Dr Ruth Neville shares insights from her six-month fellowship, working with Council teams to better understand population change and the needs of future residents.
I have always been interested in research that can inform policy and reach people beyond universities. The UCL Public Policy Fellowship gave me the opportunity to apply my research skills within local government. For six months, I was based at Newham Council, looking at how the number and make-up of people living in the borough may change, and what this could mean for local services.
A major part of my fellowship involved developing short profiles for Newham’s 24 wards across its eight neighbourhoods. Using maps, charts and clear summaries, the profiles showed how each area is changing and the different pressures it faces. They brought together information on population change, deprivation, housing and community characteristics already held by the Council, making it easier for teams to compare places, identify emerging pressures and support conversations across services.
Alongside this work, I looked more closely at pressures affecting particular council services. This included research on stroke and adult social care, exploring where current need is highest and where demand may grow. I also worked on homelessness and temporary accommodation, examining changing drivers of homelessness, the pressures faced by families with children, and where households are placed.
Throughout the fellowship, I worked with people across a wide range of teams, all focused on different areas but sharing a common goal - improving the lives of Newham residents. There was a great deal to learn in a new environment, but I felt supported by those around me.
The experience made me think differently about what makes a research output useful. Within a local authority, the most valuable product may not be an academic article. It could be a clear map, a concise briefing or an illustrated profile that helps colleagues develop a shared understanding of an issue. Producing useful evidence means thinking from the outset about who will use it, what questions they are trying to answer and how the findings can be communicated responsibly.
A Policy Fellowship micro-grant also enabled me to work with designers and illustrators. This added a creative dimension to the outputs and showed how visual design can make complex evidence more accessible.
Completing the fellowship as an early-career researcher has changed how I will approach my work. I plan to remain involved with Newham Council through further collaboration and by sharing the findings, and I would strongly encourage other researchers to apply for the scheme.
Dr Ruth Neville is a Research Fellow in Computational Social Science, currently based at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London.
