2006 Residents’ Survey

Executive Summary

The 2006 Residents’ Survey once again provides Hampshire County Council (HCC) with a very positive set of results, reflecting its status as a ‘Four Star’ council.  Across the range of measures contained in the survey, the strong set of results achieved in 2004 has been maintained, and in some cases have improved further.

Satisfaction with the Council remains very high, with more than two thirds (68%) of residents satisfied with the way HCC is running the area.  This figure is broadly in line with that found in 2004 (67%), and indicates a sustained high level of satisfaction found in each of our face-to-face surveys over the last eight years – 68% (1999), 65% (2002).  The Council appears to be bucking the trend found in BVPI surveys across the country of a further decline in satisfaction in local authorities since 2004, and the Council continues to rank amongst the highest scoring local authorities on this measure in Ipsos MORI’s database of normative local government survey data.

The extent to which residents feel informed about the services and benefits provided by HCC is another area in which the Council continues to achieve impressive results.  More than half (51%) now feel that they are kept well informed by the Council, an increase of four points since 2004 and 14 points since 1999.  As in previous residents’ surveys, these results once again underline the importance of keeping residents informed, with well informed residents offering more positive assessments across a broad variety of measures, including satisfaction with the Council and considering the Council to offer good value for money.  In terms of residents’ experiences of contacting the Council, there have been some small declines in the proportions who found the staff handling their enquiry helpful, efficient, quick in dealing with their problem and able to deal with it.  However, the proportion satisfied with the overall outcome of their enquiry has risen slightly since 2004 (from 61% to 64%).

Examining residents’ perceptions of the Council in more detail also uncovers a largely positive picture, with little change since 2004.  The only two exceptions to this pattern are the proportion of residents agreeing that HCC offers good value for money, which ahs fallen by three points since 2004, and the proportion agreeing that the quality of County Council Services is good overall, which has fallen by four points, although in each case the numbers disagreeing have also fallen slightly.

Over the last eight years, residents’ satisfaction with the local area as a place to live has remained consistently high, with approaching nine in ten residents (86%) are satisfied with the area as a place to live in every survey from 1999 to 2006/07.  Factors linked to Hampshire’s location and its peaceful and quiet nature continue to rank amongst the most commonly cited good things about the area, as they have since 1999.  However, the proportion citing country parks and open spaces as a good thing has increased sharply, from nine percent in 2002 to 23% in 2006.  The level and speed of traffic continues to top residents’ lists of bad things about the area, but the proportion citing young people hanging around has increased further since 2004, and is now mentioned by 17% of residents, as many as mention the level and speed of traffic.

Hampshire continues to rank broadly in line with the average across England and Wales in terms of the proportion of residents who feel safe walking alone after dark.  However, there has been a steep decline in the proportion of residents who say they never go out alone after dark, dropping from 18% in 2002 to just nine percent in 2006.  Residents do continue to cite creating a safer community and reducing the level of crime as key priorities for the Council and its partners.

On the whole, public services in Hampshire continue to be regarded very favourably by residents.  Countryside sites and parks, libraries and archives and street lighting are the most highly rated services among residents as a whole.  Users of countryside sites and parks are also the most satisfied group of service-users, along with users of local primary schools, among whom 87% are satisfied with the service provided.  In line with residents’ assessments of the bad things about the area, facilities for young people are the most poorly, rated services among all residents as well as users of the services.  There have been small declines in satisfaction with some services provided by Adult Services among users and residents as a whole, as well as a decline in satisfaction with waste and recycling services.

More than four in ten residents (44%) disagree that they are able to influence decisions affecting their local area.  A quarter of residents (24%) are dissatisfied with the opportunities for decision-making provided by the Council and 44% would like to get more involved in decisions HCC make affecting their local area.  Four in ten (43%) of residents cite listening to the needs of the community as one of the two or three most important priorities for the Council and its partners, but when asked to choose their preferred relationship with HCC 51% want to know what HCC are doing, but are happy to let them get on with their job.  Residents’ attitudes to their involvement with HCC are very similar to those found in 2004.

Underneath the headline figures discussed in this summary there is considerable variation between different demographic groups within the county in relation to individual measures.  There are also significant differences in the results of the different districts across the county, but these also present no consistent pattern.  The heterogeneity of Hampshire means that priorities and attitudes of residents vary significantly across the county.