Council and democracy

Agenda item

Residents Survey Results

Minutes:

The Director of Strategy, Communications & Customer Services presented the report which provided Members with the headline results of the recent Residents Survey. Members were notified that Cabinet had invited all Overview and Scrutiny Committees to consider the results.

 

She continued by advising 1,000 telephone interviews with Thurrock residents were carried out between late November and early December 2016, achieving a representative sample of the population across the borough.

 

It was mentioned the survey was the first of its kind since 2010 and was an important opportunity to capture local people’s experiences and perceptions of the place, their community, the council and its services, that can be considered representative of the wider Thurrock population.

 

Members were informed that the majority of the results were positive with:

 

·         69% of residents feeling satisfied with their local area as a place to live

·         70% felt that they belong strongly to their local area

·         61% agreed that their local area was a place where people from different backgrounds got on well together

·         89% felt safe when outside in their local area during the day

 

It was also discussed that the results clearly displayed the issues most important to Thurrock residents including the maintenance of roads such as fixing potholes, waste and recycling collections, and parks, playgrounds and green spaces.

 

The Director of Strategy, Communications and Customer Services informed the Committee that Cabinet had agreed Clean it, Cut it and Fill it to continue to improve cleanliness around the borough and to also improve Customer Service within the Council.

 

Members were further advised that Cabinet had agreed to repeat the survey in September 2017.

 

It was enquired as to how resident’s details were collected to enable them to be called. Officers explained that an external marketing company was used to carry out the survey. It was further explained that residents’ were asked to confirm their postcode and if they were happy to provide an email address.

 

The Chair of the Committee mentioned that it was important to look at the results for Grounds maintenance service, parks, playgrounds, open spaces and street cleaning. He commended the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet for their policy relating to enforcement with litter.

 

During discussions Members commented on the cleanliness of the A13 on the Dock Approach road stating it was unacceptable for Highways England to leave it in such a state.  

 

Councillor Redsell remarked that she had reported areas of the A13 to Environment Officers, who had informed her that it was not the Council’s responsibility but that of Highways England. 

 

Members further discussed the parking of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). It was raised that the car park at the Tilbury Fort was being used as a parking lot, along with the laybys on the Mannorway in Stanford Le Hope. The Committee agreed that Port of Tilbury and DP World should be informed of the situation.

 

It was remarked that HGVs should be using the lorry park situated at West Thurrock not parking on the highway.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered and commented on the results of the Residents Survey 2016.

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