London Borough of Barnet Residents Perception Survey Quarter 2/3, 2013/14

Transcription

1 Opinion Research Services Opinion Research Services London Borough of Barnet Residents Perception Survey QTR 2/3, January 2014 London Borough of Barnet Residents Perception Survey Quarter 2/3, 2013/14 January 2014 Opinion Research Services The Strand, SWANSEA. SA1 1AF

2 Opinion Research Services Opinion Research Services London Borough of Barnet Residents Perception Survey QTR 2/3, January 2014 As with all our studies, findings from this survey are subject to Opinion Research Services Standard Terms and Conditions of Contract Any press release or publication of the findings of this survey requires the advance approval of ORS. Such approval will only be refused on the grounds of inaccuracy or misrepresentation This study was conducted in accordance with ISO 20252:2012 Copyright January

3 Contents 1. Project Overview... 6 The Survey... 6 Weighting the Data... 7 Interpretation of the Data... 9 Comparisons... 9 Acknowledgements Executive Summary Some Main Conclusions and Recommendations Areas of high performance Areas for consideration Summary of Main Findings Satisfaction with the Local Area Satisfaction with Barnet Council Value for Money Areas of Personal Concern Opinions of Council Services Image of Barnet Council Contacting the Council Respect and Consideration Getting on Well Together Community safety feeling safe Community safety CCTV Problems in the local area/ Anti social behaviour Dealing with crime and ASB in Barnet Satisfaction with the Local Area Results Differences by sub group Satisfaction with Barnet Council and Council services Results Satisfaction with the way Barnet Council runs things Differences by sub group

4 Value for Money Differences by sub group Areas of Personal Concern Differences by sub group Opinions of Council Services Change since 2012/ Users compared to overall results Comparison with London Differences by sub group Image of Barnet Council Comparison with London Overall Differences by sub group Contacting the Council Results Contacting the Council Satisfaction with service received when contacting the Council Differences by sub group Respect and Consideration Results Getting on well together Differences by sub group Community Safety Results Feeling safe Differences by sub group CCTV Differences by sub group Problems in the local area/ Anti social behaviour Differences by sub group Dealing with crime and ASB in Barnet Differences by sub group List of Tables and Figures Tables Figures

5 The ORS Project Team Project Design and Management Catherine Nock Kester Holmes Fieldwork Management Kirsty Millbank Data Services Leanne Hurlow Joseph Demarco Data Analysis Richard Harris Joe Marchant Timothy Driscoll Laura Woodward Report Author Catherine Nock 5

6 1. Project Overview Background 1.1 With the demise of the Place Survey in 2010, there is no longer a statutory requirement for local councils to carry out perception surveys as stipulated by central government. However, the London Borough of Barnet still feels it is important to monitor resident satisfaction in order to respond to the needs of residents. 1.2 In 2010/11, the council took the decision to commission a telephone Residents Perception Survey every two years. In 2013, in order to regularly inform the council s new customer driven performance management system, the council decided to increase the frequency of these surveys to twice a year. 1.3 As such, the London Borough of Barnet has commissioned ORS, an independent social research company, to conduct their Residents Perception Surveys, twice a year for the next two years. The Survey 1.4 The Residents Perception Survey captures residents general views and perceptions towards the Council, the services it provides and the local area and is used to explore changes in these opinions over time on a number of topics. 1.5 This report is based on the findings from the Barnet Residents Perception Survey Quarter 2/3. The next wave will take place in March 2014 (a slightly longer version will be commissioned to track the annual measures in terms of resident involvement in the community and volunteering). All waves will include key questions for tracking and regional comparative purposes. 1.6 The survey was carried out by telephone over a 6 ½ week period between 28 th August and 13 th October Quota controls were used to ensure a representative sample and 1,600 responses were achieved overall. 1.7 The survey contains questions on the following topics: Satisfaction with the Local Area Satisfaction with Barnet Council Satisfaction with Council Services Contacting the Council Respect and Consideration Community Safety 6

