“The Unique Property Reference Number – the unique identifier for every addressable location – is key to almost everything that’s delivered or achieved by councils.” - Local Government Association
The Local Government Association (LGA) recognises that Address and Street Custodians are vital to helping councils manage and use their data effectively. Through its Data Improvement Programme, the LGA supports councils in advancing performance management, data maturity, transparency, and the adoption of consistent data standards. Delivered via webinars, masterclasses, e-learning, and a self-assessment tool, the programme equips local authorities with frameworks to make better use of the data they already hold.
A key challenge for councils is inconsistent, fragmented, or hard-to-locate data. Just as navigating a complex station without clear signage can be frustrating, misaligned systems can make even simple data—like an address or point of entry—difficult to work with. With highly varied datasets across services such as social care, education, highways, housing, and revenues and benefits, each department may use different definitions for terms like ‘household’ or ‘unique ID’. Custodians help resolve these challenges by maintaining authoritative, standardised address and street data, ensuring councils have a shared vocabulary and reliable foundation for efficient, joined-up services.
For further resources from the LGA see:
- Using the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) – a guide for councils
- UPRN: Find my local address and street custodian
- Shining a spotlight on local government’s best kept secret
- Realise best value from your data assets, local government’s best kept
- Best kept secret: unlocking the hidden value of your data
- How to derive efficiencies and insight from the data you didn’t know you had
