Best fit
Figures for areas which overlap those in the standard geographical hierarchy are generally the sum of the counts for the best fit of standard areas, rather than exact counts.
This is to remove any risk that personal Census information might be inadvertently disclosed by differencing of standard sets of counts for overlapping areas. Best fitted figures are limited to those available from the component standard areas.
Most commonly, Output Areas (OAs) are built to best fit wards and other administrative areas where boundaries have been revised after 31 December 2002 (the reference date for the boundaries used to present most 2001 Census results). Where an OA is not wholly within a new area, it is included or excluded on the basis of the location of the majority of its population at Census time placed by their coordinate references in relation to the digital boundary for the new area.
Every 2001 Census record has a National Grid coordinate reference (with a resolution of 1 metre) which allows the records to be sorted by computer processes into areas defined by digital boundaries.
Census Area Statistics (CAS)
The standard set of summary figures, with more detailed tables inter-relating characteristics, available for a range of areas from the most local to the national level. They include all topics covered by the 2001 Census, and are designed to facilitate comparisons.
The CAS comprise of:
Key Statistics - summary figures, also presented as percentages for larger areas.
CAS tables - cross tabulations inter-relating two or more characteristics.
univariate tables - counts giving a more detailed breakdown of a single characteristic.
theme tables - cross tabulations relating various characteristics to standard categories for a particular group in the population.
Equivalents of all figures in the CAS may be found in the more detailed Standard Tables, to facilitate comparison, although they may be broken down into more categories.
The complete CAS in outline form may be viewed in pdf form, or may be searched for particular content using the table finder (Excel file).
County/local authority district
The upper and lower tiers of local government in parts of England.
The 34 'shire' counties, together with a lower tier of 239 local authority districts, administer local government outside Greater London, the metropolitan counties, and Unitary Authorities in England.
Counties are long established, and formerly covered the whole of England and Wales, but various restructuring changed boundaries, introduced new counties, and abolished others [more details on change in Census geography...].
More information on counties and local authority districts (and Unitary Authorities) in England, with a map, is available in the ONS Geography Guide.
CSV
Comma Separated Variable (CSV) is an industry standard file format in which values are separated by a comma, with values in predetermined positions. Census results are available in two versions of the format.
The results available on the Neighbourhood Statistics website can be downloaded in the format which can be read by a number of spreadsheet packages.
The results supplied direct by Census Customer Services are in the format designed to load into database systems, and are not designed to be used in spreadsheet packages. These provide data in DATA files, descriptions of the row and column labels in DESC files, and table numbering, title information, and footnotes in META files - a structure agreed with large volume users.
DBF
DBF is an industry standard file format. A DBF file contains a header record and data records. The structure of the file is defined in the header record, and this also contains any other information related to the file. Data records follow the header.
Digital / raster / vector boundary
Boundaries in electronic form for reproduction and manipulation, largely replacing supply as paper copies.
A linear boundary is converted into a series of coordinate references of sufficient frequency, particularly where the boundary changes direction, to allow it to be reproduced at a required scale as a line joining the referenced points. Supplementary data relate the boundary to the area(s) which it defines, and facilitate the reproduction of a complex set of boundaries.
Digital boundaries in raster form allow reproduction, for example the maps of Census boundaries viewable on the Neighbourhood Statistics website, whilst boundaries in vector form available in these Census products allow manipulation and re-use through geographical information system (GIS) software.
Disclosure protection / confidentiality
Measures applied to all 2001 Census output in England and Wales to prevent the inadvertant disclosure of personal Census information about identified individuals [more details...].
England and Wales, England, Wales
England and Wales are two of the four parts of the United Kingdom, together with Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Census Act 1920 authorises the Registrar General to conduct a Census in England and Wales, and reports for England and Wales are laid before Parliament. Results presented for England and Wales as a whole are usually also available for England as a whole, the nine Government Office Regions for England, and Wales as a whole.
