March 12, 2021 5.07 pm This story is over 36 months old

Census 2021: What you need to know

March 21 is the deadline to complete it
Letters have been sent out about this year's Census. | Photo: The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

Lincolnshire residents are starting to get their letters through ahead of the 2021 Census, a compulsory national survey about households in the country.

The Census comes once every ten years and this year it will take place online for the first time ever, due on Sunday, March 21.

This is due to concerns over safety in line with government guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

It is a survey designed to help government and local authorities decide how to fund services not just in the local area, but the UK too.

Householders must complete the Census by law, with fines of up to £1,000 for anyone who does not take part or does not submit their survey within two weeks of the March 21 deadline.

Your answers will help government decide where funding should go. | Photo: The Lincolnite

You can, however, complete the Census on behalf of somebody else if they are unable to, and you can tick a box to confirm that when starting the survey.

Some questions will be voluntary on the survey itself, but they will be clearly labelled as such, and the whole thing is expected to take 10 minutes.

All data given in the Census will then be used to help plan local services such as healthcare and education.

Letters have been sent to households all over the country with details on how and when to submit your Census answers.

Inside the letter will be a code that must be entered on the government’s website to match your answers to your household.

For more information, visit the Census website.