LEAKED: The mess behind the scenes at Census 2011
Posted on April 4, 2011I wrote just over a week ago about the demographic futility of the 2011 Census, which once completed will go out of date at 5,600 people a day. On the back of that post, I’ve been leaked an intriguing account of the chaos behind the scenes by one of the census enforcers whose job it is to go from door to door persuading those who haven’t filled it in to do so. For anyone who believes in competent Government data management - or anyone who is a taxpayer – it does not make comfortable reading.
Here are a few extracts on a range of topics…
The Training
On the training we learnt all sorts of absolutely useless things none of which I have used. For instance I spent a lot of time learning what to do if a house is now a communal hostel or if there are more than 6 people living there. The basics of what you would do day to day in 99% of circumstances weren’t drummed into individuals. The training should have focused on key scenarios (household lost questionnaire and households asking if they have to do it). There were lots of stupid group exercises where we learnt things like take an umbrella because it might rain. Don’t forget to take your wallet because you might want to buy a chocolate bar when you are out. Take spare pens. Be polite. If you don’t know these things you shouldn’t work on the census.
The Management
Our original staff meeting was a bit of a disaster. All of our collectors were there for a number of hours. We sat around as our coordinator had to give out our work individually meaning that the other dozen of us just sat around doing nothing. This should have been done individually to save time. 15 people, at a rate of 7-10.42 an hour, for 3 hours is almost £500 at the top end (including the coordinator)…For a lot of us about 20% of your time is spent at these meetings every week.
If you consider that there are apparently 29,000 census collectors across the country, that bill for paying people simply to sit around swiftly adds up.
The Computer System
The computer system is a disaster. It crashes regularly. The printers are not designed for the amount of printing that needs to be done, meaning our coordinator needs to watch all the printing personally. Sheets spurt out of the machine and therefore end up in the wrong piles (which can be fixed but it takes time and mistakes are made). The system is very slow and constantly needs restarting. Sometimes it is down for hours.
There are different types of forms that I alluded to earlier so if a house is empty we fill in a ‘dummy form’. If we give them a replacement questionnaire it is a different one. The system does not cope well when you scan in one type and then scan a second type. You have to reset the system to say now you are going to input a dummy form or a replacement. Again solvable by scanning in all your replacement forms first and then dummy forms but it takes time and running through dozens of pieces of paper looking for the minor differences in barcodes that indicate which form is which means again mistakes.
A Government computer system that doesn’t work properly? I didn’t see that one coming…
The Objectors
Reading the papers I was aware of the Lockheed Martin connection and the possibility of boycotts. The guy running the training had never heard of this and didn’t know how to address questions about LM’s role. Ironically our coordinators have said an unexpected development has occurred that they hadn’t anticipated with people refusing to do the census because of this. Quite how they failed to anticipate this I don’t know.
We are supposed to say on the door that Lockheed Martin do lots of good things like supporting our troops in Afghanistan. I have little problem with their involvement in the census but it strikes me as a monumentally stupid response – the kind of people who are boycotting the census for this reason will only be strengthened in their view that it is immoral because people who refuse to do the census because of arms manufacturer being involved aren’t going to be placated by saying it helps the war in Afghanistan! It is a red rag to a bull.
Quite. Can you imagine what is going to happen if someone from the Stop the War coalition is boycotting the census because it’s being run by a defence company, and is told that they should fill it in precisely because that defence company is involved in Afghanistan? Regardless of your views on the war, it’s hardly a sign that there’s any forward thinking being applied to the Census at all.
My anonymous source concludes that:
Reading back through this I think you could make a case that this is all rather silly and that I should just stop making mistakes. The point is basically the standard of census collector isn’t particularly high . Lots of mistakes are made and when you are working in an outdoor environment often in the dark against the elements the system has not been designed to minimise risk and maximise efficiency.
This is the key point. The Census deals in two valuable commodities – personal data and taxpayers’ money. From this account, it doesn’t seem like either are in safe hands.
Tags: Census, Census Collector, Exclusive, Freedom, Leaks, Lockheed Martin, opinion, Politics, Privacy
Categories: Exclusives, Opinion, Politics
Apparerently if you don’t fill it in councils will get less money.
So where are they getting the money from?
Taxpayers.
So not filling it in means less taxes.
18.04.2011 13:18
You fucking retard
19.04.2011 17:54
You’re so strong and forthright. I love you.
20.04.2011 09:04
From this I could see a strong argument for simplifying the census to numbers of people in an address and no more – The State cannot effectively collect the vast amounts of data they presently seek to the point of it being useless. So stop collecting it.
18.04.2011 14:42
@ Nick that’s the sort of thinking that led the Fifeshire financial dimwit to believe he had ended Boom & Bust.
By not having an “accurate” record of the numbers living in one’s local council district means they cannot make the case for increased funding from central government because of increased numbers of residents.
It also means that the pot of money available for local services has to be spread further bringing the threat of cuts.
19.04.2011 07:45
There can never be an accurate record. This is just an excuse being used to lull people into believing that the census is for the greater good. A “good guess” is better and cheaper if that’s what they need to work out budgets. This is the last census as it is too costly…….so why do this one? I filled mine in and sent it off but like many others have done, have made it necessary for the data to be put in by hand, thus reducing the amount of profit for LM.
