THE countdown to Census Day has begun with a huge recruitment drive being launched in Bury.

And a jobs hotline has been set up to help fill 18 team leader vacancies and 180 enumerator posts.

The census will take place nationwide in April and, in Bury, the team which will handle the mammoth exercise is gearing up in preparation for the massive logistical task.

Former Bury swimming champion and police superintendent Harry Campbell (57) has been appointed area manager for the census.

The survey, which is carried out in the UK every 10 years, will involve people answering a list of 30 wide-ranging questions, including those relating to family, work and general lifestyle.

The results will provide a key snapshot of the UK in terms of its overall population, employment and educational trends as well as focusing on groups, such as the disabled. Mr Campbell, whose census territory also includes Rochdale and Salford, said: "In Bury, we have already appointed six district managers.

"Now, we have launched a recruitment drive to take on three team leaders for each district manager and 30 enumerators for each area.

"The enumerators will be the foot soldiers who will be delivering the census forms."

There will be two delivery periods for the survey material. The initial phase is from April 9-20 and the second from April 21-27.

"Census day is officially April 29 and, ideally, we would like people to send back their forms on May 1," said Mr Campbell.

"For the first time, everybody will be given a yellow envelope which will have a code on it. So, hopefully, the vast majority will fill in the forms and post them free of charge."

Mr Campbell estimates that around 70 per cent of the population will return the completed forms immediately.

Census team leaders and district managers will pick up the forms from local delivery offices.

Mr Campbell continued: "The next phase will be to go back to households to try to get the forms that haven't been posted."

Nationally, there will be a huge effort to ensure that 24 million households throughout England and Wales receive and return the forms.

Meanwhile, there are a number of temporary part-time census jobs on offer. Anyone interested should telephone the jobs hotline on 0845 306 2001.