Countdown to The Count!

On Friday 27th March, the two-year countdown began for a vital date in the national calendar. Sunday 27th March 2011 - the date of the 2011 National Census. Detailed work is already under way for this major survey of all the people and households in the country.

At the last Census, the population of Southend was undercounted by up to 17,000 residents, maintains Southend Together – the borough’s local strategic partnership, which is comprised of key local public, private and community organisations such as Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, NHS South East Essex, Essex Police and Southend Association of Voluntary Services. The borough’s funding from Central Government is based on population and if these "lost" residents had been counted, the Council would now be receiving up to £8.5million more every year to improve services.

As a result, the Southend Together Partnership has already begun preparations to help the Office of National Statistics deliver the 2011 National Census successfully.

Council Leader, Councillor Nigel Holdcroft says: “Although 2011 still seems a long way off at the moment, it is essential for everyone to know about the National Census, to realise exactly how important it is for their future, and also for our understanding of the past.

“It is vital for full and correct information to be recorded because many future decisions and funding allocations are made on the basis of the National Census – and the Census also gives people a matchless opportunity to trace their family history.

“Government funding for public sector organisations, including the Council, is calculated according to the Census figures. The Census must be accurate to make sure Southend receives the funding it is entitled to.

“A population census has been carried out every ten years in Britain from 1801 to 2001 - except in 1941 – and the details of the 1911 Census are now available on the internet.

“This means people can look back for an invaluable snapshot into the lives of their ancestors. Each Census tells us what a person‘s occupation was, where they lived, who they were married to and how many children they had, while successive censuses can be used to track the fortunes of an individual across the decades. The Census also offers general information about the area a person lived in – for instance the number of rooms in each house, the occupations of the people living in the street. This helps give an idea of what daily life might have been like.

“Members of Southend Together partnership are working together to establish the best ways to make sure all members of our community know about the Census and receive all the help and support they need when the time comes to fill the necessary forms in.”

Since 1920, Census information has by law been stored strictly securely, and is only available for public use after 100 years. As the 1911 Census was conducted before this 100 year rule was adopted, it has now been released and can be viewed publicly. It is available online only at www.1911census.co.uk

Further details of the 2011 census are on www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/index.html

For more information about the South East Essex Branch of the Essex Society for Family History, call 01702 522992 or visit www.esfh.org.uk