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We continue our series of local authority workshops next month with 2 workshops on the local data collection operation including field roles and census support centres. The first is on 10 February and the second on 24 February.
These workshops will share an overview of the Census 2021 field operation and how you can help. We’ll explain how we’ll be encouraging and supporting residents to complete their census questionnaires including an overview of the various support products and services available.
To sign up for one of these workshops please use this Eventbrite link. Spaces are limited to two representatives from each local authority. The workshops are the same so there is no need to attend both.
The census website downloadable resources page now includes a wide range of new promotional resources. These are designed to help local authorities and community groups spread the word about Census 2021 and encourage everyone to take part.
Resources are available in 20 languages. They include posters, postcards, leaflets, brochures, presentations and social media content that you can download to print or share digitally. You can also find the English and Welsh Bilingual Councillor Handbooks here. Links to the latest versions of the LA Partnership Guides are below but can also be found on the resources page.
Local Authority Partnership Guide – English
Local Authority Partnership Guide - Welsh
We are also finalising a Frequently Asked Questions document that can be used by local authority staff to help respond to queries from the public, for example, with frontline and call centre staff.
We have been taking your orders for phase 1 leaflets and posters that you would like to display in local authority buildings. We had hoped to get these to you by the end of January but now expect delivery to take place in early February.
There will be another opportunity to order phase 2 posters and leaflets in February. For those LAs who have ordered phase 1 products, we will assume that you would like to make the same order for the next round of products. Please let us know if this is not the case.
- The addresses for the census enumeration are being taken from Ordnance Survey’s AddressBase product. Local authorities input into this directly through their Local Land and Property Gazetteer so don’t need to do any different work for the census.
- The list of addresses for the main print run of invitation letters has already been taken and we are in the process of updating this with new/changed addresses from AddressBase Epoch 80. Households identified will also receive a printed invitation letter with Communal Establishments also receiving field visits.
- We are working with GeoPlace (part of Ordnance Survey) to receive new address updates after Epoch 80.
- We won’t be able to print letters for these new cases but will be able to deliver an invitation letter through the field force.
- Working with GeoPlace means we are keen for local authorities to continue to update their LLPG. This is preferable to local authorities providing ONS with address information directly and there being inconsistencies with data formatting.
- Any household or communal establishment which has not received a Census Unique Access Code can use the Census Contact Centre to receive one.
Our intention is to receive a GeoPlace update around mid/late February (probably 24 February) and then mid/late March (probably 29 March). We are currently finalising this with GeoPlace and will confirm shortly. Hence addresses added to the LLPG will still be included in the Census process.
We have been examining closely the impact of the pandemic on how people will respond to the census, including for people who may be resident in different locations as a result. Clear guidance is being prepared and tested about how people should complete the census if the pandemic has affected their circumstances. This includes students - for whom we will provide guidance as to where they should be counted. We will publish this revised guidance when the testing and development has been concluded.
In quality assuring the census results, we will be comparing the census data with a wide range of other sources to check that the estimates are as accurate as possible.
 Our primary and secondary school education programmes offer schools the chance to access free resources that can be taught in the classroom or remotely. We are continuing to recruit primary and secondary schools and encourage the next generation to get involved in the census, with over 5,900 primary and over 800 secondary schools already registered. The programmes include cross-curricular and engaging resources that can be delivered through remote learning.
Our primary school programme, Let’s Count!, will include a livestream lesson on 4 February at 11AM. Professor David Olusoga will be talking about equality and representation and the importance of the census.
We have also launched competitions for each of the programmes, encouraging schools to get involved.
For Let’s Count!, pupils will be asked to count things around them, collecting data on any subject that matters to them. With the information gathered, they will then develop colourful census wall displays, including charts and graphs.
For our secondary school programme, we’re challenging students to create their own campaign to encourage their local community to take part in the census. They will be active citizens and support schools in bringing their community together.
There is still plenty of time for schools to register for the programmes and you can find more information at census.gov.uk/education.
