‘Help Hull get its fair share by filling in the census’
The Wilberforce statue from Queens Gardens, with Hull College in the background. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
Hull landmarks will be lit up purple from today to raise awareness of Census Day on Sunday. But it’s not just about theatrics, as cities with low participation could lose £500,000 a year in funding for every 1,000 residents who don’t fill in the survey. Here, Cherie Wiles, the census engagement manager for Hull, explains why it’s so important to take part
When you fill in your Census 2021 form in Hull over the coming days, you aren’t only helping shape the city’s immediate future. You’re also doing your bit for history.
The census helps to calculate our needs now and for the future. The information gathered will be available to local councils, health authorities and others within a year or so.
And the census also helps historians now and in the future, letting them dig down into the facts and the data. Just think how many times the census features on the BBC TV programme Who Do You Think You Are?
In Hull, historians and genealogists alike can normally use the records kept at Hull History Centre, although the centre is closed at present.
All the information gathered by Census 2021 will be stored without any names attached. It will stay like that for 100 years for future historians. Present-day historians, in Hull and around the country, are excited about the imminent release of the 1921 census.
The census happens every ten years and lets us know about all the people and households in England and Wales. It’s been running for 200 years, although no census was taken during the Second World War.
The information gathered locally in Hull is invaluable to ordering local life.
Hull City Hall. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
Councillor Stephen Brady, Leader of Hull City Council said: “The census provides us with a unique snapshot of our communities and benefits us all.
“In Hull we receive a lot of funding from different sources for various projects, from the City of Culture and Hull’s Maritime Project, to the refurbishment of East Park splash boat and Pearson Park.
“The census is also used to work out how much the council, health and the police will be awarded to provide essential local services. We use the census to understand our local population, and plan services in the coming years.
“Without the accurate data from the census, Hull could miss out on so many opportunities the people of this city deserve.
“There is also a knock-on cost if people don’t fill in the questionnaire. We estimate that cities can lose £500,000 each year for every 1,000 people who don’t fill it the survey, so I would urge all of our households to complete it.
“Everyone can complete online or paper forms are available for those who need them.”
Census 2021 is an online-first census and the hope is that 75 per cent of people will fill in the census that way. Paper copies are available for those who prefer the familiar way.
Alfred Gelder Street. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
As the census aims to record a true picture of our society, the questions adapt to the times. For instance, households used to be asked if they had an outside toilet. That question ran from 1951, when nocturnal dashes to the lavatory will have been chilly, all the way to centrally-heated 1991.
There are some new questions this time, including one on past service in the Armed Forces. This will allow central and local government to better understand the needs of the ex-military community.
Also new this time will be voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity. Anyone who wishes to answer these questions without letting others in their household see their answers can request a separate form.
As usual, Census 2021 will also include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And remember that all names and personal information will remain hidden for 100 years, so you can be confident that the information you give will not be shared.
You may well feel that the census is taking over Hull at the weekend, as the city centre will join more than a hundred buildings and landmarks across England and Wales by lighting up purple to celebrate the census and its importance to communities.
The event is being organised by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to raise awareness of census day on March 21.
Alongside Hull City Hall, Hull Minster and the Wilberforce statue, landmarks across the country, including the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, BT Tower in London, and Blackpool Tower are signed up for the celebration, which will see them light up in the Census 2021 brand colour.