Find out about your neighbourhood online

Local crime and education
The best way to keep tabs on what’s going on locally is to use the extensive resources and publicly available statistics online.

Start by typing the following web address into the address bar of your web browser: http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.

Maintained by the Office for National Statistics, this website provides information on topics such as population, education, employment, housing and crime in your immediate neighbourhood.

Enter your postcode in the text box beneath the Neighbourhood Summary heading and click on Search to see what you can find out. Use the headings along the top of the next web page that appears to view data about different subject areas.

More detailed information about crime can be found on the websites of most regional police forces. Find which force covers your area on the UK police website.

London residents, for example, can use the interactive tools on the website for the Metropolitan Police to check reported crime figures broken down by borough.

But why stop at seeking out information? Have your say by completing the Met’s Safer Neighbourhoods online survey for a chance to improve or give feedback on policing in your area.

If you live in the West Midlands, the West Midlands Police website is packed with information about crime and related matters in your neighbourhood. Search by postcode, street, neighbourhood or by clicking on the interactive map and using the Have Your Say poll to voice an opinion about the local community and policing issues.

To have a more direct impact on improving safety on your street or local community, visit the Neighbourhood Watch website to see if a local group exists that you could join.

If not, there’s all the information you need to get started setting up a scheme in your area on the Home Office Crime Reduction website.

If your children or grandchildren are about to start school or are making the transition from primary to secondary education, you’ll want to know about the schools whose catchment area you fall within.

Your local authority’s website should provide a list or postcode search to find local schools, give details on how to apply for a place and list useful information, such as term dates across the borough or county.

Most will also give information relating to schools’ performance, such as GCSE and key stage exam results. For a detailed snapshot of a particular school, take a look at its most recent Ofsted report. Schools are listed alphabetically on this website.

Finger on the pulse
If you want to keep tabs on local news, visit the BBC’s Where I Live website and click on an area on the interactive map to see news stories specific to that location.