Agenda item
Brent 2009 Residents Attitude Survey
This report provides an update on the findings from the 2009 Brent residents’ attitude survey. The objective of the survey was to find out how residents feel about living in Brent, their views on the council and the services it provides as well as other issues of importance for people living in the area.
Minutes:
Cathy Tyson informed Members of results of the most recent Brent Residents’ Attitude Survey. She suggested that the methodologies employed during the survey made it more robust in comparison with the 2009 Place Survey, in particular it was felt that it provided a fairer reflection of the improvements the Council had undertaken to deliver better quality services to residents. The Select Committee heard that Residents Attitude Survey was based on face to face interviews with 2,243 people aged 16 years and over at their homes. Cathy Tyson then drew Members’ attention to the results of the survey, with 65% of residents expressing overall satisfaction with the way the Council operates its services, an improvement of 17% from the previous Residents Attitude Survey in 2005 and the highest recorded satisfaction levels since the surveys had begun in 1990. By contrast, the Place Survey had recorded a decline in satisfaction levels from 52% in 2006/07 to 45% in 2009. Other headline Residents Attitude Survey results for 2009 included:-
· 83% satisfaction in area as a place to live, up from 75% in 2005
· 25% felt their area had improved, 23% that it had got worse and 40% that it had not changed much, compared with 27% who thought it had got worse and 37% that it had not changed much in 2005.
· 51% thought there was a strong sense of community, compared with 37% in 2005
· 74% thought that Brent is a place where people from different cultural backgrounds get on well together
· 32% felt that they could influence decisions in their local area, an issue that the Council needs to focus on
Cathy Tyson advised that residents perceived levels of crime as the issue most needing improvement, followed by activities for teenagers, road and pavement repairs, clean streets and level of traffic congestion. This mirrored the results from 2005, with activities for teenagers up from fourth to second, clean streets down from second to fourth and road and pavement repairs down from second to third. Satisfaction levels increased in 24 of the 28 services surveyed since 2005, with the 86% satisfaction in refuse collection and 81% in recycling facilities reflecting the Council’s upgraded waste contract and the introduction of compulsory recycling. The single largest increase in satisfaction for local services was 18% in sports facilities. Members heard that there had also been a decrease in dissatisfaction for 19 of the 28 service areas surveyed since 2005, with the largest decrease of 11% in public conveniences. Less than 10% thought Council services had got worse, 18% better and 63% about the same. Cathy Tyson explained that the 36% of respondents who felt that the Council provided good value for money, a 10% increase from 2005, reflected increased communication with residents, and 59% of residents felt that the quality of Council services overall was good. The Select Committee noted that there had been a significant rise in those using the Council’s website as a source of information about the Council, up to 22%.
During discussion, Councillor Van Kalwala commented that the survey only questioned 1% of the Brent population and he enquired how the methodology could be regarded as robust. He asked the reasons why there was a four year gap between each Residents Attitude Survey and whether increased frequency would drive up costs. He also sought details of the response rate for the Place Survey.
The Chair commented that less frequent, but higher quality surveys were preferable to higher frequency but lower quality and that it was important that the methodology used was robust.
In reply, Cathy Tyson advised that the Residents Attitude Survey had the largest sample of people ever used for a Council survey and that Ipsos MORI who had undertaken the survey had advised that the sample was a sufficient size for the Brent population. Interviewers had received appropriate training to ensure that residents were not influenced in any way during the questioning. Members noted that increasing the frequency of the survey would compromise quality due to costs and it was felt that it was better and more useful to have higher quality surveys. The Select Committee also heard that the Residents Attitude Survey allowed for the results to be analysed on a ward basis.
Cathy Tyson advised that there had only been approximately a return of 1,500 out of 5,000 surveys sent out for the Place Survey and that it was a requirement that every local authority undertake this as part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment set of indicators. There was no flexibility to change the prescribed methodology, however the Place Survey did not take into account a number of issues specific to Brent, such as the proportion of residents where English language was not their first language.
RESOLVED:-
that the report on the Brent 2009 Residents Attitude Survey be noted.
Supporting documents: