Which UK public-record signals are common, and which are rare?

Director changes are by far the most common UK public-record signal, at 37,637 in the week 28 September to 5 October 2026, while public contracts ending were among the rarest, at 22. Rarity matters because a signal that fires for thousands of companies cannot tell you who to call first, while one that fires for a few dozen already has the list nearly written. This page compares the weekly volumes in Lockley's index.

Weekly signal volumes, 28 September to 5 October 2026 against the week before

What the spread tells you

The weekly counts run from 11 to 37,637, a range of more than three thousand to one. Counts that high are not a shortlist. A seller trying to use director changes alone would face tens of thousands of companies each week, almost all irrelevant to them.

At the other end, 22 contracts ending and 11 funding rounds are small enough to read in full. The catch is that few companies will appear, so the signal has to be matched to a service the company is likely to want.

Common signals need filters

Director changes, charges and significant roles all need narrowing by sector, size, region or the specific role. A change of director at a recruitment agency is a different proposition from one at a care home. The signal supplies the timing and the filter supplies the relevance. Without the filter you only have noise.

Rare signals need patience

Contracts ending and new sites are scarce, and they swing from week to week: contracts ending were 3 in the week to 28 September and 22 the week after, and new sites went from 177 to 24. Do not read a trend into one week. Over a month the figures are steadier, which is why Lockley's monthly signal pages are the better guide: September 2026 recorded 29 public contracts reaching their end date across 26 UK companies, and 2,421 new sites across 2,069 companies.

Combining signals

The most useful lists often come from two signals at once: a company that has just won a public contract and is also advertising manager-level roles, or one that has registered a new charge and opened a new site. Each record is a fact with a date and a source, so combining them is a matter of matching company numbers.

How Lockley uses this

Lockley reads these registers nightly and gives a small B2B sales team a short list each morning, with the record that says why now. Each finding links to its source so it can be checked before a call. It does not sell contact lists or bulk email data.

Method note

Weekly counts are by the date on the record. This week is 28 September to 5 October 2026 and the week before is 21 to 28 September 2026. Counts are taken from Lockley's index and may be revised as late filings arrive.

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