Come to your Census!

Census organisers are urging 26 million households in England and Wales not to forget to fill in their questionnaires. Forms should be filled in today - Census Day - or as soon as possible afterwards.

Electronic tracking systems are being used to monitor who has filled in the forms online or by post with collectors knocking on doors from April 6 where households have not yet returned their questionnaires. 

The ONS said help and advice would be offered to people having difficulty filling in the form and collectors would also supply replacement questionnaires where forms have been lost or damaged.

Glen Watson, 2011 Census director said: 'Completing the census form promptly and sending it back to us means no one will have to knock on your door to remind you.

'Census statistics enable the authorities in England and Wales to plan properly for the future for school places, housing, roads, emergency services and a host of other local services.'

Householders are being asked a range of questions covering areas such as national identity, ethnic group, educational qualifications, job titles, travel-to-work method and state of health.

The purple census also includes questions for the first time on civil partnerships, second homes and recent migration. People born outside the UK are being asked when they most recently arrived in the country, with those who arrived in the past year asked how long they intend to stay.

There is also a question asking people whether English is their main language and how well they can speak it.There are however no questions on income, sexual orientation or nature of disability.

The ONS insisted that the information it gathers will be confidential for 100 years and not shared with other agencies such as the police or tax authorities.

The 2011 census has used a 'much improved' address register, the ONS also said, compared to 2001 when some local authorities accused it of significantly under-counting their populations.

Cardiff, Wales's largest council area, had an estimated population of around 305,000 in 2001.

Rodney Berman told the BBC Politics Show on Census Day the city may have lost out on £85m funding since 2001.

"We believe there was an undercount of Cardiff's population, we think by about 22,000," said Mr Berman.

"That's had a major impact because the funding we've had since then is less than we think we should have got.

"The funding we get is based on the number of people we have living in the city and we reckon that (undercount) could have cost us £85m pounds in the intervening years when all added together.

"That's quite an impact we have to concern ourselves with".

There it is guys- remember to fill in your purple census & free post or send online before April 6th and avoid a £1000 fine! ONE THOUSAND  POUND- its worth a few minutes, yeah?

-ZB