their usual share of local government questions. The organisations in the meetings chart already have access to ministers. Both are routes in.
How we did this: method and caveats
Data. The Seam search database: one row for every record in every source on the site. This piece uses everything dated from 5 July 2024, the day after the general election, to the end of October 2026: 456,455 records. We leave out directories (officials, bodies, councils, registers of interests) because they are lists, not activity. We also leave out ministers’ expenses, hospitality, gifts and travel. Meetings appear a quarter or more late, so the latest months hold fewer of them. Charts built on months or quarters use whole months only.
The five strands. What government publishes: announcements, policy papers, consultations, guidance, transparency releases, statistics, NHS England (62,441 records). What it buys: contract notices and awards (132,067 records). Who it meets: meetings ministers and senior officials hold with outside organisations (36,405 records). What Parliament asks: written and oral questions, debates, select committee letters and evidence, Holyrood and the Senedd (208,774 records). Who checks it: regulators, the Information Commissioner, the public auditors, the RPC (16,768 records).
Sectors. The scorer that ranks search results on Seam reads each record. It checks the record against the hand-written lexicon (word list) of 39 sectors: phrases and words for each, with words that argue against a sector. A record counts towards its strongest sector, and towards any other sector that scores at least half as much. If a record’s strongest sector scores below 2.5 (less than one decisive phrase), we leave the record unplaced. 74% of records are placed. We made three changes from the search pages, all because a count needs to be stricter than a search. First, we do not use the publisher, because a department’s name decided too many thin records on its own. Second, we switch off the machine-learned extra terms, because they placed records in sectors they were not about. Third, we remove boilerplate first, such as the “Senior official. Meetings” that ends every meeting record. We make one correction by hand. We take a record out of local government if its only “council” is the UN Security Council or a similar body.
Activity and rank. A sector’s activity is its share of each strand’s records, averaged across the five, so that no strand dominates. The biggest strand, what parliament asks, has 12 times as many records as the smallest. We rank sectors on three measures over the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026): that average, the middle (median) strand share, and the raw count of records. We then order them by their average rank across the three. Health and social care, Education and skills and Local government come third, second and first on the average share and first, second and third on the middle share. On the raw count they come first, second and 7th, because sectors heavy in contracts and written questions collect more records. We also tried the scorer with the publisher and the extra terms switched back on. The same sectors stayed near the top, but digital and telecoms rose sharply on meetings alone. That is the noise those changes remove.
Themes come from keywords in each record’s title and summary. For a meeting, that is its purpose and the organisation met. For a question, it is the question. The lists are below. They are a judgement, and they miss records whose titles say little.
Change over time compares the government’s first year (July 2024 to June 2025) with the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026). We compare shares, not counts, because the amount published swings with the parliamentary calendar.
Caveats. Counting records measures how much paper a subject generates, not how much it matters or what it costs. Some sources publish in bulk. One council that posts each school-taxi route as its own contract award can move a sector’s share of contracts on its own. The charts say so where one buyer accounts for 15% or more of a sector’s contract records. Contract values are as published. Frameworks carry their ceiling, which is why we use bands and medians, never totals.
The theme word lists
| Theme | Words and phrases in the title or summary |
|---|---|
| Council finances and funding | council tax, business rates, finance settlement, fair funding, funding (formula, settlement, reform), section 114, exceptional financial support, local government finance, budgets?, borrowing, debts?, financial (sustainability, resilience, position) |
| Devolution and mayors | devolution, devolved, mayors?, mayoral, combined authorit, strategic authorit, devolution deals? |
| Reorganisation | reorganis, unitary, two-tier, district councils?, shadow authorit, boundary (review, changes?, commission) |
| Audit, accounts and governance | audit, accounts, annual report, best value, governance, scrutiny, code of conduct, commissioners?, statutory intervention, standards |
| Housing and homelessness | housing, homeless, temporary accommodation, social (rent, housing), council homes, rough sleep, landlords?, tenan(ts?, cy) |
| Planning and development | planning, local plans?, building control, regeneration, brownfield, planning (applications?, appeals?, permission) |
| Social care and children | social care, childrens services, safeguarding, looked.after children, care leavers, SEND, foster, adoption, care placements?, placement of care |
| Bins, waste and parks | waste, bins?, recycling, refuse, fly-?tipping, street cleans, grounds maintenance, parks?, cemeter, burial, crematori |
| Roads and local transport | roads?, potholes?, highways?, street lighting, parking, bus(es)?, local transport, traffic, gritting, taxis?, home to school |
| Data, IT and information rights | software, IT, systems?, digital, cyber, data, telephony, licen[cs]es, network, cloud, payroll, ERP, freedom of information, FOI, subject access, information requests?, environmental information |
| Buildings, repairs and energy | buildings?, facilities, maintenance, cleaning, repairs?, refurbish, energy, heating, decarbonis, solar, electricity, gas supply |
| Elections and councillors | elections?, electoral, voters?, polling, councillors?, referendum, by-election |
| Communities, culture and leisure | high streets?, town cent, communit(y, ies), pride in place, librar(y, ies), leisure, museums?, culture, heritage, sports? |
| Local growth | growth, levelling up, investment zones?, shared prosperity, towns? fund, enterprise, economic development, local growth |