Create a custom area by selecting a standard area

User Permissions note:

• Only Group Admin and Power Users can create custom areas

• Navigate to the custom areas page by clicking Group Admin > Manage Custom Areas

1. Click Add Custom Area  
2. Name your custom area (this must be unique, you cannot have areas with the same name)
3. Provide a description. The description is optional but it is a useful way to explain to others within your organisation how and why the area was created
4. Categorise your area. If your group has categories set up, you can assign this new area to one of the categories available
5. Select Based on standard area for the area type

Select the standard area type:

• Select whether you would like to see a list of Local Authorities, MSOAs or LSOAs (see 1 in the image below)
• Click Hide items with no services if you want to only display the standard areas where you have uploaded services (see 2 in the image below). This will make it easier to find your areas
• You can select multiple areas at once to create a larger area. For example, you can create a County based on all of its constituent Local Authorities
• Click the save button once complete

Please note: 

Local Insight displays both the MSOA codes and the meaningful MSOA names created by The House of Commons Library to make it easier to find your local areas.

When your custom area has been created you will be able to:

• Explore data for the area on the dashboard
• Create a report for the area
• Take a look at the area on the map and overlay indicators

Common Questions:

How do I create an area based upon LSOAs from more than one Local Authority?

Within the tool you can only create areas based on LSOAs within one Local Authority. If you wish to set up an area that contains LSOAs across multiple Local Authorities then email us on [e-mail] with the list of LSOA/MSOA codes and the area name and we will set that up for you.

I want to build an area based on wards, how do I do this?

To create an area which is a combination of wards email us on [e-mail] with the ward names and an area name and we will set that up for you.

How do I create areas based on output areas?

You can create custom areas based on output areas using the draw on map method or the upload postcode method. However, the simplest way to create an area out of a list of output area codes is to email us on [e-mail] with the output area codes and the area name and we will set that up for you.