Drawing inspiration from recent studies at the intersection of sociology, data science for public policy and critical data studies, this pilot study conducted as part of an MSc Data Science sought to build on this work on emotional engagement with data visualisation to examine how local authority employees engage with data science outputs relevant to their everyday work. By doing so, this research has the potential to contribute to both “Critical Data Studies” and support the optimization of data-driven governance in local authorities. This pilot study asked the following research question:   how do local authority’employees engage with, and what do they think and feel about, data science outputs related to their area of work and created from datasets they are familiar with?