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Open Innovations is winding down and will no longer be commencing new work from May 2026.

A hex map of UK wards (2024)

At the start of October we launched a project to create a hex map of UK wards. The aim was to arrange all 8,396 ward hexes grouped by local authority. We've done most of them but several local authorities have been arranged by locals. At the end of last week we finally arranged the last hexagon; the map is now complete. Behold!

A cartogram of UK wards. Each ward is a hexagon. Wards are grouped by local authority with gaps between local authorities. Some areas such as London have to expand. The overall impression is recogniseable as the UK.
UK ward cartogram
Credit: Open Innovations and collaborators

Please check your local authority to see if the layout feels acceptable. To make things a little easier we've also got a colour-coded geographic map of wards that you could have open to compare with the hex layout. If you do edit a local authority file, please save it and then update the LAD directory on Github.

Future wards

As the House of Commons Library had done with their hex map of MSOAs, we have deliberately left gaps between local authorities. That helps to reduce the distortion of the overall layout. But it also means that life will be easier when Parliament changes wards (as they do each year) because it gives us space for additions or rearrangement without needing the change half the country. Once ONS release new codes for the 2025 ward changes, we will be able to create a 2025 map using the 2024 map as a starting point. It shouldn't take 6 months next time!