Outcomes & Mapping: The Local Needs Databank Maps Fuel Poverty

NPC has built a regularly updating and interactive databank, to help charities and funders see the places most affected by Covid-19, and those that have underlying factors—such as age, health, ethnicity, economic indicators, and multiple deprivation—which may put them at risk. Anyone can use this databank to find out more about needs and services in your region, and better target your work.

Alongside statistics on Covid-19 and local demographics, their dashboards share data from the charities Buttle UK, Turn2us and British Gas Energy Trust, allowing us to better understand what charities are experiencing on the ground. This data shows applications for grants from Buttle UK for children and young people in crisis, recent use of the Turn2us benefit calculator, and awarded British Gas Energy Trust grants for people struggling with energy debts.

Find out more from NPC here: Interactive databank on charities and Covid-19 (thinknpc.org)

Trust Chief Executive, Jessica Taplin, comments:

The pandemic has caused untold harm and terrible human loss, it has also triggered a health & socio economic issues that have not been experienced in generations. But in moments of crisis it is never more vital to direct limited and precious funding to where it is needed most. As a Trust we have had to re-think the importance of generating evidence on need, making data-driven decisions and ultimately how we can better use collaboration and insight within the sector as a means to best respond to existing and newly emerging issues.

The British Gas Energy Trust was not alone in this thinking, last year prompted many organisations to better understand how demand and service data compare to known and new needs, while exploring how to merge, analyse & share information that could maximise the impact of their work. As such the Trust is delighted to have joined forces with other charitable organisations such as Turn2Us, Buttle UK, and NPC in providing data to Find: The Local Needs Databank, this has enabled the creation of open access, interactive tools and analysis that we hope can assist users to unpack how and where needs are changing and evolving.

The current data that the Trust have shared is from the £1.4m Individual & Families Energy Debt, Grant Relief scheme, this is a responsive small grants scheme open to fuel poor, eligible households across England, Scotland and Wales. The data shows grants awarded by Local Authority, as well as indicating where grantees had 3 or more children, caring responsibilities or people with disabilities in the household – NPC has plotted against this data on fuel poverty which provides a practical benchmark on need.

In May we will be sharing additional data provided by the nine charitable money and energy advice projects that the Trust funded through the Covid Response Fund, the new data will identify where people have been supported and how.We hope you find this interesting and informative, as we progress to design future design and evolve our grant programmes, people and data will be at the heart of our approach.