In 2024, over nine million people lived in Greater London, making it the most populated ceremonial county in England. The West Midlands Metropolitan County, which contains the large city of Birmingham, was the second-largest county at just over 3.03 million, closely followed by Greater Manchester at three million, and then West Yorkshire with a population of 2.4 million. Kent, Essex, and Hampshire were the three next-largest counties in terms of population, each with just over 1.9 million people. A patchwork of regions England is just one of the four countries that compose the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with England, Scotland and Wales making up Great Britain. England is therefore not to be confused with Great Britain or the United Kingdom as a whole. Within England, the next subdivisions are the nine regions of England, containing various smaller units such as unitary authorities, metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. The counties in this statistic, however, are based on the ceremonial counties of England as defined by the Lieutenancies Act of 1997. Regions of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Like England, the other countries of the United Kingdom have their own regional subdivisions, although with some different terminology. Scotland’s subdivisions are council areas, while Wales has unitary authorities, and Northern Ireland has local government districts. As of 2024, the most-populated Scottish council area was Glasgow City, with over 650,000 inhabitants. In Wales, Cardiff had the largest population among its unitary authorities, and in Northern Ireland, Belfast was the local government area with the most people living there.

For much of the Geological Survey's existence, the County Series of maps were the standard large-scale maps on which geological mapping was undertaken. These maps are based on the Ordnance Survey County (or six-inch to the mile) series of maps. These maps were cut up to be used in the field to record geological observations, and on return to the office, the geology was transferred to a complete County Series map, which after approval was known as a 'standard' (England / Wales) or 'clean copy' (Scotland). This dataset contains the 'standard' or 'clean copy' County Series maps held by BGS. Geological maps represent a geologist's compiled interpretation of the geology of an area. A geologist will consider the data available at the time, including measurements and observations collected during field campaigns, as well as their knowledge of geological processes and the geological context to create a model of the geology of an area. This model is then fitted to a topographic basemap and drawn up at the appropriate scale, with generalization if necessary, to create a geological map, which is a representation of the geological model. Explanatory notes and vertical and horizontal cross sections may be published with the map. Geological maps may be created to show various aspects of the geology, or themes. The most common map themes held by BGS are solid (later referred to as bedrock) and drift (later referred to as superficial). These maps are hard-copy paper records stored in the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) and are delivered as digital scans through the BGS website.

A PDF map shows the Regions and their constituent counties, metropolitan counties, Greater London authority and unitary authorities in England, council areas in Scotland, unitary authorities in Wales and district council areas in Northern Ireland as at April 2011. (File Size - 638 KB).

Counties were formerly administrative units across the whole of the UK. Due to various administrative restructurings, however, the only administrative areas still referred to as 'counties' are the Non-Metropolitan Districts of England. The English Metropolitan Districts, although no longer administrative units, are also used for statistical purposes.

The Counties area list contains 35 areas of the following constituent English geographies:

• 27 Shire counties
• 6 Metropolitan counties
• Inner London and Outer London

Please visit ONS Beginner's Guide to UK Geography for more info.

The boundaries are available as either extent of the realm (usually this is the Mean Low Water mark but in some cases boundaries extend beyond this to include off shore islands) or

clipped to the coastline (Mean High Water mark).

A PDF map shows the Regions and their constituent counties, metropolitan counties, Greater London authority and unitary authorities in England, council areas in Scotland, unitary authorities in Wales and district council areas in Northern Ireland as at April 2011. (File Size - 638 KB).

The population of the United Kingdom in 2024 was estimated to be approximately 69.3 million, with over 9.6 million people living in South East England. London had the next highest population, at almost 9.1 million people, followed by the North West England at 7.7 million. With the UK's population generally concentrated in England, most English regions have larger populations than the constituent countries of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which had populations of 5.5 million, 3.2 million, and 1.9 million respectively. English counties and cities The United Kingdom is a patchwork of various regional units, within England the largest of these are the regions shown here, which show how London, along with the rest of South East England had around 18 million people living there in this year. The next significant regional units in England are the 47 metropolitan and ceremonial counties. After London, the metropolitan counties of the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire were the biggest of these counties, due to covering the large urban areas of Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds respectively. Regional divisions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland The smaller countries that comprise the United Kingdom each have different local subdivisions. Within Scotland these are called council areas, whereas in Wales the main regional units are called unitary authorities. Scotland's largest Council Area by population is that of Glasgow City at over 650,000, while in Wales, it was the Cardiff Unitary Authority at around 384,000. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, has eleven local government districts, the largest of which is Belfast with a population of approxiamtely 352,000.

Local Authority is a generic term used to cover London Boroughs, Metropolitan Districts, Non-Metropolitan Districts, and Unitary Authorities in England; Unitary Authorities in Wales; Council Areas in Scotland; and Local Government Districts in Northern Ireland.

