Think-tank: Don’t water down data plans

Civil servants must not be allowed to water down plans for opening up government data at Westminster following the departure of David Cameron’s strategy guru, Steve Hilton, a think-tank has warned.

Ministers should press ahead with the initiative despite “deep- set” scepticism in Whitehall, according to Policy Exchange.

Its report called for legislation during this parliament guaranteeing that all non-personal data held by the public sector will be made available free.

Although £50 million in annual revenue would be lost from sales of information, such as maps, the boost to businesses could run into billions of pounds.

For example, releasing details of planning applications, local amenities and business registrations could generate new services for property search and valuation, the study suggested.