Freeing the PAF: our meeting with Jonathan Reynolds on address data

This post is the latest in a series from our project to open up UK address data. Read the full briefing note.

A few weeks ago, we met with Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Business Secretary, to talk about freeing the Postcode Address File (or the PAF). But what is the PAF? And why do we care about its freedom?

The short answer is that the PAF is the most comprehensive postal address database in the UK. It’s essentially a big list of every UK address, void of any personal information. As you might imagine, such a list guides the everyday tasks of delivery drivers, your preferred navigation software, and even local authorities. It’s also a golden file for the central government, especially in urgent matters like identifying vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic.

So, the PAF is important. But it is owned by private company Royal Mail, meaning that anyone who wants to use it, including new businesses and the government, must pay a significant amount of money in licensing fees. As James O’Malley writes in his blog, this amounts to a tax on innovation, and it’s also a big contributor to inefficiencies in government. Making the PAF freely accessible would therefore give the economy a much-needed boost. Hopefully it is now clear why the Shadow Business Secretary would be interested in hearing more. 

We were lucky enough to be invited to make our case to Reynolds alongside experts Hadley Beeman, Peter Wells and James O’Malley. If, like Reynolds, you’re interested in hearing how you might go about freeing the PAF, or the longer answers to the questions asked above, read our full briefing note.

We will continue to fight this corner in our campaign on address data, and are keen to discuss the issue further with anyone interested. Please get in touch at contact@centreforpublicdata.org.