The WED team has been funded by UKRI to make available a dataset linking ASHE to the 2021 Census for England and Wales. After some delays, the linked dataset is now entering the final phases of development within ONS. Some quality assurance remains to be done, but we hope this will be completed in the next couple of months, so that data can be made available on the SRS catalogue in the final quarter of 2026. We will provide further updates on this timetable as work progresses. Users are not able to apply for the data until it appears on the SRS catalogue.
We published beta documentation for the ASHE-Census 2021 dataset in April 2026, giving a preview of the expected content and characteristics of the linked dataset. WED also created a synthetic version of the dataset, to illustrate its intended structure. This beta documentation is available from the ASHE-Census 2021 page on our website.
When we published the beta documentation in April, we were not able to indicate the level of geographical detail to be included on the dataset. When we published the beta documentation in April, we were not able to indicate the level of geographical detail to be included on the dataset. We are now expecting the dataset to have residential and workplace location coded at Lower-level Super Output Area (LSOA). However, the dataset is still in development. We will publish a final data dictionary as soon as we are able. This is a considerable improvement on ASHE-Census 2011 which had Local Authority District as the minimum geography. We will provide final confirmation on these geographies as soon as we are able.