3.1 |
Selecting Target Wards For Each NI 195 Survey |
| 3.1.1 |
The survey for each four-monthly period should be based on a new selection of five ‘target’ wards that will (as far as possible) be representative not only of the range of land-uses that are present in a district, but also the range of social and economic deprivation. Please use the following procedure. |
| 3.1.2 |
To select the target wards for each four-month period, obtain a list of wards ranked by the overall Index of Multiple Deprivation, and a map showing the boundaries of electoral wards within the authority which correspond to those IMD scores (a scale of 1:10,000 should be adequate). |
| 3.1.3 |
It is recommended that authorities should use the list of wards that corresponds to the 2004 IMD scores. Alternatively, if they wish to use current ward boundaries, they may use the 2007 IMD scores, but will have to adapt these using the method described in Section 2.2. |
| 3.1.4 |
The 2004 IMD scores can be downloaded from Sources of Information |
| 3.1.5 |
The wards may be ranked in one of two ways: |
| a. |
with the least deprived ward (lowest Index of Multiple Deprivation) at the top of the list, and the most deprived ward (highest Index of Multiple Deprivation) at the bottom; or |
| b. |
with the most deprived ward at the top of the list, and the least deprived ward at the bottom. |
| 3.1.6 |
Divide the wards into five groups, with (as far as possible) equal numbers of wards in each group. Where the list of wards will not divide neatly into five groups containing equal numbers of wards, place the groups containing larger numbers of wards at the bottom of the list. This will be the case for most authorities. |
| 3.1.7 |
Select one ward from each of the five groups, following the system set out in the worked example in Section 3.3. Section 3.3 shows a worked example for an authority which contains 41 wards. In this case the list of wards can be divided into four groups of eight wards, and one group of nine. |
| 3.1.8 |
Using the system that is illustrated in Section 3.3, of advancing one ward down each group list for each successive four-monthly survey period, all wards in the authority would be targeted by the NI 195 survey over a three year period. |
3.2 |
What To Do When Wards Change? |
| 3.2.1 |
Electoral Wards are liable to change, at the discretion of the Boundary Commission. |
| 3.1.2 |
If ward boundaries in an authority do change, then for the purposes of the NI 195 Survey, changes in ward boundaries after December 2002 may be ignored without significantly affecting the survey results, since ward boundaries are merely a convenient way of dividing an authority into sub-areas for survey purposes. |
| 3.2.3 |
If an authority does wish to use new ward boundaries, it should follow the procedure set out in Section 2.2, ‘Use Of The 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation’. |
| 3.2.4 |
However, the ward boundaries used for the NI 195 Survey should never be changed during the course of a survey year. They should only be changed from 1st April, at the beginning of a new survey year. |
Last modified: 18 June 2009
Last published: 11 May 2009