AddThis SmartLayers

Peaking populations on your patch?

Population growth and immigration has been high up the news agenda during 2009 and the Office of National Statistics now believes the UK could hit the 71m mark by 2033.

This is less than half the time it took for the population to go from 50m to 60m between 1948 and 2005.

It is estimated that every year 425,000 more people will be living here, of which 180,000 will be immigrants.

Is this really the case where you work? Check out local birth rates and see if a hospital trust will distinguish between British and foreign new-mums.

Also, many foreign workers take up manual jobs, such as in the construction industry.

With so many building companies being negatively affected by the recession, surely populations should be falling rather than climbing.