Final reminder to complete census issued by Scottish Government as extended deadline looms

A final reminder to complete the census has been issued as the extended deadline looms.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) has warned Scots that the May 31 deadline is their “last chance” to avoid a £1,000 fine.

The organisation has confirmed that its public awareness campaign and census collection field teams will be closed down on Tuesday.

It has been revealed that the national completion rate currently stands at 86% of all households, with over two million opting to complete it online.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives called the running of this year’s census “shambolic”.

Scottish Conservative MSP Donald Cameron said: “The SNP’s running of Scotland’s census has been shambolic from the start.

“As usual, they have put their nationalist ideology above what’s best for Scotland.

“By rejecting the chance to be part of a successful UK-wide promotion campaign, the SNP seriously damaged the census response rate.

“The survey has so far cost the taxpayer £150million and there is no guarantee that the Scottish Government will receive enough responses today to make the data useable.

“It is essential that these SNP mistakes are not repeated. The Scottish Conservatives are calling on the SNP, and every other political party in Scotland, to match our pledge to ensure that any future census is fully aligned with the rest of the UK.”

Commenting, Scottish Labour constitution, external affairs and culture spokesperson Sarah Boyack said: “It has been one SNP shambles after another recently, but this mess will take years to clean up.

“These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet – this is about funding and services for our communities.

“Without action this will deliver a decade of injustice in Scotland as the worst-off communities are left paying the price for SNP failure.

“The SNP must set out how they will make sure this botched census doesn’t leave the poorest areas short-changed.”