07 November 2003
The Office for National Statistics has been forced to admit that its population count for Manchester in the 2001 Census was wrong, after research revealed nearly 30,000 extra residents.
A data-matching exercise, conducted jointly by the city council and the ONS, identified an additional 14,000 addresses. As a result, Manchester's population figure has been increased by 29,500 to 422,300.
The authority has consistently maintained that the census figure was wrong since it was published last year. Population statistics are a crucial component of calculating each authority's finance settlement.
Manchester's leader, Richard Leese, said the council had been 'seriously penalised' as a result of the error. He would now seek compensation for the millions of pounds lost in revenue support grant.
'We can now look forward to working with ministers to ensure that the £7.5m grant lost to the city for this year is restored over the coming months,' he said.
The error is an embarrassment to the ONS, which is also locked in a bitter dispute with Westminster City Council over its census result.
It said: 'A comprehensive plan of action has been developed to improve population estimation for estimates published from next year.'
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