Listening to you

Dumped cars and dog fouling are two of the top concerns where you think fines should be issued.

Dog fouling is also perceived to be among the biggest problems in the local area, according to a recent survey with Hertsmere residents, with 89% of respondents suggesting it is a problem.

The issues have been highlighted in a report published today, following research with local people.

Cllr Morris Bright, Leader of the Council, explained: "We regularly ask our residents what they think of our services and what issues they would like us to focus on.

“In this latest survey we asked residents for their opinions around three themes - fixed penalty notices, the environment and communications - and the results are very interesting.

“We have been exploring the idea of issuing fixed penalty notices to tackle problems which can affect the quality of life for people and our local environment and it is good to know that in general people support this course of action for certain issues. 
 
“We don’t want to be dishing out fines all the time. However, as there is support for fining then this is something we will explore with a view to introducing in the future. If even the threat of getting a fine helps to stop a problem, then that's a good result for residents and for the condition of our open spaces and towns."

The research also asked for views on recycling and residents are mostly in favour of a kerbside collection for glass (80%), with support for textile and nappy collections at 29% and 27% respectively.
“It is also encouraging that residents want more opportunities to recycle," continued Cllr Bright. "We recognise that we all need to do more and more recycling and cannot afford to be complacent.

“It is also important that residents know what we are doing for them and what services they can take advantage of. We asked questions around our communications methods so that we can ensure we are communicating with residents in the way they want us to. I am very pleased that Hertsmere News - our regular magazine - is seen as a valued source of information and we will certainly be looking at these results to see where else we can improve."

The full report is available here  but some key results are:

Residents would most like to see fixed penalty notices issued for dog fouling (53%); abandoning a vehicle (40%); cases of re-offending where warnings have been issued (37%); graffiti or minor vandalism (35%); minor incidents of fly-tipping (31%) and littering including litter being thrown from vehicles (31%).
 
Residents get their information about Hertsmere Borough Council from magazines such as the quarterly residents’ magazine Hertsmere News’ (74%), followed by local newspapers (53%). Residents indicated they would prefer to receive information about council services through letters or direct mail, the internet or Hertsmere News.

87% of respondents would use a kerbside glass collection if it was available.