This is the latest in a series of blog posts about the campaign for open address data in the UK. Previous posts are listed at the bottom.
In this post, I describe a new open address dataset released by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
Background
As described in previous posts, I have recently been requesting Council Tax address datasets from a number of local authorities in England, and asking for permission to re-use the data under the terms of the Open Government Licence.
I have created a landing page on my Datadaptive site with download links and other information about the Council Tax address datasets released as open data so far:
Release from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
The latest council to release its Council Tax address list is Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in the North West region of England. The Council disclosed all of the requested information without difficulties and, after some back and forth in emails, confirmed permission for re-use under the terms of the Open Government Licence.
You can download my correspondence with the Council: CT_address_list_Blackburn_13557_[NO_DATA_correspondence_only].zip (0.46 MB).
Thanks to Council staff for facilitating the disclosure and open licensing of this data.
Why you can't have the dataset – or maybe you can?
I am not publishing Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's address dataset here, due to the non-specific but lingering risk of further unsubstantiated claims of infringement from Ordnance Survey and GeoPlace LLP. You can read more about that issue in my recent blog post.
However, there is nothing to stop you asking the Council directly for a copy of the data file. For tips on submitting access to information and re-use requests see this other blog post. My requests to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council were submitted on 6 May 2026 and the Council's reference is 13557.
More about Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's address dataset
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has disclosed its Council Tax address dataset to me in the form of an Excel workbook 'Copy of FOI 13557 - Live props with Prop Ref UPRN and Current Band.xlsx' that contains 64,837 records. Each record includes the full address and postcode (combined in a single field), local property reference, Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN), and Council Tax valuation band, for a domestic property in the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council area.
The dataset is generally tidy and appears to be well-maintained. Based on metadata the data file seems to have been produced on 7 May 2026.
Council Tax bands are missing in 221 of the 64,837 records in the list.
All 64,837 records in the list include UPRNs. 12 of the supplied UPRNs do not match to records in the May 2026 release of Ordnance Survey's OS Open UPRN product. This means that almost all of the property records in the dataset can be geocoded for mapping and geographic analysis of domestic properties in the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council area.
Previous posts related to the campaign for open address data in the UK
Kirklees Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (27 May 2025)
Luton Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 May 2025)
Open addresses: my submission to the Seventh UK National Action Plan for Open Government call for evidence (24 May 2025)
Reply to Ordnance Survey lawyers about Council Tax address datasets published as open data (22 May 2025)
Council Tax address datasets: progress update, next steps, and how to request missing datasets yourself (15 May 2025)
Ordnance Survey demands removal of nearly all Council Tax address datasets previously released as open data (12 May 2025)
Gedling Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (1 May 2025)
North Tyneside Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (1 May 2025)
Tewkesbury Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (1 May 2025)
Norwich City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (30 April 2025)
South Norfolk District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (29 April 2025)
Broadland District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (28 April 2025)
Calderdale Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 April 2025)
East Riding of Yorkshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (25 April 2025)
Broxtowe Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (24 April 2025)
Basildon Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (23 April 2025)
Tendring District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (22 April 2025)
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (18 April 2025)
North Norfolk District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (17 April 2025)
High Peak Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (14 April 2025)
Neath Port Talbot Council (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) has released its Council Tax address list as open data (10 April 2025)
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (8 April 2025)
Cheshire West and Chester Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (7 April 2025)
Peterborough City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (4 April 2025)
Arun District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (1 April 2025)
Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk has released its Council Tax address list as open data (1 April 2025)
Rochdale Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (30 March 2025)
Southampton City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 March 2025)
West Suffolk Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (25 March 2025)
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (24 March 2025)
Glasgow City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (20 March 2025)
Rushcliffe Borough Council has confirmed its Council Tax address list as open data (17 March 2025)
City of Doncaster Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (13 March 2025)
Gateshead Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (10 March 2025)
Wandsworth Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (6 March 2025)
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (4 March 2025)
East Suffolk Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (27 February 2025)
Merton Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (24 February 2025)
Mansfield District Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (20 February 2025)
Haringey Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (20 February 2025)
Dozens of address datasets from UK local authorities have been published on WhatDoTheyKnow (13 February 2025)
London Borough of Bexley has released its Council Tax address list as open data (6 February 2025)
Brent Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (6 February 2025)
Lewisham Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (3 February 2025)
Aberdeenshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (30 January 2025)
Milton Keynes City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (30 January 2025)
North Lanarkshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 January 2025)
An Ordnance Survey lawyer has been in touch about open address data released by UK local authorities (23 January 2025)
Newham Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (22 January 2025)
Somerset Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (21 January 2025)
Rhondda Cynon Taf has released its Council Tax address list as open data (9 January 2025)
Royal Borough of Greenwich has released its Council Tax address list as open data (9 January 2025)
Ealing Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (8 January 2025)
Isle of Wight Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (6 January 2025)
Northumberland County Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (6 January 2025)
Newcastle City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (31 December 2025)
Plymouth City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (23 December 2025)
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (22 December 2025)
Southwark Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (19 December 2025)
Ipswich Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (16 December 2025)
North Northamptonshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (12 December 2025)
Wigan Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (9 December 2025)
Bradford Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (8 December 2025)
Cheshire East Council has released Council Tax and LLPG address lists as open data (8 December 2025)
West Northamptonshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (5 December 2025)
Brighton & Hove City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (4 December 2025)
Manchester City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (30 November 2025)
City of Wolverhampton has released its Council Tax address list as open data (28 November 2025)
Barnet Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 November 2025)
Buckinghamshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (25 November 2025)
Camden Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (20 November 2025)
Dorset Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (19 November 2025)
Bristol City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (17 November 2025)
Wiltshire Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (8 November 2025)
Durham County Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (7 November 2025)
Sheffield City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (3 November 2025)
Islington Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (28 October 2025)
Cornwall Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (17 October 2025)
Rushcliffe Borough Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (26 September 2025)
It took seven months but Hackney Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data (5 August 2025)
More open address datasets released by councils in England (30 January 2025)
Open data: are ONS's address data products legal? (7 January 2025)
Open address data published by Leeds City Council – Ordnance Survey intervenes to protect Royal Mail IP (24 November 2024)
Open address data published by Leeds City Council shows the way to a national open address file (16 October 2024)
Whatever happened to the UK Government's Open Address Register programme? (1 October 2024)
FOI release: Royal Mail's view on a House of Lords proposal for open address data in the UK (15 August 2024)
Open addresses in the House of Lords – what happened? (28 March 2024)
Thoughts on campaigning for open address data in the UK (30 June 2023)
UK address data: a primer and bibliography (last updated 30 November 2022)