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‘Huge price to pay’ for census apathy in Yorkshire
A YORKSHIRE city could miss nearly £350m of funding after a third of the population failed to return census forms.
Census returns, including population head counts, are said to be an essential cornerstone of planning for everything from police services to roads.
But with just days to go till the May 6 online deadline, officials in Hull say the apathy could cost £344m over the next decade.
Hull East MP Karl Turner said the city needed every penny it could get and urged people to fill in their forms.
“The information is vital in making sure that Hull gets the correct funding to ensure we have enough police officers, health funding, housing, childcare and countless other public services,” he said.
But Daniel Hamilton, from campaign group Big Brother Watch, deplored what he called a “ludicrous scare story”, adding: “If you go back to 2001 more than three million people didn’t return their census and there has been no suggestion that has limited local government in any way, shape or form.”
Despite the threat of a £1,000 fine for non-compliance, some East Riding residents are refusing to fill on their forms. One said: “Most of the details the Government has anyway and it’s far too intrusive. It’s not the simple head count it used to be.”
The census is expected to cost £480m, twice the price of the 2001 exercise, a rise put down to inflation and the booming population.
The Office for National Statistics declined to give out figures showing how it was progressing. A spokeswoman said they were “currently on track”, adding: “Our census collectors are continuing to visit householders offering help and support to ensure that everyone can be counted within the census.”
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Weather for Yorkshire
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
