Downing Street is offering a petition for people to sign, which would reduce the census release period from 100 years to 70 years, thus making the 1911, 1921 and 1931 censuses available immediately. If you would like to add your name to the petition, you may do so right now online.
NOTE: You must be a British citizen or resident to sign the petition.
To add your name to the thousands of other genealogists who have also asked, please click on this link: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CensusInfoFreed/
My thanks to Brian Curd for letting me know about this e-petition.
'Freedom of Information' would suggest Census information should be reasonably available.
Posted by: Henry McFadden | January 19, 2007 at 02:59 AM
I'd like to have the census records up to 1930 available for genealogists.
Posted by: Sue Eggett | January 19, 2007 at 03:01 AM
Henry wrote "Freedom of Information' would suggest Census information should be reasonably available."
One would have thought so but this - http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2006/101391_dn_rt_changes.pdf suggests we are still at the mercy of our "superiors".
The bottom line is that we appear to have a restricted FOI act in the UK..... at the moment....
Cheers
Brian
Posted by: Brian Curd | January 19, 2007 at 04:33 AM
It's worth noting that the 1931 UK census was apparently destroyed by fire according to the UK National Archives web site.
Posted by: Chad Hanna | January 21, 2007 at 07:09 AM
Although you say "Downing Street is offering a petition", it was submitted by an individual on a page of the Downing Street website which allows e-petitions to be submitted. "Individuals or groups can create a petition on the site and visitors can add their details to the petition to "sign" it. The format makes it easy to collect signatures, and it also makes it easier for us to respond directly using email."
The petition refers to the 1911, 1921 and 1931 censuses. Plans are already well advanced for the 1911 census to be released from 2009 onwards (it is impracticable for this to be accelerated if the task is to be done properly).
As already referred to, the 1931 census was destroyed in a fire. This took place on 19th December 1942 at the Office of Works store in Hayes, Middlesex, when the whole of the 1931 schedules, enumeration books, and miscellaneous material stored in cupboards etc were completely destroyed. A letter from the General Register Office (TNA ref: RG 20/109 part) states "The fire was not occasioned by enemy action and how it achieved such dimensions in a store in which special hydrants had been fitted and said to have been in charge of a fire guard of 6 paid watchers, is a mystery which will need investigation."
Posted by: Geoff Riggs | January 21, 2007 at 06:07 PM
Thank you for writing.
As to "Downing Street is offering a petition," I quoted the e-petitions system web site: "It enables people to put their views to the Prime Minister."
As to the availability of specific census years, I can only refer you to the wording in the original petition: "This would allow census information from 1911, 1921 and 1931 to be used by the general public researching their family history in the absense (or failing memories) of their elderly relatives."
- Dick Eastman
Posted by: Dick Eastman | January 21, 2007 at 06:20 PM
would be great to be able to access later census records in a time period of 70 years.....its hard in NZ to access family history in the uK and any improvement is welcomed
Posted by: Robin Plummer | February 06, 2007 at 01:53 AM