The Local Authorities area list contains 404 areas of the following constituent geographies:

• 36 Metropolitan Districts in England
• 201 Non-Metropolitan Districts in England
• 31 London Boroughs in England
• 54 Unitary Authorities in England
• 26 Local Government Districts in Northern Ireland
• 32 Council Areas in Scotland
• 22 Unitary Authorities in Wales
• 2 Census Merged Districts in England

Please visit ONS Beginner's Guide to UK Geography for more info.

The boundaries are available as either extent of the realm (usually this is the Mean Low Water mark but in some cases boundaries extend beyond this to include off shore islands) or

clipped to the coastline (Mean High Water mark).

Ordnance Survey ® OpenMap - Local Buildings are polygon features that represent a built entity that includes a roof. This is a generalized building and could be made up of an amalgamation of other buildings and structures.Ordnance Survey ® OpenMap - Local Important Buildings are polygon features that represent buildings that fall within the extent of a functional site across England, Wales and Scotland. Important Buildings are classified into a number of building themes such as: Attraction and Leisure - A feature that provides non-sporting leisure activities for the public. Includes Tourist Attractions.Air Transport - This theme includes all sites associated with movement of passengers and goods by air, or where aircraft take off and land. Includes Airport, Helicopter Station, Heliport.Cultural Facility - A feature that is deemed to be of particular interest to society. Includes Museum, Library, Art Gallery.Education facility - This theme includes a very broad group of sites with a common high level primary function of providing education (either state funded or by fees). Includes: Primary Education, Secondary Education, Higher or University Education, Further Education, Non State Secondary Education, Non State Primary Education, Special Needs Education.Emergency Services - Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Includes: Fire Station, Police Station.Medical Facility - This theme includes sites which focus on the provision of secondary medical care services. Includes: Medical Care Accommodation, Hospital, Hospice.Religious Building - A place where members of a religious group congregate for worship. Includes: Places of Worship (churches etc.)Retail - A feature that sells to the general public finished goods. Includes: Post OfficeRoad Transport - This theme includes: Bus Stations, Coach Stations, Road user services.Sports and Leisure Facility - A feature where many different sports can be played. Includes: Sports and Leisure CentreWater Transport - This theme includes sites involved in the transfer of passengers and or goods onto vessels for transport across water. Includes: Port consisting of Docks and Nautical Berthing, Vehicular Ferry Terminal, Passenger Ferry Terminal. With OS OpenMap - Local Buildings and Important Buildings you can: Understand your area in detail, including the location of key sites such as schools and hospitals.Share high-quality maps of development proposals to help interested parties to understand their extent and impact.Analyse data in relation to important public buildings, roads, railways, lines and more.Use in conjunction with other layers such as Functional Sites – an area or extent which represents a certain type of function or activity.Present accurate information consistently with other available open data products. For more information on OS OpenMap see their website: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/os-open-map-local The currency of the data is 10/2025

This is the ONS Postcode Directory (ONSPD) for the United Kingdom as at February 2024 in Comma Separated Variable (CSV) and ASCII text (TXT) formats. This file contains the multi CSVs so that postcode areas can be opened in MS Excel. To download the zip file click the Download button. The ONSPD relates both current and terminated postcodes in the United Kingdom to a range of current statutory administrative, electoral, health and other area geographies. It also links postcodes to pre-2002 health areas, 1991 Census enumeration districts for England and Wales, 2001 Census Output Areas (OA) and Super Output Areas (SOA) for England and Wales, 2001 Census OAs and SOAs for Northern Ireland and 2001 Census OAs and Data Zones (DZ) for Scotland. It now contains 2021 Census OAs and SOAs for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It helps support the production of area-based statistics from postcoded data. The ONSPD is produced by ONS Geography, who provide geographic support to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and geographic services used by other organisations. The ONSPD is issued quarterly. (File size - 231 MB) Please note that this product contains Royal Mail, Gridlink, LPS (Northern Ireland), Ordnance Survey and ONS Intellectual Property Rights.

