ARE you worried about how much council tax you will have to pay in the next two, five or 10 years? Do you think councils will have enough cash to keep the streets clean? Or roads in good repair? Would you like to get the very best care with the very best equipment should you need to go into hospital?

Do you want to see as many bobbies on the beat as possible?

Believe it or not but you can help make sure Worcestershire’s public services stand the best chance of surviving, if not thriving, in these tough economic times by simply filling in a form.

It has been 10 years since the last Census was conducted, which means the Government needs more up-to-date information to ensure funding and resources are distributed where they are needed.

The results will be used to identify the needs of Worcestershire in order to plan the allocation of funding to local services such as transport, housing, healthcare and education.

Personal Census information is kept confidential for 100 years and is not shared with government departments.

By now every household should have received its Census pack.

The distinctive purple and white forms need to be completed on Census day – Sunday – or as soon as possible after.

While the questionnaires can be completed beforehand the answers must relate to what is happening in your household on Sunday.

The 32-page form from the Office for National Statistics might look a pain to fill out but it is not that hard to do and for the first time ever people can go log onto census.gov.uk to complete it.

Setting aside the fact that it is a legal requirement to participate in the Census – you could get hit with a £1,000 fine if you do not – it should benefit you in the long-run.

When the last Census took place in 2001, Worcester had a return rate of about 96 per cent.

If that can get pushed up even further it could mean an extra £1.5 million funding coming into the city’s coffers over the next decade, which in theory should help to keep council tax bills down and services running smoothly.

Duncan Sharkey, managing director of Worcester City Council, said: “I would like to urge everyone living in Worcester to complete their Census return.

“Central Government uses the population count from the Census to allocate funding to individual cities and areas but they cannot put money into services for ‘invisible’ people.

“So each Census return really does count for the city; it has been estimated that every person who completes their return will be generating about £500 in value towards local services in Worcester whilst keeping council tax down.

“This includes spending on health, education and policing, as well as all the services the city council provides.” Diane Tilley, Worcestershire County Council’s director of planning, economy and performance and Census liaison manager, said the information gathered from the questionnaires helps to determine where money gets spent.

“The Census is well and truly under way and it is important that Worcestershire residents make sure they prepare in plenty of time to fill in their forms,” she said.

“For the Census to work and for Worcestershire’s services to benefit and reflect residents everyone in the county needs to help paint an accurate picture of our community by making sure their answers are about their circumstances on Census day. This will help us and other services to better shape the way we do things in the future.”

People around the county have been getting help filling out their forms over the last few weeks, including more than 80 circus performers currently camped out on Pitchcroft as they will be in the city on Sunday.

Latest figures show the national Census Helpline on 0300 0201 101 has taken 342,971 calls since lines opened on Friday, March 4.

More than 20,000 people a day are also using the Census website’s online-help facility to seek help getting started and completing the questionnaire.

FROM PAST TO PRESENT: HOW THE CENSUS CAN BE USED TO DISCOVER HISTORY

WHILE early versions of the Census were less detailed, they are an invaluable historical tool and give a snapshot into times gone by.

The 1861 census for Worcester introduces us to three-year-old Edward Elgar who lived in the city’s College Yard with father William, a piano tuner, four siblings and a live-in servant.

From his relatively humble origins, Elgar would go on to become one of the most famous classical composers in the world.

The 1861 data uncovered by Worcestershire Record Office also reveals that 65-year-old William Perrins and 69-year-old John Lea were enjoying a comfortable lifestyle some 30 years after the launch of their by now worldfamous Worcestershire Sauce.

Mr Perrins lived in Lansdowne Crescent with his wife, two servants and his niece while Mr Lea enjoyed the services of four servants, including a coachman, and lived in Upper Wick with his two children as well as two guests.

Paul Hudson, head of Worcester History Centre, said: “Historical Census data is not only interesting but an absolute gold mine for historians. Understanding how people lived helps us trace the way family-life has evolved.”