What progress has been made in producing a definition of ural?
A project to develop a standard basis for describing urban/rural is nearing completion. The project is co-sponsored by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Countryside Agency and the Welsh Assembly Government. It has been necessary to wait for the 2001 settlement boundaries and Census Output Area boundaries to be produced and released before the proposed definition could be finalised. However, by undertaking preceding preparatory work we plan to consult interested parties in November or early December. The definition offers a standard classification to allow statistical analysis on an urban / rural basis at a number of geographical levels. These areas include Census Output Areas, wards and unitary/local authorities. This will allow application of the definition at a geographical level that is consistent with the data source, for example where the risk of disclosure prevents the use of ve
