After months of hard work from the various collaborators, the Bucks Data Exchange was launched at the Dairy in Waddesdon on 6^th September. The event brought together the Council, Foundations and voluntary sector organisations in Bucks to learn more about the project. The website provides a platform for publicly available data across a range of themes to be brought into one, user-friendly place. It is a key first step in the process of improving the availability and standards around voluntary sector data that will enable better targeted responses with the corresponding resources.

It was heartening to see the level of collaboration on the project and how well it was received at the launch. The audience heard from Danny Kruger MP, the author of the New Social Covenant, which champions the use of data. Mr Kruger was clear about the potential of data to help tackle social issues. Continuing the collaborative spirit of the project, the audience was encouraged to comment on the website, which yielded valuable feedback on what could be added as the work develops. It was clear from the comments and the post event conversations that there is genuine excitement about the possibilities of the Data Exchange, both in terms of using the data itself and, possibly more importantly, in fostering a spirit of co-creation and collaboration within the county.

The website launch delivered the ‘minimum viable product’ which will be developed with voluntary partners in the coming years and months. As people and organisations are impacted by the cost of living crisis, data will play a key part in understanding where resources need to be allocated and pinpointing the key issues. It will also take collective action to respond to a problem of this magnitude, and we at the Rothschild Foundation are keen to play our part, as one of the founding members of the Data Exchange, to keep collaborating to tackle the big issues in our county.

If you would like to get in touch about the data exchange you can here.