If you have any questions or would like further information on how to get involved with the census education programmes, contact census.education@ons.gov.uk
Happy New Year from the Council Tax team at ONS!
January has been a census critical month for Council Tax, and we are pleased to say that 78% of Local Authorities in England and Wales have now agreed to share these data. This number is expected to rise rapidly in the next month as we finalise agreements with further councils.
Thank you for all your hard work on this matter – you’ve made a huge difference!
If your council has not yet agreed to share these data with us, please encourage them to do so. Council Tax data will improve the accuracy and quality of the census returns for your local area and nationally.
Please contact us at council.tax@ons.gov.uk with any questions and one of our friendly team will be happy to help.
We aim to provide in-person support to complete the census online through Census Support Centres where it is safe to do so. We will continue to monitor the situation across England and Wales to assess whether and where Census Support Centres can open to provide this service.
We now have a list of confirmed CSCs showing their location. The CEM for your local authority may have shared this with you.
Recruitment for the remaining centres to offer the Census Support Service closes on the 31st January 2021. We do anticipate there may be some remaining gaps when we go live but new CSCs will be added to the list as they become available/confirmed.
Opening hours for these locations will be available from 23 February through the ONS census website, using a postcode look-up.
Call Centres
A quick reminder that call centres do not open until 1 March. We will be sending you contact numbers nearer the time. Households will receive a postcard and pack providing information about the numbers to call for support services.
 This is an extremely busy time for our recruitment teams as they prepare to recruit Census officers, intakes 2 and 3. That’s 26,500 roles to fill!
We are working to ensure that applicants are reassured that the census is going ahead, that it is important for the future of England and Wales in a post COVID-19 world and that we will do everything possible to ensure their safety when doing the job.
The Census Coverage Survey interviewer roles and all the Non-Compliance roles launch on 15 February.
We continue to ask for your support with advertising these roles through your usual channels. A huge thank you to every LA who has done this already.
You’ll find all our current openings, application information and FAQs on censusjobs.co.uk
The Office for National Statistics has recently published two articles showing research into the use of Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data to produce overcrowding statistics.
These articles can be accessed here:
Estimating the number of rooms in Census 2021: an update on deriving an occupancy rating from Valuation Office Agency number of rooms
Admin-based levels of overcrowding (using the bedroom standard and Valuation Office Agency number of bedrooms), feasibility research: England and Wales
- Issue One - September 2019 – featuring how we will work together and testing processes for the 2019 Rehearsal
- Issue Two - February 2020 – featuring the timeline of census activities and preparing for the 2020 workshops
- Issue Three - March 2020 – featuring the 9 strands of partnership working with local authorities and an update on addressing
- Issue Four - April 2020 – featuring regional workshops to prepare you for census
- Issue Five - May 2020 – recruitment update – census engagement managers and community advisers
- Issue Six - June 2020 – featuring an update on addressing, Council Tax, and census jobs
- Issue Seven - July 2020 – featuring addressing workshops, first census vacancies go live, quality assurance of census data, the census education programme, promoting ONS studies, Census Order and Regulations and Council Tax
- Special Bulletin - July 2020 Census workshops Frequently Asked Questions
- Issue Eight - August 2020 – featuring updates on recruitment, census support centres, personalized communications toolkits and the census education programme
- Issue Nine - September 2020 – LA Guide, area profiles, Schools Education Programme, future workshops
- Issue Ten - October 2020 – CEMs and the LAPP, LA resources/products, Campaign update, council tax update, schools update
- Special Bulletin - November 2020 Maximising local engagement workshop FAQs
- Issue Eleven - November 2020 - Media toolkits, purple plaques, schools update, QA update, council tax, geography consultation
- Issue Twelve - December 2020 - Population profiles, school update, Council Tax update, Light up Purple
Census 2021 Website: www.census.gov.uk
Recruitment: Census Jobs
Quality Assurance: ONS’s approach and processes for assuring the quality of 2021 Census data
Census 2021 Questionnaire: paper questionnaires are now available to view online
Census Order and Regulations for England and Wales:
Census (England and Wales) Order 2020.
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