Certain government responsibilities were devolved to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and bilingual Welsh/English reports have been produced from the 2001 Census to meet requirements of the devolved administration.
There is separate Census legislation for Scotland and for Northern Ireland and reports are made separately, although there is a substantial common core of standard and comparable 2001 Census results throughout the United Kingdom in the reports, Standard Tables, and Census Area Statistics (CAS).
More information on the subdivisions is available in the ONS Geography guide, for England, and for Wales.
Enumeration District
Areas providing workloads and an organisational structure for the delivery, collection, and processing of the 2001 and earlier Censuses.
From the 1961 to the 1991 Census, Enumeration Districts (EDs) were the smallest area for which results were made available. They 'nested' within administrative areas, and were handled as units throughout processing. They were, however, primarily designed for operational rather than statistical purposes, and were redrawn for each Census. They were superseded for 2001 Census output purposes by Output Areas (OAs). OAs generally do not map onto EDs [more details of change in Census geography...].
European electoral region
Returns a member to the European Parliament.
The twelve regions comprise the nine Government Office Regions of England, together with Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
More information on European electoral regions is available in the ONS Geography guide.
The figures from the report are available as simple local authority and region profiles with rankings and graphics as a 'quick pictures'.
Government Office Region
Regions set up in England in 1994 to coordinate the regional activities of a number of government departments, and which form the primary statistical subdivision of England.
Government Office Regions (GORs) succeeded the Standard Statistical Regions, previously used to report Census results, and differ in geographical definition.
More information on GORs, with maps, and the former Standard Statistical Regions, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Headcounts
Counts of the number of resident males and females, and resident households, in an area.
Health area
The areas for administration of the health service have been subject to relatively frequent reorganisation in England, and separately in Wales, with a number of cases of uncertainty of definition at the time of the production of the 2001 Census results. The definitions and boundaries of the areas for which results are presented have the reference date of 31 December 2002 (for Primary Care Trusts) and 01 April 2003 (for Local Health Boards).
Local Health Board (LHB) (Wales)
Established generally in April 2003 as part of the restructuring of the health service in Wales, and correspond to the 22 Unitary Authorities in Wales. There are also three Regional Offices (North, \Mid and West, and South East).
Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Care Trusts
Established in April 2002 as part of the reorganisation of the health service in England. The 304 Trust areas comprise of groupings of electoral wards (as at 1 April 2002), and are grouped within Strategic Health Authorities.
Strategic Health Authority (SHAs)
Established in April 2002 as part of the restructuring of the health service in England. The 28 Authority areas comprise of individual, or groupings of local authorities.
2006 health geography reorganisation
Health administration in England was significantly restructured in 2006.
On 1 July 2006 the number of Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) reduced from 28 to 10.
On 1 October 2006 the number of Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) reduced from 303 to 152. The PCOs are made up of 148 Primary Care Trusts and 4 Care Trusts. CTs are similar to PCTs, but with responsibilities for social as well as health care. PCOs report to the SHAs.
More information on health geography in England and in Wales (and in the UK as a whole), with maps, and with an account of recent changes, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Hectares
Measure of the extent of areas for which Census results are reported.
Measurements were calculated for each Output Area (OA), and aggregated to larger areas. They include all land within the Ordnance Survey mean high water mark, but exclude extensive areas of inland water and any additional areas of water included within the administrative boundaries.
HTML
Hyper Text Mark Up Language (HTML) is the language used to develop web pages for display on, for example, the internet. Basic pages can be read by all standard internet browsers. The 2001 Census interactive CDs which accompany and supplement the printed reports use HTML pages to provide access to results on CD without the user having to install specialized software.
Key Statistics
Provide a summary of the main results of the 2001 Census, particularly to enable comparisons at local, regional, and national level.
Equivalents of all figures in the Key Statistics may be found in the more detailed Standard Tables, to facilitate comparison, although they are usually broken down into more categories.
