Residents' satisfaction on the increase

Nine out of 10 Hertsmere residents are satisfied with the area as a place to live and satisfaction overall is on the increase in the borough.

In an independent survey just published, more residents than before report satisfaction with the way the council runs things, rising from 66% in 2008 to 74% in 2011.

And when asked about the area as a place to live, 91% of respondents were satisfied, compared to 84% in 2008 – an increase of seven percentage points.

Cllr Morris Bright, Leader of the Council, welcomed the findings. “The results of this survey are very encouraging indeed. We work hard to ensure we listen to our residents and deliver the services they want. For example, last time we carried out this survey, many residents said they wanted to recycle more, and so we introduced kerbside glass recycling which has been a tremendous success.

“But there is no mistaking that there have been difficult times over the past three years – we have had to look closely at all the services we offer and make savings wherever possible. However we have tried to do that without affecting the quality of the services we deliver and I think these results bear this out.

“Some of our residents were also involved in an exercise which helped us to focus where money was being spent and I think the results of this survey show what an important exercise that was. Hertsmere remains a fantastic place to live and work and I am glad that the majority of people agree.”

Key findings are:

- 83% of residents who took part agreed the quality of services provided by the council were good (compares to 64% in 2008);
- 74% respondents felt the council kept them well-informed (58% in 2008)
- 60% felt it provided good value for money (55% in 2008)

In relation to specific services provided by the council, of those residents surveyed:

- 82% were satisfied with the doorstep recycling
- 81% were satisfied with refuse collection
- 75% were satisfied with street cleaning
- 82% were satisfied with grass cutting

All of these are an increase on the results of the 2008 survey.

In addition, 99% of respondents said they felt safe when outside during the day and 75% feel safe when outside at night, with 76% of residents agreeing that police and local public services were successfully dealing with local issues in their area.

Cllr Morris Bright continued: "This survey gave residents the opportunity to share with us their views about life in the borough and to ensure that our services continue to meet the needs of the local community.

“While we will of course look closely at the results of this survey to see how we can further improve the wide range of services we offer, I am delighted to see that a high, and increasing, percentage of our residents are satisfied with the way the council runs the borough overall and that people recognise they get great value for money. Every area we asked about the council’s services has seen an improvement from three years ago and this is a significant achievement.”

The Hertsmere Residents’ Tracking survey has been undertaken every three years since 1999. Opinion Research Services (ORS) conducted the research on the council's behalf and results of the 2011 survey are based on interviews with 1,003 residents aged 16+. Interviews were carried out over the telephone during November and December 2011. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender and ethnicity, using the 2001 census profile.

The survey asked questions around key themes:
- Council satisfaction and services
- Information provision
- Contact with the council
- The local area

Hertsmere Borough Council uses the survey to find out what services and issues are important to residents, and what the council should be focusing on. Our thanks go to all residents who took part.

Read the full report.