Ceredigion has been chosen as one of the areas that will host a ‘Census rehearsal’ ahead of the 2021 Census.

But questions have been raised about whether the authority will have to find money within its stretched budget.

Four areas have been chosen as rehearsal areas - Ceredigion, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Carlisle - to cover “a range of potentially difficult issues”.

As part of the council’s responsibilities as part of the rehearsal, it will have to develop an address register to try and ensure the best possible coverage, provide support for the Office of National Statistics, help recruit field staff, provide local data and provide intelligence to “identify and target particular challenges”.

As part of the work, a range of temporary jobs will be created, but Cllr Gareth Davies questioned if the council would have to cover any costs of the work and the new posts.

He said: “The only thing that’s disappointing is the authority isn’t receiving funding from the ONS to fund this and it’ll come out of the existing budget.”

While council leader Ellen ap Gwynn said any staff costs would be met by the ONS, Alun Williams, the corporate lead officer for policy and performance, said much of the work that would be required is something that is already done by the council.

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