The complete Key Statistics in outline form are available in PDF format - each area is covered by a row in each table, as percentage values in reports - and may be searched for particular content through the table finder (Excel file).
Local authority
The general term for a body administering local government.
Local government is administered by either single tier or two tier local authorities in various parts of England. The single tier authorities are the Unitary Authority, the metropolitan district, and the London borough, largely in the major urban areas. The two tier authorities elsewhere are the county and the local authority district. There are single tier Unitary Authorities throughout Wales.
More information on administrative (local authority) geography in England and in Wales (and throughout the UK), with maps, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
London; Greater London, Inner and Outer London, London borough
Greater London is the area of the Greater London Council set up in 1966, and abolished in 1986, but having some strategic functions and retained for the presentation of statistics.
It comprises of 32 London boroughs which administer local government in Greater London, with a status similar to metropolitan districts, together with the Corporation of the City of London which is treated as a borough for statistical purposes.
Inner London is the part of Greater London which formed the former London County from 1889 to 1965, and comprises of the City of London and thirteen boroughs. The remaining nineteen boroughs form Outer London, and the Inner/Outer division is frequently used for statistical purposes.
More information on Greater London and London boroughs, with maps, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Look up files
A list which links one set of areas to another in exact or approximate terms, normally supplied as a computer file.
Output Areas (OAs) build exactly into the larger areas in the standard geographical hierarchy for 2001 Census output, and the 'constitution' of the standard geography is available as a look up file. Output for other areas is on a best fit basis, and similar look up files are available. There is also a file which lists the whole or part postcodes in each OA (around the time of the 2001 Census), mainly to allow data referenced by postcode to be linked to characteristics drawn from Census statistics. [More details about the look up files available...].
MDB
MDB databases are files that are used in a variety of Microsoft products, in particular in Microsoft Access databases. The files are identified by a .DBF file extension.
Metropolitan district / county
Metropolitan district authorities administer local government in the former metropolitan counties of England.
The six former metropolitan counties were set up as upper tier authorities in 1974, together with 36 metropolitan districts, but were abolished in 1986, and the metropolitan districts became single tier authorities. The metropolitan counties, which approximate to the major agglomerations of population outside Greater London, have been retained as areas for the presentation of statistics.
More information on Metropolitan counties and districts, with maps, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
MID/MIF format
A file format holding digitised boundaries for use in geographic software developed by MapInfo. The files are identified by .MID and .MIF file extensions.
Migration and migrants
The Census counts people who had a different address of residence one year before the Census as 'migrants'.
Figures on migration measured in this way are available for migrants to an area (wherever they lived a year before) and for migrants from an area (where they were enumerated in the UK). There are also origin/destination matrices giving 'flows' of migrants between areas.
Moving Group
A group of people who migrated together.
Defined as a group of people within a household or communal establishment who are migrants and had the same postcode or (overseas) country code for their address one year before Census day. A person moving by themselves or with no usual address one year before the Census is included as a moving 'group' for statistical purposes.
National Assembly for Wales constituency/region
Return members to the elected body responsible for the devolved administration of Wales.
The 60 members of the National Assembly for Wales are elected from 40 single member constituencies with the same boundaries as UK parliamentary constituencies, with the remaining 20 members being elected by proportional representation from five electoral regions that coincide with pre 1999 European Parliament constituencies.
More information on the devolved administration in Wales (and on the developed administrations elsewhere in the UK), with maps, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
National Park
An area of countryside, populated in part, designated for outstanding landscape value.
Each has a National Park authority to administer the special functions of the Parks, but each is also subject to the processes of the constituent local authorities. Reference maps for each park also showing the constituent local authorities, are on pages 398 to 408 of the Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales printed report.
