Look out for your Census – Have your say!
All households in Kent should now have received a card in the post from Census 2021 telling them that the census is to take place on 21 March 2021. At the beginning of March you will receive a letter which will mean that you can start to fill in the census. The letter will give you an access code for you to fill the questionnaire on-line, by far the quickest and easiest way to complete the census. Many of us will do this, however if you need extra help for any reason at all or access to the internet is difficult, please call the freephone number given on the letter, where someone will be there to listen and support you. Alternatively, perhaps friends and family can help you to complete it.
Later in the month you will see the distinctively dressed census team with their id cards, on the streets. They have all been recruited now and are raring to go. Some are already helping in properties where lots of people live such as care homes and shelters. After Census Day on the 21st March and throughout April, they will be visiting households from which a completed questionnaire has not been completed. They will encourage people to complete the census and help them to access further help if they need it, as it is a legal requirement that you fill in the census. If our staff knock on your door, they are there to help.
Please be reassured that our team will never ask you for identification or request to enter your property and will certainly never ask for any financial details or payment. Please report anyone who does attempt this to the police immediately.
In organising the teams, our main concern is the safety of the public and our team. We want everyone to be safely counted during the census. To do this, plans are always in line with the latest government safety guidelines. Our field officers will work in the same way as a postal or food delivery visit. They will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment and to reiterate, they will never need to enter your home.
At the end of last year, some people asked whether the census would go ahead and why now? We are all geared up and, equally importantly, the information it provides is incredibly important. The Office for National Statistics has used past census information to help us understand how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people in different ways and respond accordingly. Census 2021 will give us fresh information to improve our understanding of the pandemic. The results will help to make sure that the services you use meet the needs of our changing society. This could include hospitals, schools, community services and facilities. For more information please go to https://census.gov.uk/