Time running out to respond to census
Time is running out for people living in Telford and Wrekin to comply with the legal requirement of filling in their census form.
The results of the census are important in helping Telford & Wrekin Council gain the maximum amount possible of government funding and this in turn helps to plan services for the community.
The census has been carried out in England and Wales every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941.
The information that residents provide on their form is used to provide statistics about their local area including an accurate figure for the size of the population and the age of people living there.
The size of population as counted by the census affects the amount of money local services are given by central government.
Telford & Wrekin Council has consistently said its current population is higher than the figure held by the Office for National Statistics and this has cost local public services millions of pounds in lost government grants.
Census day was Sunday 27 March 2011 and the information provided should relate to that day. It is a legal requirement for residents to fill in the census and residents who so far have not responded are being urged to fill it in and send it back. Office for National Statistics census collectors will be calling on households that have yet to complete a form in the next couple of weeks.
Forms can be filled in on paper and posted back or for the first time you can fill in your census form online. More information about the 2011 Census can be found at www.census.gov.uk or by calling 0300 0201 101.
Residents can also call into their local library at any time and use the free computers to fill in your census form online.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) who run the census will not share your personal data with any other organisation.
Individual census information is only shared after 100 years when it is published to allow family historians to use it for research, until then all individual information is covered by law to ensure it is kept secure and confidential.
Further information on the census in Telford and Wrekin is available by visiting: http://www.telford.gov.uk/2011census