The boundaries of the eight National Parks in England and the three in Wales are based on landscape quality and are generally not coterminous with other administrative boundaries or recognised in the creation of Output Areas, but the figures presented for each National Park as a whole are based on a count of the population within the exact boundary of the Park at the reference date of 31 December 2002 so that administration could be based on as accurate as possible facts about often distinctive socio-economic circumstances of the Park areas.
More information on National Parks, with a small scale national map is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Origin / destination matrices
Statistics of flows of migrants or of journeys between residences and workplaces.
Presented as matrices (in computer files) of all areas by all areas at a particular geographical level. These give counts of either the numbers resident in one area one year before the Census but resident at the Census in another, that is the area to area 'flow' of migrants, or residents by address of workplace in the week before the Census, that is the area to area 'flow' of journeys to work. Further tables in the Census Area Statistics (CAS) and the Standard Tables give information on out migrants and in migrants in an area, and on workers at their address of residence and workplace.
Output Area
The smallest area for which detailed 2001 Census results are available. Output Areas (OAs) were created specifically for statistical purposes on the basis of data from the 2001 Census, using objective and systematic criteria in an automatic zoning process, and providing a consistent geographical building brick throughout England and Wales.
A full introduction to OAs and the methods used to create them is available.
They have an average population size of 125 households and around 300 residents, each clustered around a single mode, always above the confidentiality thresholds of at least 100 residents and 40 households. They generally fit exactly within the boundaries of parishes/communities and wards as at the reference date of 31 December 2002, and comprise where possible of whole postcode units as at the time of the Census. The boundaries were created to enclose as compact an area as possible, although shapes may be attenuated by underlying patterns of settlement and postcodes. Where possible, OA boundaries were drawn to contain populations with homogenous characteristics, and around small, free-standing settlements.
Supply of digital boundaries for use in geographical information systems was a prime purpose of the OA production process, and these are available as files from Census Customer Services in MID/MIF or SHAPE formats generally without restriction on use.
Boundaries of OAs in local areas overlain on topographical base maps may be viewed in the 'Customised tables, charts and maps' option of Neighbourhood Statistics or in Nomis 'wizard' and 'advanced' queries as part of the 'geography' step after activating 'turn maps on'.
Super Output Area (SOA)
Two levels of larger standard building bricks built from OAs and providing a consistent geography for statistical output and stability over time [more details...].
Parish (England) / Community (Wales)
The most local level at which limited local government functions may be administered.
Parish/Civil Parish (England)
The parts of England that were administratively Rural Districts before local government reorganisation in 1974 are divided into parishes - sometimes known as 'civil parishes' to distinguish them from ecclesiastical parishes which may have different boundaries - often with boundaries dating back many centuries. The remaining parts of England may be termed
unparished areas.
Parishes formed one or more Output Area (OA)
where populations were above confidentiality
thresholds. But a number fell below the thresholds, and were
amalgamated with other parishes for the release of Census Area Statistics (CAS).
Simple profiles are available for parishes with at least 40 residents and 20 households, and headcounts are available for parishes below those thresholds.
Community (Wales)
The administrative Rural Districts in Wales were divided into parishes prior to local government reorganisation in 1974, but parishes were then designated as communities, and the remaining parts of Wales were also divided into communities. They similarly formed one or more Output Areas (OAs), and the same measures apply for communities with sub threshold populations.
More information on parishes/communities is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Boundaries of parishes and communities in local areas, overlain on topographical base maps may be viewed in the 'Customised tables, charts and maps' option of Neighbourhood Statistics (guidance on finding maps).
Parliamentary Constituency (UK)
Area returning a Member of Parliament to the House of Commons at Westminster.
The number and boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies are revised from time to time. At the time of the election of May 2005 there were 646 constituencies in the UK . The boundaries of those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland had remained unchanged from the time of the Census in 2001, but new constituency boundaries were implemented in Scotland for the election. The boundaries for constituencies in Scotland in the UK Report for Parliamentary Constituencies are those existing at the time of the Census, and figures for the new constituencies are available the GROS website.
