Ceredigion County Council

A range of accessible formats and other support is available to help you find out about the census and complete it:

• Videos with British Sign Language (BSL), audio and subtitles
• Braille
• Easy read
• Large print
• Text relay prefix
• Deaf Hub Wales offering a service throughout Wales using Zoom – census@deafhub.wales

All the information on how you can request these formats is under the support and guidance section on the Census website. 
Or you can contact the Census Contact Centre 0800 169 2021

Language

Information and guidance about the census translated into other languages is also available under the support and guidance section on the Census website. 

Or you can call the free language helpline on – 0800 587 2021

Census day is 21 March 2021. However, households will receive a letter in the post in early March, giving them details of how to take part in the mandatory survey. They will receive either a paper questionnaire to complete or a unique access code, inviting them to complete the survey online. Although paper questionnaires are available on request from the Census Contact Centre.

The census helps us understand what our society needs now and what it will likely need in the future. The information it collects helps with decisions on the planning and funding of services in your area. This could include schools, doctors’ surgeries, emergency services or even local support groups.

Charities also use census information to help get the funding they need. Businesses use it to decide where to set up, which creates job opportunities.

The census will take around 10 minutes per person to complete. It’s easy to do and can be done on any device, including a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

Translation booklets are available to download. If your language is not represented, please contact the Customer Contact Centre from the 1st of March onwards.

The help pages at census.gov.uk explain how you can get help. These include general guidance, language assistance and a wide range of accessible formats including video and audio guides (English and Welsh). You can also call the Census Contact Centre for assistance:

The Contact Centre

The Census Contact Centre is a vital source of public support. It offers help over the phone, via web-chat and SMS text message, and through the ‘Contact Us’ form on the Census 2021 website. 

The Contact Centre can help with many tasks, including: resolving general and specialist queries from the public; providing new or additional questionnaires; providing language translation booklets, braille guidance booklets and easy read leaflets; interpretation services; assisting individuals to complete the Census over the telephone.

There is a general helpline, plus a language helpline, text relay and short text numbers:

• The Contact Centre helpline for those living in Wales: 0800 169 2021
• The Wales NGT (text relay service): (18001) 0800 169 2021        
• The language helpline: 0800 587 2021          

The Census Contact Centre will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday; 8am to 1pm Saturday, but closed on Sunday. However, the Centre will be open over the Census Weekend (20-21^st of March) from 8am-8pm. The Census Contact Centre is UK-based and free to call.

Local Census Support Centre (CSC)

The Local Census Support Centre based in Aberystwyth Town Library will help with general Census queries, help residents fill their online Census or paper form, and can discuss other means of support.

At present, the Census Support Centre is operating as a remote service and can only provide support over the phone. All Census Support Centres across England and Wales will not be able to provide face-to-face service during lockdown.

Contact details for the Census Support Centre are as follows:

• Telephone: +44(0)15 4557 2377
• Email: library@ceredigion.gov.uk

The CSC will be open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, but will not be operating on weekends. Telephone calls will be charged at the standard rate.

For further details on your closest Census Support Centre visit: https://census.gov.uk/en/find-a-support-centre/

The Census Engagement Manager

The Census Engagement Manager (CEM) for Ceredigion is Huw Davies. The CEM will be holding Form Completion Events over the phone at certain times over the coming weeks. For more information on the time and dates of these events, visit his twitter account: @CensusCerePow or call 07452 945860

The safety of your information is a top priority for the ONS. No one can identify you in the census statistics we publish. ONS make sure that it contains none of your personal information. Your census record is kept secure for 100 years and only then can future generations see it.

After Census Day, at the end of March and into April, the Census Field Officers will be visiting households who haven’t completed their Census form in Ceredigion. They will encourage people to complete the Census and help you to access further help if you need it. The Field Officers will be wearing PPE and working in line with government guidance. They will never need to enter your house. They will operate in the same way as a postal or food delivery visit.

You must complete the census by law. If you do not, or if you supply false information, you could be fined up to £1,000. Some questions are clearly labelled as voluntary. It is not an offence if you do not answer these.