Agenda item

The Director of Delivery, Communications, and Political Governance submits a report to provide the Committee with an overview of the results of the 2021 Census in Leicester and the Leicester Household Survey 2021.

The Committee is asked to note the data and consider how the data from both sources could inform the work of the Scrutiny Commissions.

The Director of Delivery, Communications, and Political Governance submitted a report to provide the Committee with an overview of the results of the 2021 Census in Leicester and the Leicester Household Survey 2021.

The City Mayor presented the item, noting that the Leicester Household Survey was conducted in late 2021 with the intention to fill in the gaps of the data from the Census, with a particular focus on the availability of technology and financial circumstances. Council Services would be asked to consider how the findings of the Survey could be used to improve Services.

The Corporate Data Consultant presented the item, it was noted that:

·         The commination of data from the Census and the Household Survey provided a comprehensive picture of the people of Leicester.

·         Data from the Census and Survey would inform the work of Council Services for the next 10 years.

·         The National Census was taken every 10 years, data from the 2021 Census was being released in phases. More in-depth analysis would be possible once further data was released in Spring 2023. All data from the Household Survey was available now.

·         The Survey findings were presented in a headline findings report and a more detailed breakdown was possible on the Open Data platform.

·         The Census determined Leicester’s population to be 368,000, an 11.8% increase, this was a larger increase than the national average and most comparable cities. 41% of Leicester residents were born outside of the UK, with a large increase in the levels of migration from Europe.

·         The Survey found that 95% of Leicester households had access to the internet, however there were many more who struggled with using the internet for certain tasks.   

In response to questions from Members and Youth Representatives, it was noted that:

·         The Survey was mostly focused on financial circumstances and other adult-focused issues, which was way under-18s were not asked to fill in the survey. There had recently been a children’s survey which was focused on the issues impacting young people. Data on that survey would be available in the following months

·         Due to the delay in the release of data from the Census, Census results were not a 100% up to date picture, particularly in relation to travel to work data which would have changed following the lifting of Covid restrictions. However Census results were some of the highest quality information available on topics such as ethnicity.

·         The Council would be making the case to Government for more funding based on the increased population and diversity in Leicester shown in the Census results.

·         Those conducting the Survey were upfront about the nature and purpose of the Survey. Those conducting in-person surveys were drawn from the communities they were surveying.

·         3.3k people responded to the survey and were a representative sample. This was a good response level.

·         Council Tax was included in questions about hierarchy of bills, there was not a question about Council Tax directly, but the burden of utility bills was asked about in question 27.

·         The Council supported the Armed Forces Covenant, which aimed to remove disadvantages for armed service personnel past and present.

·         Those who struggled to use technology could access Council Services at the Customer Service Centre. However, due to a lack of demand the Centre was only open 2 days a week. The opening hours for the Centre were under constant consideration. The majority of demand in Customer Services was in phone calls.

·         Ward level data was available for the Census but not for the Survey.

Councillor Porter raised concerns about the burden of Council Tax not being asked about in the Survey and noted the increases in Council Tax in recent years. The City Mayor responded to this by stating that Council Tax was a burden in all parts of the country and was not impacted by political control.

AGREED:

That the Committee notes the report.