More information on UK Parliamentary Constituencies, with a map as at May 2005, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Postal geography / postal sector / postcode
A hierarchical coding system in the public domain which ultimately gives a unique identity to either single addresses or to small groups of addresses throughout the United Kingdom. Primarily developed and maintained by Royal Mail for the delivery of mail, but also an important means of coding other data on a common geographical basis and of defining areas to analyse and present such data.
A postcode has an outward code such as PO16, and an inward code such as PO16 7DZ. The whole code defines the address or group of addresses in a unit postcode (approximately 1.78 million in the UK in 2005). The units sharing an outward code and first digit of the inward code (PO16 7) form a postcode sector (11,597). The sectors sharing an outward code (PO1) form a postcode district (3,064), and the first part of the outward code (PO) is the postcode area
(124). Postal geographies are not coterminous with any administrative areas. [More details of postal geography ...].
All addresses in the 2001 Census were postcoded. The postcodes were used in the production of Output Areas, for the production of results for postal sectors, and for the production of look up files including postcodes.
Postal geography is revised from time to time by Royal Mail, and the postal geography used for Census output may have changed subsequently. The most up to date version available for statistical purposes is in the All Fields Postcode Directory.
Profile
A simple summary of 2001 Census results for quick reference and comparisons.
Content varies to suit the needs of the main users of profiles for
Reference date
The date applying to the boundary of an area for which Census results are presented.
The boundaries of many areas for which Census results are presented change from time to time as a result of statutory reviews or administrative reorganisation, or for operational reasons. This is generally done for greater effectiveness or consistency in electoral representation, although the United kingdom is distinctive among the member states of the European Union for the large number of such changes. The electoral wards or divisions within each single or lower tier local authority are, for example, reviewed periodically.
Where not otherwise specified the boundaries of areas are as at Census day (29 April 2001), but the reference date of the boundaries of most administrative areas is 31 December 2002. These were the most up to date boundaries available before the main releases of results.
Report
An account of the results of the Census laid before Parliament, and thus published, to meet the duty of the Registrar General under section 4.1 of the Census Act 1920 which governs census taking.
The act requires each report to be printed, although the number of printed 2001 Census volumes was much reduced compared with earlier censuses. The 2001 reports were succinct, and detailed results were included as supplementary CDs. Versions are also available without charge in downloadable form online, in most cases with supplementary information [More details...]
Although a report prefaces other releases of results, and the reports cover every topic in the Census and include all the main results, the bulk of Census results - particularly for local areas - is available via the web or CDs/DVDs.
Resolution (high / low)
Governs the precision and scale at which a digital boundary can be reproduced.
Digital boundaries stored at a high resolution have a high frequency of coordinates giving the precise position of the boundary and permit accurate reproduction at large scales. But such files are large, and, for less precise reproduction and to reduce file size, coordinates which have only a minor effect on position are filtered out to produce low resolution boundaries.
Rural area (2004 definition)
The Government definition and classification of the rural parts in England and Wales.
Each Output Area (OA) is classified on a 'morphological' basis - essentially indicating whether an area is built up or has more open land - which allows a larger area to be described in terms its of rural and non-rural parts, for example with Census figures for the two parts [more details of the definition and classification...]
The main Census results on urban areas were prepared before the new classification was finalised, but, whilst all urban areas and settlements with fewer than 10,000 residents in 2001 are included in the rural category of the new definition, all results are compatible through the use of OAs as building bricks.
Settlement
An area of urban land of 20 hectares or more with at least 100 residents but fewer than 1,500 - typically a medium sized village or very small town.
Areas of land with an urban use were recognised as part of the process of defining urban areas. Those with fewer than 1,500 residents in the 2001 Census - the minimum cut off point for an urban area - but at least 100 residents were designed as 'settlements', particularly so that figures would be available for named places such as villages which are only part of a larger administrative areas.