19.04.2011 17:56
Well, considering Cameron himself described the census as ‘snooping’ & ‘intrusive’ perhaps he should have had the sense to cancel it or modify it to the point that the majority of people wouldn’t object to filling it in.? However, it seems that now he’s meant to be in charge he can’t resist the call of the Great Government Database. The Councils need to blame him not the boycotters.
19.04.2011 22:34
We received our first card through the letterbox on Sunday, reminding us not to forget to complete our census questionnaire. I could have spoken to the person who delivered it, but I couldn’t be bothered to do that on a Sunday evening.
I’m looking forward to the ‘Census Police’ knocking on my door. I wonder what they will have in their armoury to persuade me to fill it in? The government should have seen this coming, and scrapped this pointless and intrusive exercise.
19.04.2011 17:03
Remind them that “FAILURE to DIFFERENTIATE between a STATUTE and a LAW is GROSS NEGLIGENCE which is equivalent to the common law crime of FRAUD” This APPLIES to anyone who is trying to ENFORCE a STATUTE upon you; no matter WHO they are!
19.04.2011 17:45
[...] LEAKED: The mess behind the scenes at Census 2011 « Crash Bang Wallace [...]
19.04.2011 19:08
I’m the dog sitter. Not too bright… but 6’6 and a doorstep puts me close to two feet above census bod. Immediate retreat … I’ll come back another time. Then there’s the dogs, who do utterly savage on the other side of the door at a tap on the door.
19.04.2011 20:35
Re the computer system – I read a comment somewhere from someone who had genuinely completed the census online bur was still being chased by census staff for not doing it. Computer system obviously well down to the low standard we have come to expect from all govt computer projects.
19.04.2011 21:05
when are people going to wake up ? we are all registered with a birth certificate, we all have national insurance number, they know how many people there are, one calculation on a computer screen in London can tell them that weather we work, claim dole or hospitalized or imprisoned. so why do they need these forms really ? what was the first story of a census that u remember from childhood ? mine is about Mary n Joseph of Nazareth n the story of king Herod whom was told he was going to over thrown by a boy child whom was going to be born , so they made it that everyone had to register at their home towns !!!! 1801 first census utter BS i am not religious but if the bible can bk up what i say then why state that the first ever census was 1801 much peace n love to all u humans out there xxxx
20.04.2011 11:23
Are yopu people for real. My Girlfriend is a Census Co-ordinator. The only mess is teh original address list being out of date so lots of addresses need to be deactivated or created. There is more information available on you if you lose your phone, on facebook or on the numerous online sites you visit. Put your CV online and there is more info than you put in the census.. If everyone just filled it in then there would be nop need for collectors. And no need for coordinators and so you would save yourself all the worries you have on where your tax is being spent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21.04.2011 08:37
JP I feel sorry for you being in a relationship with someone no better than an ol’east German Stasi operative, NAZIInformer, window twitcher, nosey parker.. I could go on with such but I wont.. I would question your judgement of partners before you go and question others.. you fool!”
26.04.2011 11:47
I’ve been getting visits from the census police since the first day they began work. They now visit me every other day. Last Tuesday they came twice, the second visit was two hours after the first. I’ve avoided them so far but I’m not sure I’ll be able to do so for another two and a half weeks.
21.04.2011 12:15
LM also provides systems for Royal Mail, the emergency services within the M25, communication satellites among other services. Maybe people who are boycotting the service because of LM’s involvement should also consider boycotting sending and receiving mail, be prepared to turn down the services of the parmedic/air-rescue helicopter when it arrives, stop using their mobiles, satnavs, Sky. – shall I go on? Not completing the form ends up costing tax payers more in councill subsidies, more in having to keep paying collectors to visit over and over again. Hassle when having to deal with enforcers. There are bigger things to protest over than this.
25.04.2011 10:23
No money for benefits for the most vulnerable, no heath care, no dental care, prescriptions rocketing, corporate fraud, Families made homeless by ruthless banksters, and there seems to more than enough to throw away supporting a company that backs up genocide. I wash my hands of the innocent blood slaughter of millions and mass starvation. They can keep their cluster bombs and they can stuff their unlawful treasonous census where the sun never shines. Totally immoral.
25.04.2011 23:27
Terrl is right about Herod ordering a census on the strength of a prophecy of a child being born and overthrowing him. DON’T FORGET that the UK CEASED to be a soveriegn country on 1st january 2011 when the opt-out to the Lisbon treaty expired at nifnight 31st December 2010. Don’t failo to see the similarity between this consolidating of gains for the European nazi tyranny & William the conqueror who took the english throne by force AGAINST the wishes of the english people resulting in the census to consolidate hos gains that people called THE DOOMSDAY BOOK.
26.04.2011 23:13
Ha Ha Ha !!!!!!! Well I work for a Bank so I guess I should not be on this site. You people relly need to find a hobby. Wake up a little. Your little protests will not make any difference. Dont fill in your census then. Who Cares. No One. But I guess if it makes you feel more important you will be happy !!!!!!!!!!!
28.04.2011 09:10
JP> No you shouldnt your a twat.
17.05.2011 10:50