Last few days to complete census

North Ayrshire is lagging behind many other local authorities in its return rate for the census as it reaches its final days.

Aberdeenshire and the Western Isles have both now exceeded 90 per cent and a total of 19 council areas have reached 85 per cent as the census enters its final full week.

However, North Ayrshire has the 21st lowest take up of Scotland’s 32 councils.

Completion rate

The national completion rate stands at 2,210,265 households, with more than four in every five households having completed across 30 areas.

Census returns must be submitted by the end of May and failure to do so could result in prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

Help is available online at census.gov.scot, or by calling the free helpline on 0800 030 8308 if anyone has specific questions or needs a paper questionnaire.

Field teams have undertaken more than 1.4 million visits to households to support completion, and are carrying out community events across Scotland throughout the coming week to support census completion.

Paul Lowe, chief executive, NRS added: ‘I want to say a huge thank you to everyone across Scotland who has already done their bit and completed their return.

‘We are making good progress but we need more in our communities to step forward and complete, to help achieve the important and long-lasting benefits of the census.

‘Census data informs how and where public money is spent and where services are delivered in our local communities; these decisions rely on good census information.’