Shape format
A file format holding digitised boundaries for use in geographic software developed by ESRI.
Standard geographical hierarchy
Comprises of Output Areas (OAs) and all areas used to present 2001 Census results which are exactly coterminous with an OA or with an aggregate of two or more OAs.
Standard Tables
The standard set of comprehensive figures, with many detailed tables inter-relating characteristics, and available for a range of areas from local (ward) to the national level. They include all topics covered by the 2001 Census.
cross tabulations inter-relating two or more characteristics.
theme tables - cross tabulations relating various characteristics to standard categories for a particular group in the population
A limited number of the univariate tables - counts giving a more detailed breakdown of a single characteristic - are included in the National report for England and Wales to supplement the Standard Tables and to complete comparability with the Census Area Statistics (CAS).
Equivalents of all figures in the CAS may be found in the Standard Tables to facilitate comparison, although they may be broken down into more categories.
The complete Standard Tables in outline are available in PDF format, or particular content may be searched for using the table finder (Excel file).
Statutory instrument
A legal measure which implements a specific secondary consequence of primary legislation, for example to implement new boundaries for local authorities.
Statutory instruments are part of United Kingdom law, separate from Acts of Parliament, which do not require full Parliamentary approval, and may either be passed by affirmative resolution of the Houses of Commons and Lords, or by negative procedure where they are simply laid before Parliament but subject to possible annulment, before they become law.
Generally, Census results are not released for areas with new statutory boundaries before a statutory instrument has become law.
SuperTABLE
SuperTABLE is the file format produced by SuperCROSS, the proprietary software supplied by STR (Space Time Research Ltd) and used to produce counts from the 2001 Census.
Most Census counts are available as SuperTABLE files. A free viewer is provided on Census CDs and DVDs, and can also be downloaded form the producer's website (www.str.com.au). An alternative is to obtain the counts from the Neighbourhood Statistics or Nomis websites [More details on the choices of media and sources...].
Theme tables
Cross tabulations in the Census Area Statistics (CAS) and be Standard Tables relating various characteristics to standard categories for a particular group in the population.
Threshold/amalgamation
Minimum population thresholds are applied for the release of sets of results to help prevent the inadvertent disclosure of personal Census information, and areas which fall below thresholds may be amalgamated with others to allow the release of results for the population of the amalgamated area.
parish/Community Profiles 50 residents and 20 households.
There are no thresholds for headcounts, but small counts are adjusted as part of disclosure protection.
These measures are applied to predefined areas, such as parishes, wards or postal sectors, for which a particular set of results are generally available, but which may sometimes have populations below the thresholds. All Output Areas are above the threshold for Census Area Statistics (CAS) and Key Statistics.
Amalgamations are of contiguous areas, and of the same type of area wherever possible. They were done in consultation with the local authorities of the areas concerned. The few postal sectors which fell below thresholds were not amalgamated with other sectors as there was no definitive information about contiguity of sectors.
As part of local government reorganisation in England between 1995 and 1998, the two tier structure of counties and local authority districts was replaced in parts of England by 46 single tier Unitary Authorities, many of which are major urban centres outside the largest urban agglomerations.
Local government reorganisation in Wales in 1996 replaced the previous two tier structure entirely by 22 Unitary Authorities.
Otherwise 2001 Census reports were made separately under the separate Census legislation respectively for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Although supplied separately by the three UK census organisations, there is a substantial common core of standard and comparable results in the Standard Tables and Census Area Statistics (CAS).
More information on the subdivisions of the UK, with maps, is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Univariate tables
Counts giving a more detailed breakdown of a single characteristic (variable), arranged as a table but without cross relation to other characteristics (variables).
Used in the Census Area Statistics (CAS) where detailed breakdowns in cross tabulations would have increased the risk of the inadvertent disclosure of personal Census information, but also included in part in the Standard Tables for comparability with the CAS where the breakdowns were not available in other tables.
