Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Fund free access to the 1921 census in all public libraries

Closed 42 signatures

What the petition asks

As part of the Government's "levelling up" agenda, all census information should be made available to all citizens for free.
The information gathered by the 1921 census at public expense is only freely available at three locations: The National Archives London, Manchester Central Library, and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

It is otherwise available online for "a small fee", although not all would agree that the fee is "small".

This has created a two-tier pricing system, where those who live in London, Manchester, and Aberystwyth effectively get free access, and everyone else has to pay.

Timeline

14 Jan 2022 Petition opened for signatures
14 Jul 2022 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 42
Status Closed
Department Home Office
Opened 14 Jan 2022
Closed 14 Jul 2022

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.