Plans to replace 2031 census in England and Wales set to be abandoned after backlash

Experts warn that scrapping survey in favour of administrative records risked fragmented population data

Plans to scrap the 2031 census in England and Wales are expected to be overturned after a backlash from senior statisticians over proposals to replace it with a patchwork of alternative data sources.

The UK government said in 2014 that its ambition" was to abolish the mandatory national survey after 2021 and instead rely on piecing together administrative data" collected by other bodies and surveys. Apart from a wartime gap in 1941, a census has been conducted every 10 years in Britain since 1801.