A Right to Data: Fulfilling the Promise of Open Public Data in the UK

A Right to Data says that all non-personal data held by the public sector should be made available to the public for free. The report says that ending the practice of reselling key datasets like maps and postcodes would cost the government around £50 million a year in lost fees and charges.

The overall benefits of opening up all publicly held data would far outweigh this, with some estimates suggesting that the upside for the economy could run into the billions of pounds. Entrepreneurs could use this data to create a wealth of new products and services of value to both businesses and consumers. It calls for the government to enshrine a "right to data" in legislation within the lifetime of this Parliament...