Urban area
Major urban agglomerations, cities, and smaller towns defined in terms of their physical extent rather than by any administrative boundaries.
Census reports with results for urban areas and the remaining 'rural' populations were first produced from the 1981 Census to meet a widespread interests in towns and cities as such when the administrative distinction between urban and rural areas disappeared after local government reorganisation in 1974. Similar reports have been produced from the 1991 and 2001 Censuses.
The method of defining an urban area has remained generally consistent for the 1981 - 2001 Census reports - the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its predecessors have identified area of urban land use (a tangible 'bricks and mortar' approach) in England and Wales of at least 20 hectares in extent, and then the smallest 'building bricks' for which Census results have been produced - Enumeration Districts in 1981 and 1991, and Output Areas in 2001 - have been fitted to the boundaries of the urban land, and, where the Census day population exceeds a minimum size (1,500 residents in 2001), the area of land was designated as a named urban area, with sub-divisions where appropriate. Results are also available from the 2001 Census for settlements with less than 1,500 residents. The reports contain more details of the process, and have maps of the urban areas.
The reports do not contain a definition of rural areas or a rural population as such, and although the ten percent of the population remaining outside the urban areas may be regarded as 'rural', small towns may be considered to be part of a broader definition rural population, and the Government issued a new definition of rural and urban areas in 2004, for which 2001 Census results are available, and which places some 19 per cent of the population of England and Wales in rural areas.
Urban subdivisions
Major urban areas and others with more than one central focus are divided where possible to produce figures about localities within them. Previously separate urban areas, where urban land has merged, are also recognised by subdivisions where possible. Subdivisions often follow the boundaries of local authorities existing before reorganisation in 1974, or the boundaries of current authorities within urban areas.
Ward
A subdivision of a local authority drawn up for electoral purposes.(Described in full as "electoral wards" in England, and as "electoral divisions" in Wales and in the Isle of Wight).
Wards are represented at local authority level by councillors, and the availability of statistical information for wards has considerable importance for local government. The wards within each single or lower tier local authority are reviewed periodically, and changes are implemented through statutory instruments.
Wards vary considerably in population size from a few with only a handful of residents, to a range of sizes between a few hundred residents to a few thousand residents in a typical local authority district, and to a range of sizes between several thousand residents to over 30,000 residents in the larger London boroughs, metropolitan districts, and Unitary Authorities. This puts some limits on the use of wards as standard comparable areas.
More information about wards in England and Wales is available in the ONS Geography guide.
Boundaries of 2003 wards in local areas overlain on topographical base maps may be viewed in the 'Customised tables, charts and maps' option of Neighbourhood Statistics [guidance on finding maps] or in the Nomis 'wizard' and 'advanced' queries as part of the 'geography' step after activating 'turn maps on'.
1991 ward
A ward with a reference date of Census day (5 April 1991).
2001 and 2003 wards
The reference date for the boundaries of wards was generally 31 December 2002 which was a response to a widespread requirement for up to date areas. Where wards changed between 2001 and the end of 2002, results for the 2001 wards were not produces as a routine, but the majority of wards were unchanged.
2004 and later ward
A ward with a reference date at the end of 2003 or later years where boundary change has been implemented by statutory instrument in that calendar year.
Figures produced for these wards are on a best fit basis.
CAS ward
A ward with populations above the thresholds for the release of Census Area Statistics (CAS). Only 18 wards, mainly in the City of London, fell below the thresholds. They were amalgamated for the release of CAS.
Standard ward
A ward with populations above the thresholds for the release of Standard Tables. Some 113 wards fell below the thresholds, and were amalgamated for the release of Standard Tables.
Workplace and travel to work
The Census obtains the workplace address of those who were in employment in the week below the Census, and presents statistics of workers by area of address of workplace as well as area of residence. There are also matrices giving 'flows' from residence to workplace.
Census News
