Fifth highest increase in country, of 17.6%

The population of Hounslow grew to more than a quarter of a million over the last decade, according to the first figures published from the 2011 census.

The increase of 17.6 per cent since 2001 is the fifth highest in the country.

The figures put the borough’s population at 254,000 in 2011, up from 216,000 in 2001, and the total number of households in the borough has increased from 83,994 to 94,900 over the same period.

Hounslow, along with three other London boroughs – Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney - plus Manchester made up the top five.

One in four census forms in Hounslow were filled in on-line, the fifth highest online return in the capital

Cllr Sachin Gupta, Hounslow council’s cabinet member for communities and consultations, said:

“Our borough’s population has grown over the past ten years and this presents opportunities as well as challenges.

“A growing population can mean more resources, but also an increased strain on services at a time when money is tight.

“This data is the first tranche from the 2011 census and over the coming year we will be able to analyse the detail and make sure that it informs important decisions on where and how we run services.

“I was very pleased that the online return from the borough was so high with five Hounslow wards, Hounslow Central, Hounslow Heath, Heston East, Hounslow West and Heston Central in the top 50 in London.”

Cllr Sue Sampson, cabinet member for performance and customer care, said:

“The Census helps us make sure that the local services that people rely on, such as transport, housing and schools can be provided where they are needed.

“We worked hard to make sure the response rates provided data as accurately as possible, as this is vital in ensuring that Hounslow gets the correct share of Government funding in future.”

The local wards of Hounslow Central, Hounslow Heath, Heston East, Hounslow West, Heston Central, were among the highest in London for online returns, which made up 24.9 per cent of returns across the borough.

More information about first round of data from the 2011 Census is available on the ONS website

More information about when more data will be published can be found here.

July 20, 2012