Members will receive a presentation from the Communications, Consultation and Digital Services Manager and the Communications and Consultation Officer.

Considered – Presentation from the Communications, Consultation and Digital Services Manager (CCDSM) and the Communications and Consultation Officer (CCO).

The CCDSM and the CCO provided an update on the results of the Residents’ Survey which was carried out earlier in 2024.

The CCDSM explained that the Resident’s Survey is carried out once every two years and provides a valuable insight into how the Council and its services are perceived by the community. The CCDSM explained that 1000 survey responses were needed for the results to be deemed ‘statistically significant.’ As 1680 surveys were returned, the CCDSM explained that the team were 99% confident that the results were representative of the District’s population as a whole.

Members were invited to ask questions throughout the presentation.

1)    The Chair, Cllr. Nick Brown queried whether there may be an element of bias in the results as participants were self-selected (voluntarily chose to participate) and therefore the results would invariably represent the opinions of residents who are more engaged with the Council? The CCDSM explained that social media has expanded the Council’s reach and audience, giving a better view of opinions than in previous years as residents who are unhappy with services are now given more opportunity to respond. However, the CCDSM acknowledged that it ultimately comes down to resident’s willingness to respond.

2)    The Vice-Chair, Cllr. Neil Wright asked whether there were the same number of questions as the 2022 survey? The CCDSM explained that only minor amendments were made to the questions from the 2022 survey as this allows officers to benchmark the data, enabling them to examine which areas have improved and which areas need improving. The CCDSM added that there would be a full review of the questions next year to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

3)    Cllr. Nick Brown requested a breakdown of the response rate by village showing the percentage of respondents in relation to their village’s population size. The CCO agreed to circulate this information after the meeting.

4)    Members discussed the reasons why young people are less likely to respond to the survey than older generations and discussed methods of overcoming the challenges around engaging younger generations, particularly the younger renting sector. Cllr. Tracey Shepherd highlighted the benefits of using social media to engage with the younger demographic. The CCDSM explained that the team would be doing more to engage with the Youth Council and Higher Education establishments leading up to the next Residents Survey.

5)    The CCO presented a word cloud showing resident’s comments on services. Cllr. Nick Brown queried whether the presence of Glenfield and Enderby on the word cloud was related to issues with developments in those areas? The CCO explained that none of these responses specified developmental issues.

6)    While general satisfaction levels were high (in line with LGA survey data), the CCO informed Members that only 57% of respondents agreed that different ethnicities get along in their area. The CCO added that respondents in Thorpe Astley were particularly dissatisfied in relation to this question and also scored lower in the question, ‘How strongly do you feel you belong?’. Members discussed the possible reasons for these divisions, such as international conflicts, and discussed the high number of rental properties and transient population in Thorpe Astley, as a possible reason that why these residents feel less pride in their local area.

7)    Members discussed the possible reasons for Lubbesthorpe’s low satisfaction rates in all aspects of the data and queried whether this related to the lack of community facilities in place. Cllr. Nick Brown highlighted the importance of learning lessons from Lubbesthorpe residents as their concerns can help to shape future developments elsewhere.

8)    Cllr. Nick Brown added that Ward Councillors in Lubbesthorpe would be interested in this data and requested that this information be circulated to them. The Senior Democratic Services & Scrutiny Officer (SDSSO) asked whether there were any other areas of concern that needed to be relayed to Ward Councillors. The CCO responded that there were not.

9)    Cllr. Janet Forey requested that Scrutiny be given early sight of the questions for the next survey in 2026.