‘Value for money’ falls but trust in council is up 2%

ALL AREAS: A survey of more than 1,700 residents has found that the number of people who believe the Royal Borough provides value for money has dropped by 11 per cent.

However, satisfaction with the local area and trust in the council has increased, according to the survey by Lake Market Research.

The survey saw 1,740 residents across the borough interviewed, either via telephone or in the street, over July and August this year.

The majority of the results were compared with the Local Government Association average, as well as the findings of a similar questionnaire in 2018.

52 per cent of respondents agreed that the council provides value for money, a drop of 11 per cent on 2018 but higher than the LGA average of 45 per cent.

Moreover, two-thirds of those questioned said they were satisfied with their local authority, a drop of eight per cent from 2018 but higher than the national average (63 per cent).

Trust in the council rose by two to 70 per cent, higher than the national average of 58 per cent.

The survey also found that 89 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with their local area as a place to live, one per cent higher than in 2018.

An overwhelming majority of residents said they felt their local area to be safe during the day, but this dropped to 82 per cent feeling safe in the evenings.

National issues such as the rising cost of living were also considered in the survey, with nearly half of the 18-34-year-old respondents saying they were just about getting by or finding it difficult.

Furthermore, a fifth of all those surveyed said they were at least very concerned about access to ‘secure, good quality housing’.

Responding to the report, council leader Andrew Johnson said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in our independently conducted survey and shared your valuable insights, which will help councillors and officers with making plans, decisions and performance monitoring. I’m pleased to see the

Royal Borough is above the national benchmarks, both as a place to live and a council.

“The council and councillors are constantly in a welcome dialogue with our community.

“Frequently, we hear a range of different viewpoints, and alongside these individual voices it is helpful to have an up-to-date snapshot of people’s perceptions from a representative sample.”