RESIDENTS are being urged to take part in the upcoming census survey which will be run online for the first time.

Census Day 2021 is set to take place on March 21.

The survey, which is carried out once every decade, provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales.

This year's survey will be the first to be run predominantly online.

Households will receive a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on computers, phones or tablets.

Lewes District Council is urging residents to take part, and households will receive letters from early March.

This year's survey will include voluntary questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time.

Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said: “A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed.

“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes.

"That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years.

The census has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.