Local councils handle vast amounts of personal data, from council tax records to voter registration and social services. Yet, poor data hygiene remains a widespread issue, leading to inefficiencies, wasted resources, and non-compliance with data protection laws. Only recently one local council hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons – mistakenly telling one of their constituents that he was dead!

Mistakes happen, but at a time when public sector budgets are stretched, councils simply cannot afford to overlook data accuracy.

Every inaccurate record comes at a cost, whether through:

  • Wasted communications – Sending letters to people who have moved or passed away is not just inefficient, it reflects poorly on the council’s ability to manage records.
  • Delayed services – Outdated data leads to inefficiencies in service delivery, affecting everything from benefits processing to emergency response coordination.
  • GDPR non-compliance risks – Article 5 of GDPR states that personal data must be “accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.” Failure to meet this standard can result in penalties.

For local councils, our recent Freedom of Information Act request revealed that non-compliance is a real problem.  It found only 12% of UK councils are fully compliant, with:

  • 28% of councils only update their data when a resident informs them of a change.
  • 20% of councils being unclear about their data cleansing processes.
  • 15% of councils do not understand basic terms related to GDPR compliance.

This highlights the urgent need for councils to adopt proactive rather than reactive data management strategies.

How Lean DM Can Help Councils Improve Data Accuracy

Our Lean DM approach offers councils a practical and cost-effective way to improve data hygiene. Inspired by Lean manufacturing principles, it focuses on removing inefficiencies and improving accuracy.

Key Principles of Lean DM:

  1. Regular Data Cleansing – Proactively removing deceased, duplicate, or gone-away records prevents waste and ensures communications reach the right people.
  2. Address Validation – Ensuring records are correctly formatted and verified against authoritative sources such as the Postal Address File (PAF) improves deliverability.
  3. Suppression Files – Using deceased and home mover suppression lists prevents sensitive and inappropriate mailings.
  4. Process Automation – Tools like Clean Contacts help councils automatically update records, reducing manual effort.
  5. Feedback Loops – Establishing mechanisms to capture returned mail and update records ensures continuous improvement.

With Lean DM, local authorities can cut costs, improve services, and stay compliant—all while creating a smarter, more efficient public sector.

Get in touch for more information on how we can help.