Government departments and the wider public sector

The population’s characteristics are always changing. The census provides facts about our society: the number of people, where they live, their characteristics and their needs. Central government and the wider public sector use census data to carry out policy research and allocate resources to public services including education, healthcare and transport. Examples include:

Government funding

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) use census data in the calculation of local government funding through the current Formula Grant system. Similarly Welsh Government (WG) uses census data to allocate funding to Welsh unitary authorities.

Job centres reach out with census statistics

Census data also helps to identify areas in communities which will benefit from outreach Job Centre work, such as English language training in community centres for newly arrived residents.

House of Commons Library

Census statistics provide detailed portraits of local constituencies – they allow MPs, their staff, and the public to understand their areas, how they vary and how they compare with other areas.

Census statistics as a benchmark for other government statistics

Census outputs are used in a wide range of other statistical products for example, census data is used to benchmark the Mid-year Population Estimates which are used to feed into vast areas of policy making and target setting.