Residents urged to complete census

Census logo

2011 is the year of the Census and every household in the UK will need to complete their questionnaire if they are to avoid a £1,000 fine.

Taken every ten years, the Census provides a snapshot of the country and this time everyone is being asked to complete it on 27 March.

The information supplied is crucial as it gives central Government an accurate picture of the borough’s population and underpins the amount of money allocated to Rochdale.

Councillor Peter Williams, Rochdale Borough Council Cabinet Member for Corporate Management and Economic Regeneration, said: “It is absolutely vital that everyone completes the Census. As everyone knows we are under great pressure at the moment to make tens of millions of savings and we need to ensure that central Government understands the future needs of Rochdale residents if we are to stand a chance of getting an appropriate level of funding for public services.

“The information gathered by the Census is also crucial to the Council and our partners being able to plan and target services such as healthcare, education, transport and community support. I would encourage everyone to complete it, not least because it’s a legal requirement to do so and if they don’t they could be prosecuted by the Office for National Statistics and face a £1,000 fine.”

The Census keeps personal information private for 100 years, so there is no need to worry about your name, address, date of birth etc being passed on to third parties.

The Census provides the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with statistics that create an accurate picture of the population. The council is working closely with them to make it a success for Rochdale.

Terry Sweeney, Census Area Manager for Oldham and Rochdale, said: “The Census asks everyone the same questions and the personal information collected is not shared with local councils, central government departments or marketing agencies. The personal information provided remains confidential for 100 years.

“ONS urges people to complete and return the Census questionnaire on 27 March. If this is not possible it can be completed up to ten days later but should still refer to 27 March. So if a child was born on 26 March their details shouldn’t be included, but if they were born on the 27 March, they should be.”

It takes around ten minutes per person to complete the questionnaire. One person can complete it on behalf of everyone in the household.

Any household that does not complete the Census within ten days of 27 March will be contacted by the ONS. If households still fail to complete it by 15 May they will then be liable to prosecution and a £1,000 fine.

The forms will be posted to every house in March, however, for the first time; the form can be completed over the internet. Questions will be answered with simple clicking, or ticking a box, but some of the more complex questions will require a more complex answer.

There will be events organised across the borough which people can go along to for help completing their forms if they are having difficulty and there will also be a national helpline available from early March.

To find out more go to www.census.gov.uk