Social Policy Analysis

Social policy analysis (SPA) examines contemporary social and population issues to provide the background for City Hall to decide policy. The evidence and data cover topics such as ageing, diversity, health, housing and poverty.

The GLA’s SPA team studies London’s population to see how different groups are affected by social and socio-economic policies. This might include looking at:

• the impact of an ageing population in different areas of London;
• issues around fairness, integration and diversity among Londoners; and
• how different groups of the population are affected by changes in housing tenure.

This analysis is used to help City Hall understand the needs of Londoners and to make policy decisions that support a strong economy and communities. The team provides advice and analyses secondary data, including on areas like social integration, equalities, income, poverty and deprivation. The team also provides support when teams are commissioning external research.

Social policy information mostly comes from official statistics such as the Census of population, other large government surveys and government administrative data such as benefit receipts, though the team also uses data from other sources and, from time to time, the GLA’s own surveys, such as the Survey of Londoners.