In 2024/25, there were 104 homicide offences recorded in London, the most of any region of the United Kingdom during that time period. North West England, which includes the large cities of Manchester and Liverpool, had 69 homicides and had the second-highest number of homicides. In the same reporting period, the constituent countries of Wales and Northern Ireland reported the fewest homicides, at 23, and 13 respectively. Homicides in the UK falling despite recent uptick Since 2002/03, all three jurisdictions of the UK; England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, have seen their homicide rates fall, with Scotland seeing the steepest decline. The most significant decline in homicides in this period occurred between 2002/03 and 2014/15, which saw the annual number of homicides in England and Wales half from over 1,000 to around 500. This trend was suddenly reversed from 2015/16 onwards, with homicides rising to around 700 per year between 2016/17 and 2019/20. While homicides fell back to 535 in 2024/25, it remains to be seen if this pattern will continue. Knives used in almost half of all murders In 2024/25 a knife or other sharp instruments were used in approximately 46 percent of all murders in England and Wales, making this, by far, the most common method of killing in that reporting year. The overall number of knife homicides reached 262 in 2023/24, compared with 243 in the previous year. Firearm homicides were much rarer than knife homicides, with only 22 taking place in the same reporting year, and homicides caused by shooting only accounting for 3.9 percent of homicides overall.

OverviewThis dataset provides the measurements of raw water storage levels in reservoirs crucial for public water supply. The reservoirs included in this dataset are natural bodies of water that have been dammed to store untreated water.Key DefinitionsAggregation The process of summarising or grouping data to obtain a single or reduced set of information, often for analysis or reporting purposes.CapacityThe maximum volume of water a reservoir can hold above the natural level of the surrounding land, with thresholds for regulation at 10,000 cubic meters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a modified threshold of 25,000 cubic meters in Scotland pending full implementation of the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011.Current Level The present volume of water held in a reservoir measured above a set baseline crucial for safety and regulatory compliance.Current Percentage The current water volume in a reservoir as a percentage of its total capacity, indicating how full the reservoir is at any given time.Dataset Structured and organised collection of related elements, often stored digitally, used for analysis and interpretation in various fields. Granularity Data granularity is a measure of the level of detail in a data structure. In time-series data, for example, the granularity of measurement might be based on intervals of years, months, weeks, days, or hours. ID Abbreviation for Identification that refers to any means of verifying the unique identifier assigned to each asset for the purposes of tracking, management, and maintenance. Open Data Triage The process carried out by a Data Custodian to determine if there is any evidence of sensitivities associated with Data Assets, their associated Metadata and Software Scripts used to process Data Assets if they are used as Open Data. Reservoir Large natural lake used for storing raw water intended for human consumption. Its volume is measurable, allowing for careful management and monitoring to meet demand for clean, safe water.Reservoir TypeThe classification of a reservoir based on the method of construction, the purpose it serves or the source of water it stores.Schema Structure for organising and handling data within a dataset, defining the attributes, their data types, and the relationships between different entities. It acts as a framework that ensures data integrity and consistency by specifying permissible data types and constraints for each attribute.Units Standard measurements used to quantify and compare different physical quantities.Data HistoryData OriginReservoir level data is sourced from water companies who may also update this information on their website and government publications such as the Water situation reports provided by the UK government. Data Triage ConsiderationsIdentification of Critical InfrastructureSpecial attention is given to safeguard data on essential reservoirs in line with the National Infrastructure Act, to mitigate security risks and ensure resilience of public water systems. Currently, it is agreed that only reservoirs with a location already available in the public domain are included in this dataset.Commercial Risks and AnonymisationThe risk of personal information exposure is minimal to none since the data concerns reservoir levels, which are not linked to individuals or households.Data Triage Review FrequencyAnnually unless otherwise requested. Data FreshnessIt is not currently possible to make the dataset live. Some companies have digital monitoring, and some are measuring reservoir levels analogically. This dataset may not be used to determine reservoir level in place of visual checks where these are advised.Publish FrequencyAnnuallyData SpecificationsData specifications define what is included and excluded in the dataset to maintain clarity and focus. For this dataset: • Each dataset covers measurements taken by the publisher. • This dataset is published periodically in line with the publisher’s capabilities.• Historical datasets may be provided for comparison but are not required.• The location data provided may be a point from anywhere within the body of water or on its boundary.• Reservoirs included in the dataset must be: o Open bodies of water used to store raw/untreated water o Filled naturally o Measurable o Contain water that may go on to be used for public supply ContextThis dataset must not be used to determine the implementation of low supply or high supply measures such as hose pipe bans being put in place or removed. Please await guidance from your water supplier regarding any changes required to your usage of water.Particularly high or low reservoir levels may be considered normal or as expected given the season or recent weather.This dataset does not remove the requirement for visual checks on reservoir level that are in place for caving/pot holing safety.Some water companies calculate the capacity of reservoirs differently than others. The capacity can mean the useable volume of the reservoir or the overall volume that can be held in the reservoir including water below the water table. For Wessex Water reservoir total capacity information is based on gross capacity of the reservoir. Current percentage full will be a percentage of this gross capacity.Level information is provided as meters below spillway. Where the water level is 0 m it is equal to the height of the spillway, which is equivalent to 100% of the total volume storage available.Supplementary InformationBelow is a curated selection of links for additional reading, which provide a deeper understanding of this dataset. 1. Uses of Reservoirs: https://britishdams.org/about-dams/dam-information/uses-for-reservoirs/2. Inventory of UK Reservoirs: https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/f5a7d56c-cea0-4f00-b159-c3788a3b2b383. Reservoirs Act 1975 as applied in England: https://britishdams.org/assets/documents/Dam%20Legislation%20-%20England%20-%20October%202016.pdf4. Reservoirs Act (Northern Ireland) 2015: https://britishdams.org/assets/documents/Dam%20Legislation%20-%20Northern%20Ireland%20-%20October%202016.pdf5. Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011: https://britishdams.org/assets/documents/Dam%20Legislation%20-%20Scotland%20-%20October%202016.pdf6. Reservoirs Act 1975 as applied in Wales: https://britishdams.org/assets/documents/Dam%20Legislation%20-%20Wales%20-%20October%202016.pdf7. Monthly local reports on reservoir levels: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-situation-local-area-reports

