LETTER: How the 1991 population figures were calculated

From Ms Eva Hopwood Sir: It comes as no surprise to me that the 1991 census was a shambles. I was an enumerator for the same village in Cumbria in both 1981 and 1991. In 1981, this community was generally co-operative and the amount of paperwork was manageable. In 1991, the re was far more bureaucracy. The people in the village were clearly resentful about the forms and told me so in no uncertain terms, particularly the farmers who had just completed an agricultural survey.

This census was carried out while the poll tax was still being collected. I often thought, on my rounds, about the enumerators in the inner cities who would not have met with the same, albeit reluctant, co-operation as did I.

Yours sincerely, EVA HOPWOOD Kendal, Cumbria