Corrections and challenges
We want to get this right. If you think something on Council Rankings is wrong, tell us.
How to tell us: email corrections@councilrankings.com. Please include the page, the figure or sentence, what you think is wrong, and the official source that shows the right answer. A council, a resident, a journalist or an academic can write to us.
What we will do
| You tell us… | We will… | How quickly |
|---|---|---|
| A figure doesn't match the source it cites (our mistake) | Fix it at the next data export, say so in the changelog, and tell you | Acknowledge within 15 working days; fix within 20 |
| The source itself is wrong (the publisher's mistake) | Keep showing the published figure, with a note once the publisher confirms the error, and correct it when they republish | Acknowledge within 15 working days |
| A service is attributed to the wrong body, or something is missing or out of date | Check it against the source and fix it | Within 20 working days |
| Data is late or not yet published (for example a council's spending return) | Show it as "not yet published", and pick it up automatically at the next quarterly refresh | At the next refresh |
| The method is unfair (a weight, a measure, a rule) | Answer in writing, and consider it for the next dated version of the method | A written answer within 30 working days |
What we won't do
- Change a weight, measure or rule for one council. The method applies to all 130 councils, or none.
- Remove a council, or hold back a ranking, because it is unwelcome.
- Treat disagreement as an error. If a number is right but unflattering, we will explain it and leave it.
How changes are recorded
- Every correction is public. The changelog lists the date, what changed, and which councils it affected.
- Method changes are versioned. A new method is a new dated version. The version and the data snapshot are shown at the foot of every page, so a published ranking can be reproduced exactly.
- Rank changes are checked before they go out. When data is refreshed, any council that moves more than five places is flagged for a human check before publication.
- Small moves are not treated as significant. Each council's page shows a likely range for its rank, and mid-table positions are sensitive to weighting, so we treat moves of a few places as no real change.
Council statements
A council can send us a statement of up to 150 words about its own ranking. We will publish it on its page, unedited, with the date we received it. Email it to corrections@councilrankings.com.
If you disagree with our answer
Say so, and we will look again. We will tell you what we decided and why. We cannot promise to agree, but we will always give a reason.
Last updated 4 October 2026.