Stand up and be counted .....Please!

The census is about counting numbers and types of people so that we can identify and analyse trends. These trends give a powerful insight into the lifestyles and needs of all of us both as individuals and families.
So when you open your 2011 Census questionnaire and settle down to complete it, think what it could mean to you.
The census could help to identify how many nursery places, after-school clubs, play schemes, parks, buses and lollipop people we need and help in planning appropriate schooling for our children, right through to 18.

The census can highlight trends in journey times and destinations, identifying areas where roads and public transport could be improved. It can help local government discover how and where to set up new local transport links, to help make sure you’ve an easy walk or ride to work, with somewhere to park your bike when you get there.
The census can provide statistics to help local government attract inward investment from businesses needing skilled, local staff, or offer schemes for helping you set up in business on your own.
It can help local colleges decide what training to provide in order to help us gain new skills and encourage businesses to set up locally because they know there are people there looking for work.
Everyone needs good access to healthcare and the census can help local government and our local health services to work together to make sure we can get to a hospital appointment on time, and that there are enough doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists near us.
If you care for someone who is very elderly, frail or disabled, the census can help identify your needs so that proper provision can be made for respite care and support, with wider personal, long-term care options for people in retirement.
The census can help identify where there is insufficient accommodation of the right type to meet local needs. Local authorities and private contractors can use this information to plan the right mix of accommodation into their developments. From affordable flats, family homes with parking and plenty of open spaces for children to play, to assisted living and very sheltered accommodation.
Whoever you are and wherever you live, the census provides localised population statistics which can help census users make sure there are enough of the right people around to help you – from pool lifeguards and youth workers to refuse collectors, paramedics, teachers, bus drivers, and more.

We should feel safe about sharing personal information with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) who run the census as it is an internationally trusted provider of statistical information. The ONS owns all census data and is responsible for its security.
Personal census data is protected by law and they will not share our personal information with anyone else. Census questionnaires are stored on microfiche and kept confidential for 100 years.
All their systems and processes are built with very strong security safeguards and they use our information only to produce and analyse numbers of people. All census data is processed in the UK.
Local councils in England and Wales rely on census population statistics to define the needs of their community and help make sure they get enough government funding to serve it. How much they get is directly related to how many and what kind of people the census shows live in their area. A few households short and someone, somewhere could lose out. The census needs to include everyone, everywhere – and that’s why everyone has to take part.
In 2001 while 95% of us made a return, around 2000 households failed to respond, please don't let this happen again, your census needs you.

On March 27th please complete your census form and return it.