Newsletter for Local Authority Partners

Issue 34 |  18 October 2021

Welcome to the latest in a series of newsletters for our local authority partners.  Census Day was on 21 March 2021 but we want to keep you updated with all census developments.  We are keen to keep in contact with all local authorities so please let us know if your census contacts change.

You can get in touch with the LA Partnership Team at 2021Census.LA.Liaison@ons.gov.uk. 

Census 2021 – the count is done, the data is in, so what happens next?

The census website is a live site and will continue to be updated with information about what happens between collecting census information and publishing census statistics.

The outputs consultation has closed - thank you for your responses

We wanted to send a big thank you to everyone who responded to our outputs consultation which closed at midnight on Tuesday 5 October.  Your feedback will help us to make decisions on the final design of the Census 2021 outputs and analysis for England and Wales. 

We are currently undertaking a full evaluation of all the consultation responses and plan to publish an initial response to the feedback received, in December 2021. 

If you have any questions about the consultation please contact: census.ouputs@ons.gov.uk

Quality Assurance update

We recently wrote to all CLMs and ACLMs to provide an update on the quality assurance (QA) process.  

In addition to ONS's own extensive QA, this new initiative is giving LAs the opportunity to see provisional estimates for their area before they are finalised.  We would like you to use your expert knowledge and insight into your area to tell us about things which we might not pick up in our comparisons against other sources, but which you think we should be aware of when quality assuring the estimates.

There is still time to register your interest in taking part so please let us know at 2021Census.LA.Liaison@ons.gov.uk if you would like to be involved.

Digital take up of Census 2021

We sent a bulletin on 4 October letting you know the digital take up of Census 2021.  It showed that online take up of the first digital-first census far exceeded expectations, with more than 22 million responses (almost 90%) submitted using the web questionnaire.

You can find the figures for your local authority by clicking on the link below and using the map to search for your area.  Alternatively, read the full bulletin in the second link.

Online share of return - search for your local area here

Bulletin dated 4 October - LA update - digital take up of Census 2021

We have had several queries asking whether we would also be able to release local area census response rates.  Full details of response rates will be published with the first release of census statistics in late Spring 2022.  

Our proposed outputs and analysis release plans are detailed here.

Inclusive Data Taskforce report: Leaving no one behind – How can we be more inclusive in our data?

Last month the ONS set out a series of initiatives to ensure the inclusivity of UK data, so that the issues facing the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society are fully represented in statistics and evidence.

This work builds on the recommendations of the Inclusive Data Taskforce, commissioned by the National Statistician, with the aim of transforming the inclusivity of UK data.

You can read more about the taskforce's work here and you can view the full report and recommendations here. You can also download the National Statistician’s response and the high-level work programme from the UKSA website.

Population estimates by output areas, electoral, health and other geographies, England and Wales: mid-2020

This is the latest release of the national population estimates broken down into small geographical areas (Super Output Areas, health geographies, electoral wards, Parliamentary constituencies and National Parks).  The main points to note are:

• In the year to mid-2020 the population of England and Wales continued to grow with the population in areas described as Cosmopolitan student neighbourhoods experiencing the highest increase at 1.8%.

• Areas classified as Countryside living and Suburban living continue to have the lowest proportions of those aged 16 to 64 years, and the highest proportions of those aged 65 years and over.

• The population estimates in this release are consistent with the Mid-year population estimates published on 25 June 2021.

Note

The estimates presented cover the period up to 30 June 2020 and so only describe some of the impacts of the early part of the pandemic on the population.

Mid-2020 Population Estimates

Have you missed previous newsletters? Catch up here:

• Issue Twenty five - 23 April – Census 2021 outputs, Census Coverage Survey, social media resources

• Issue Twenty six - 30 April – What happens next, CCS, Non-compliance, QA, Students

• Issue Twenty seven - 10 May – Press release, Census scams, schools update

• Issue Twenty eight - 2 Jun – What happens now?, Census scams, What has been achieved?

• Issue Twenty nine - 16 Jun – LA survey, Outputs consultation, Census scams, primary school winners

• Issue Thirty - 8 Jul –  Outputs consultation, CQS, Census scams, QA reminder, Focus group reminder

• Issue Thirty one - 13 Aug –  Keeping you updated, outputs consultation reminder, Population and social statistics, Census unearthed

• Issue Thirty two - 9 Sep –  Outputs consultation reminder, webinar international migration

• Issue Thirty three - 21 Sep –  2 weeks left for outputs consultation, census analysis webinar, LA survey