How we work
Methods
How we source and check every fact on this site, and what each label means.
Where our facts come from
Every fact on this site comes from a source we can point to: a council's or agency's own website or documents, government datasets, laws, news reports, replies to our freedom of information requests, or our own checks on the ground.
We prefer the original record. When a fact comes from a news report or another third party, its label says so.
Each source is recorded once, with who published it, its title and the date we read it. Every fact names its sources, and the site shows them beside the fact, so you can check it yourself.
We never fill a gap with a guess. If we do not know something yet, the page says "Not yet confirmed" and, where we have asked for the information, links to our request.
How far a fact has been checked
Every fact carries one of these labels beside its source.
- Checked
We have checked this against the original record, or confirmed it in person.
- From the body's own publication, not yet checked
The council or agency concerned published this itself. We have not yet checked it against the original record.
- Reported, not yet checked against the original
A news outlet or another third party reported this. We have not yet checked it against the original record.
- Not yet checked
We have noted this, but have not checked it yet.
- Sources disagree
Credible sources disagree about this, and we have not yet settled which is right.
- Our working assumption, to be tested
This is our best working assumption, and we are still testing it. You will mostly see it on the Who fixes this? page.
- Worked out by us
We worked this out from figures in our sources, such as a turnout. The note beside it names the figures we used.
How far we cover a council
- Not covered yet
The council has a page with the basic facts, such as its state and its name, but we have not yet gathered its records.
- Covered from public records
We are gathering what public records show about this council, such as its wards, its officials and who is responsible for what, each with its source.
- Covered from records and checks on the ground
On top of public records, we have checked facts about this council in person, ward by ward.
Boundaries, names and dates
Council and state boundaries come from GRID3's operational boundary datasets, which are published under an open licence (CC BY 4.0). We simplify the shapes to keep the maps quick to load. They are good for finding a council, not for measuring land.
Council names follow INEC's spelling. Where a council's name is spelt differently elsewhere, we keep that spelling too, so a search still finds it.
Some things depend on the date, such as how long an FOI request has waited for a reply. The site works them out again every day when it is rebuilt.