Peterborough City Council has joined a growing chorus of disapproval from local government over the way population figures are calculated. The council's cabinet member for housing, regeneration and economic development, Cllr John Holdich, said estimates of population growth by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) did not accurately reflect a recent influx of European migrant workers. Cllr Holdich said figures from the ONS suggested the population of Peterborough had grown by just 300 in the past 12 months, but the council's own records showed that 500 extra pupils had enrolled in local primary schools and a further 200 had started at secondary schools in the last 12 months. ‘The ONS calculations are inaccurate because they are based on inadequate sources of information,' said Cllr Holdich. Both Slough Council and Westminster City Council have also questioned ONS statistics in the past. A LGA spokesman said it did not believe the ONS statistics were ‘fit for purpose' and were holding a conference on Wednesday 19 September in London on the subject. No-one was available from the ONS to comment.
