Agenda item

To receive a presentation from David Vernazza, the officer charged with organising the Census for our region, on the background, aims and objectives of the upcoming national census.

The Committee received a presentation from David Vernazza, the officer in charge of organising the Census for the region, on the background aims and objectives of the upcoming national Census.

The Committee noted that the census had started in 1801 and was of great historical value as an indicator of the past. Central Government raised about £100 billion in tax and the information gathered by the census taxation would be used for redistributing funds to local communities. The Committee noted that there was a need to understand how society was changing, and the underlying long-term trends or patterns.

The Committee noted that:

• it was estimated that each form filled in would generate about £500 a year in funding for the District;

• completion of the forms also underpinned policy making and forward planning and helped to target expenditure; and

• historically, the over eighties and students were difficult to include and count as they have experienced difficulty in filling in the forms, or were unsure of where they stated their residency.

The Committee noted that Town and Parish Councils could support and help with the Census in their area, by promoting information and providing help for those with difficulty in completing the forms.

The forms would be posted from the start of the second week of March and they could be filled out online or manually. Census day was 27 March 2011 and a series of adverts and corresponding publicity would lead up to this day.

The meeting was then opened for questions from members.

Councillor Mrs. Smith asked what the penalty was for not returning the form. Mr Vernazza said that the maximum fine was £1,000, with the timescale dependant on the law courts. The compliance teams would start work in June by sending out warnings, but possible prosecutions would not go to court until the end of the year. Last time there were approximately one hundred prosecutions.

Councillor Mrs. Whitehouse enquired about publicity, and was informed that television adverts and billboards had been launched nationally in order to improve awareness. Mr. Vernazza also offered posters for Town and Parish Councils to use in their newsletters.

In response to questions from Councillor Pond and Councillor Mrs. Smith, Mr. Vernazza informed members that the distribution of Census forms was informed by data sources other than the Electoral Register. In this way more residents could be targeted, and second home owners would be less likely to receive multiple forms. 

Councillor Mrs. Whitehouse asked for clarification on recording visitors to a residence on 27 March. Mr. Vernazza explained that visitors on that day should be noted in the appropriate sections, and then fill out their own census forms. The two could then be cross-referenced.

The representative from Nazeing Parish Council enquired about British and English nationality options, to which she was informed that the form allowed for one, neither, or both options to be ticked, depending on how the individual saw themself.

The Chairman asked about the relevance of the Census, considering it could be the last of its kind. She was told that though this might be the final one, and an alternative was unclear, the results would remain relevant. Headline figures would be available 12-15 months from collection, with more detailed analysis following approximately 12 months after that. The information would then be freely available to anyone for no charge.

The Chairman thanked Mr. Vernazza for his presentation and for answering members’ questions.