Camden’s Strategy for Community Engagement in the 2011 Census BSPS Conference, Manchester11 September 2008.

Camden’s Strategy for Community Engagement in the 2011 CensusBSPS Conference, Manchester 11 September 2008

Quick Introduction to Camden

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Location

>Central London borough>Fringes on the City to the South

London University, Tottenham Ct Rd …>Main London rail termini

Euston, King’s X, St Pancras + Eurostar >Town Centres: Camden Town, Tottenham

Court Road, Finchley Road, Kilburn (½)> Leafy suburbs: Hampstead, Highgate …>And … the other bits …

Westminster

Islington

Barnet

Brent

City

Haringey

Camden

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What is Camden like …

>Like no other place!>Part ‘employment hub’ …>Part ‘university town’ …>Part ‘Inner City’ …>Part ‘leafy suburbia’…>Part ‘retail centre’

Outline

>Background>Lessons from the Census Test >Camden’s strategy>Achieving Camden’s strategy

Background

Large scale undercount in 2001

> 1991 - 6%>2001 - 23% people - 24% households>7th worst LA in England & Wales - despite active involvement of the Council

What happened in 2001

What went wrong?>Visitors not counted (some were residents)

>Logistical problems - post back - staff shortages - shortage of forms! - late sorting - poor management information

>Publicity/public perception>High proportion ‘hard to count’ groups: - students,mobile/24hr population, gated estates - language/cultural barriers

>and …

- people who didn’t want to be counted!

Lessons from the Census Test

Lessons from the Census Test

>Low response 35%, but better than expected!

>Follow-up crucial to improve overall response

>Camden staff ‘a bonus’>Data collection – partially useful, e.g. admin data (CEs/HMO/CT/ES), but not background info

>Language – less important than thought

>Illiteracy (inc. form) – underestimated?

>Engaging people – enumerator’s way-in

>General ignorance!

The Big Problem!

>Census message is lost to many. How can we expect people to be engaged in the Census when they know little or nothing about it?

>Need to reconnect - tell people: About the Census What to do Everyone should be counted All questions need to be completed Why it’s important to them … and us!

Camden’s Strategy

Camden’s Strategy

Two pronged ..>About community engagement … Motivating our residents (and visitors!) to take part

And …>Practical assistance to ONS What we can do as an LA to help?

Community engagement

>Publicity = info + building trust>Build on existing and establish new community contacts>Involving councillors>Involving council staff>Schools>Migration

Publicity

>Camden residents - Residents monthly newsletter ‘Your Camden’ - Visits to community groups – tailor needs - Info at service access points – libraries, housing offices, council tax and housing benefits … - Camden website (countdown clock?)

>What to tell them? Its YOUR Census!!Want ONS lead on this, but still waiting … Go it alone if we have to …Message from Test -> use for planning services most effective …Build trust, relevant outputs, e.g. ‘other’ EG write in

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1801

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Camden Population 1801-2001

Publicity 2

Camden staff - In-house magazines/e-zines (by Directorate) - ‘MOTD’ email - ‘Essentials’ intranet - Management/staff seminars

Different message => stressing importance of Census to Local Government: planning and finance

Build on existing and establish new community contacts

>Camden has hundred’s of groups>Use key Equalities contacts as a start>Learn from outreach workers etc.>Make contact, work out Census issues>Tailor message to individual groups>Encourage people with language skills, community standing etc. to join Census workforce

Involving Councillors (& MPs)

>Not always 1st port of call>They are community leaders …>Win over their support (some there now)>Keep them informed>Stress the importance of the Census in: - describing their area/communities - Local Government finance - local service planning - applying for funding bids - boundary reviews?

Involving Council Staff >Encourage involvement in Census? - local knowledge - public service ethic - always a shortage of staff! But …more difficult now – belt tightening - can we again agree granting leave?>Help points – can we assist public?>Other?

Schools >Opportunity through schools: - Camden has Planning in schools - could piggy-back on this - Child’s interest could improve response - Need to move quickly though

Migration >Annual turnover of people in Camden - 20,000 pa to/from UK LAs - 5-10k pa to/from outside UK - 13% of population annually!

>A lot of new people to tell messages to,

BUT

>If all LAs press the Census message … we will be helping each other!

Practical Assistance to ONS

>Probably another talk, but includes: - LLPG up to scratch/ensure ONS uses it - Admin data HMO/CE/CT/ES/mobile - Council space for meeting/storage - Parking dispensations - Public safety issues - Allow council staff to take Census jobs - Access to gated estates (council) - Using Council newsletters/web - Encouraging other LAs to follow suit

Achieving Camden’s Strategy

>Senior Management buy-in Necessary to have any chance of success

>Camden CE ‘on side’, but requires senior management team support to be effective – report

>Census Liaison Manager – ONS expects LA to have CLM and ACLM in place. Need CLM.

>No outside resources ONS will not be paying for it – needs costing.

>Better & Cheaper hard fight in current climate

Achieving Camden’s Strategy 2

>Be selfish! – want the best for Camden, but would work better if all LAs on board >Key is is building consensus – with residents, with staff & working with ONS

Issues?

>ONS Publicity strategy none yet! But … need to start NOW to beat general ignorance

Particularly - informing new migrants

- informing visitors, & visiting (migrant) workers

And … - stress confidentiality! - stress no record linking! - stress public duty!

Contact details

Neil StorerPrincipal Planning Information OfficerPlanning Policy & InformationForward Planning ServiceCulture and EnvironmentLB Camden

020 7974 [email protected]