Have you completed the 2021 Census?

People across the city are being urged to play their part in gathering the information needed to support the decisions to shape vital services for their community, such as education, healthcare and transport.

Every ten years a national census is undertaken to help develop a national and local picture of people and households in England and Wales, providing the most detailed information of our city that we have.

You may have already received a census card in the post with your access code, allowing you to complete your census online. It is vital that everyone in Colchester completes it to enable us, the Government, and other organisations, to fully understand our community’s needs. Charities also use census information to help get the funding they need, and businesses use it to decide where to set up, which creates job opportunities.

The census is run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While you can complete the census as soon as you receive your card, they have nominated 21 March as Census Day, when they will be undertaking a big national push to encourage people to fill in the information.

You must complete the census by law. If you do not, or if you supply false information, you could be fined up to £1,000. Some questions are clearly labelled as voluntary; it is not an offence if you do not answer these.

Without your information, it will be more difficult for us to understand our community’s needs, and to plan and fund public services. In one way or another, your information touches the lives of every single person living in Colchester, with the census information used to plan a range of services including new schools, doctors’ surgeries and cycle lanes.

None of the officials looking at the information you provide will be involved with, or aware of, any applications you have made, or payments or services you receive.

If you, or anyone you know, needs help, there is a wide range of support services available. These include a contact centre that can give you help over the phone, and guidance in a range of languages and accessible formats are also available, including paper questionnaires and large print.

If you need help or have any questions, visit the Census website.