Scrapping the Census

[JBee]

Looks like the government want to change the way people are counted as its out of date and costs too much?!!!!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7882774/National-census-to-be-axed-after-200-years.html

[Kit]

I'm glad I wont be alive to research when the census run out.

Hpoefully whatever they do bring in will still help family historians.

Possibly selfish of me not wanting to save money but I wouldn't have gotten far without the census.

[GenieDi]

They make an awful lot of money out of people researching the census and BMD's surely it is somehow clawed back?

[Nell]

I don't understand. They must know how many births and deaths are registered each year, how many people emigrate or immigrate (legally at least). They know how many people are registered with GPs, dentists, schools, electoral rolls, libraries etc. How many people have national insurance numbers or are on payrolls. I can't see why its so difficult for them to work it out!

[JBee]

I think I recall hearing that there were far more NI numbers issued than people in UK!!!!

Think some people have more than one.

Probably one way is all people on tax credits as that's quite a big proportion of the population!!!

[Mary from Italy]

They don't actually keep any records at all of people who emigrate, although I suppose they could work out some very approximate figures by looking at adults who are no longer registered to vote or pay tax, aren't registered with a doctor, and don't draw an old age pension.

[maggie_4_7]

There's another thread in Family History News Forum

http://genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=81314#post81314