NALC calls for improved parish-level data in Census 2031

We have urged the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve access to parish-level census data for small communities, warning that current thresholds risk leaving thousands of parish and town councils without the information they need to plan effectively.

In our response to the ONS consultation on Census 2031, we argued that access to individual parish-level data should be extended to small parish and town councils and parish meetings with populations of fewer than 100 people. We called on the ONS to alter disclosure threshold levels for the next census, while still ensuring the anonymity of respondents at individual premises.

We highlighted that around 6,000 of England's 10,000 parish and town councils are classified as small, with electorates of fewer than 6,000 people. These councils rely heavily on census data to understand population change over time, plan and negotiate with housing developers and district councils, support neighbourhood plans and local strategies, estimate demand for services such as provision for older people or families with children, and to underpin bids for grants and funding allocations that depend on robust demographic evidence.

Our response stresses that census data at the parish and neighbourhood level is uniquely valuable, as many administrative datasets do not provide reliable or consistent figures for very small areas. Parish and town councils often serve populations that are effectively invisible within broader local authority data, making the census a critical source of insight into local needs and trends.

We also emphasised the importance of retaining traditional demographic and housing topics within Census 2031. We stated that detailed information in areas such as health, disability and caring responsibilities is essential to help parish and town councils identify and support vulnerable residents. Specific topics, including household composition, are critical at the parish level, given ageing populations in many communities.

In addition, we called on the ONS to address an omission from Census 2021 by reinstating a question on volunteering. We argued that without this data, it is challenging to assess concerns that national volunteering levels are in decline, and that reliable evidence on volunteering is vital for understanding community capacity and resilience at the local level.

We recognise the central role that high-quality, accessible census data plays in enabling parish and town councils to represent their communities effectively.