NATIONAL PLACE SURVEY
In September 2008, around 3000 randomly selected households in the Horsham District were asked what it's like to live in the district and what they think about the place where they live. The results are encouraging; with 91% of residents surveyed saying they are satisfied with their local area.
This is the first year of the new Government Place Survey which will be carried out every two years, from September to November, by all local authorities to assess changes in residents’ satisfaction and perceptions with the public services provided by the District Council, County Council, Police and the Health Service in the area. The national results are expected to be released shortly. Local people were asked what they think about issues such as community safety and local decision-making. The Place Survey replaces the old Best Value General Survey previously undertaken by the Council every three years, but is very different.
Examples of high levels of satisfaction include:
81% are satisfied with refuse collection services; 80.4% are satisfied with parks and open spaces; 95% felt very or fairly safe when outside in your local area during the day
The key messages from the survey are that the overall satisfaction ratings for the District as a place to live are high but there local authorities are not complacent; there are areas which are in need of further review:
Only 54.8% were very or fairly satisfied with the way the District Council runs things; only 37.2% knew how to complain about local public services, and only 36.7% definitely or tended to agree that parents take enough responsibility for the behaviour of their children.
The sample size for the Place Survey was in line with government specifications and as a result we have only captured the views of a limited number of residents: Horsham DC would like to thank all those who have responded and would also be very keen to know what other residents think of the public services provided in the area. Residents can comment through our Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions scheme which is available on this website. We welcome your feedback.
The survey was carried out by a specialist market research company called Survey Solutions. If you would like to see more detail about this survey, please follow the following links to the Topline Results document and to the Powerpoint presentation made to Horsham District Council Members.