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The pandemic may have killed off the 220-year-old national census, statistics chiefs said yesterday.
The ten-yearly national headcount, last taken this spring, can no longer keep up with the pace of change in the age of Covid-19, they declared.
In place of the census, which has to be completed by every home in the country and now costs around £1 billion to carry out, the Government may use personal details gathered from sources including tax returns and benefit claims.
This year's census may be the final one to be held, breaking a tradition going back to 1801
The census has been under fire from politicians in recent decades. Its cost has spiralled, there have been disastrous results, such as in 2001 when the census missed a million people, and its extensive questioning on matters including sex and religious belief has been seen by many as too intrusive
The census has been under fire from politicians in recent decades. Its cost has spiralled, there have been disastrous results, such as in 2001 when the census missed a million people, and its extensive questioning on matters including sex and religious belief has been seen by many as too intrusive.
But yesterday the suggestion of putting an end to the exercise came from the organisation that runs it, the Office for National Statistics.