With approximately 122.1 crimes per 1,000 population, Cleveland, in North East England, had the highest crime rate of all the police force areas in England and Wales in 2024/25. High crime rates are evident in other areas of northern England, such as West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester at 114.5 and 108.2, respectively. In the UK capital, London, the crime rate was 105.5 per 1,000 people. The lowest crime rate in England was in the relatively rural areas of Wiltshire in South West England, as well as North Yorkshire. Overall crime in England and Wales The number of crimes in England and Wales reached approximately 6.74 million in 2022/23, falling slightly to 6.66 million in 2023/24, and 6.59 million in 2024/25. Overall crime has been rising steadily across England and Wales for almost a decade, even when adjusted for population rises. In 2022/23, for example, the crime rate in England and Wales was 93.6, the highest since 2006/07. When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, England and Wales is something of an outlier, as crime rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland have not followed the same trajectory of rising crime. Additionally, there has been a sharp increase in violent crimes and sexual offences since the mid-2010s in England and Wales. While theft offences have generally been falling, the number of shoplifting offences reached a peak of 530,640 in 2024/25. Troubled justice system under pressure Alongside rising crime figures, many indicators also signal that the justice system is getting pushed to breaking point. The percentage of crimes that are solved in England and Wales was just 5.7 percent in 2023, with sexual offences having a clearance rate of just 3.6 percent. Crimes are also taking far longer than usual to pass through the justice system. In 2022, it took an average of 407 days for a crown court case to reach a conclusion from the time of the offence, compared with 233 days in 2018. This is most likely related to the large backlog of cases in crown courts, which reached over 67,750 in 2023. Furthermore, prisons in England and Wales are dangerously overcrowded, with the government even releasing some prisoners early to address the issue.

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) woodland map covers all forest and woodland area over 0.5 hectare with a minimum of 20% canopy cover, or the potential to achieve it, and a minimum width of 20 metres. This includes areas of new planting, clearfell, windblow and restock. The woodland map excludes all 'tarmac' roads and active railways, and forest roads, rivers and powerlines where the gap in the woodland is greater than 20 meters wide.

All woodland (both urban and rural), regardless of ownership, is 0.5 hectare or greater in extent, with the exception of Assumed woodland or Low density areas that can be 0.1 hectare or greater in extent. Also, in the case of woodland areas that cross the countries borders, the minimum size restriction does not apply if the overall area complies with the minimum size.

Woodland less than 0.5 hectare in extent, with the expectation of the areas above, will not be described within the dataset but will be included in a separate sample survey of small woodland and tree features.

The woodland map is updated on an annual basis and the changes in the woodland boundaries use the Ordnance Survey MasterMap® (OSMM) as a reference where appropriated.

The changes in the canopy cover have been identified on: • Sentinel 2 imagery taken during spring/summer 2022 or colour aerial orthophotographic imagery available at the time of the assessment; • New planting information for the financial year 2021/2022, from grant schemes and the sub-compartment database covering the estate of Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland and Natural Resources Wales;

Woodland areas, greater than 0.5 hectares, are classified as an interpreted forest type (IFT) from aerial photography and satellite imagery. Non-woodland areas, open areas greater than 0.5 hectare completely surrounded by woodland are described according to open area types.

IFT categories are Conifer, Broadleaved, Mixed mainly conifer, Mixed mainly broadleaved, Coppice, Coppice with standards, Shrub, Young trees, Felled, Ground prep, Cloud \ shadow, Uncertain, Low density, Assumed woodland, Failed, Windblow.

IOA categories are Open water, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban, Road, River, Powerline, Quarry, Bare area, Windfarm, Other vegetation.

For further information regarding the interpreted forest types (IFT) and the interpreted open areas (IOA) please see NFI description of attributes available on www.forestresearch.gov.uk