7 Weighting the Data 1.8 The returned sample was checked against comparative data for interlocked gender and working status, age, gender, working status, ethnic group, tenure and ward, and then subsequently weighted by tenure, interlocked gender and working status, ethnic group, age and ward. The results presented here are therefore representative of Barnet. As the data is representative of the population across Barnet, the report refers to residents throughout as opposed to respondents. 1.9 The tables on the following pages show the profile characteristics of respondents to the survey. Any value denoted by a * represents a percentage which is less than 1%. Table 1: Gender All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Gender Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % Male Female Not Known 0 Total 1, Table 2: Age All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Age Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % Not known 0 Total 1, Table 3: Ethnic Origin All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Ethnic Origin Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % White 1, Black Asian Other Not Known 0 Total 1,

8 Table 4: Tenure All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Tenure Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % Owned with a mortgage or loan Owned outright Other owned 1 * * * Rented from Council Rented from HA or RSL Rent from Private landlord Other rented/living rent free 7 2 * 1 Part rent and part mortgage (shared ownership) 7 1 * 1 Not Known 33 Total 1, Table 5: Ward All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Ward Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % Burnswick Park Burnt Oak Child s Hill Colindale Coppetts East Barnet East Finchley Edgware Finchley Church End Garden Suburb Golders Green Hale Hendon High Barnet Mill Hill Oakleigh Totteridge Underhill West Finchley West Hendon Woodhouse Total 1, Table 6: Working status All Respondents (Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding) Working status Unweighted Count Population % Unweighted Valid (achieved) % Weighted Valid % Working 1, Retired Otherwise not working Total

9 Interpretation of the Data 1.10 It should be remembered that a sample, and not the entire population of the Barnet, has been interviewed. In consequence, all results are subject to sampling tolerances, which means that not all differences when considering changes in responses between this year s survey and previous surveys, and between different groups within the population, are necessarily statistically significant Where differences between demographic groups or between surveys have been highlighted as significant there is a 95% probability that the difference is significant and not due to chance. Differences that are not said to be significant or statistically significant are indicative only. When tracking results between years or surveys and comparing results between demographic sub groups, on the whole, only results which are significantly different are highlighted in the text Some charts display the percentage point difference in results to the right of the chart. Where a * is shown next to the percentage point difference this indicates that the difference is significant at a 95% confidence level Please note that where percentages do not sum to 100, this may be due to rounding, the exclusion of don t know categories, or multiple answers In some cases figures of 2% or below have been excluded from graphs Graphics are used extensively in this report to make it as user friendly as possible. The pie charts and other graphics show the proportions (percentages) of residents making relevant responses. Comparisons 1.16 The Barnet Residents Telephone Perception Survey was also carried out previously in 2012/13 and 2010/11 and included key tracking questions which have remained consistent across the three surveys. This enables comparisons to be made and results to be tracked over time. Therefore, where results are available, this report details any changes and highlights significant differences in the text. Prior to the Residents Perception Survey, Barnet Council carried out the Place survey 1 and the results from the Barnet Place survey 2008/09 have been used for tracking purposes prior to 2010/11. However caution should be applied when comparing results to the Pace survey owing to different methodologies. Further trend data on residents concerns, satisfaction with services, and image of the council is also available from the council s former Annual Residents Survey The questions in the survey have also been designed to enable comparison with the rest of London, via results from the Survey of Londoners. The Survey of Londoners is carried out, by TNS BMRB, annually with 1 The Place Survey is a former statutory survey, which all local councils had to carry out as stipulated by central government. Caution should be applied when making direct comparisons to the Place survey owing to differences in methodologies. The former Place survey used a postal methodology which was random and not set to quota, and therefore cannot be directly compared to the more recent surveys across Barnet, London and nationally which have been carried out via telephone or face to face and set to quota to be representative of the population. 9

10 a representative sample of around 1,000 residents across London. The results used for comparison in this report are taken from November 2013 publication Comparisons with national figures are, in the main, taken from the LGA populous survey which is carried out annually with around 1,000 British adults via telephone. The results used in this report are taken from the most recent wave, which was carried out between 26th and 28th July 2013 with 1,002 respondents It should be noted that whilst the results are largely comparable, different questionnaires and sample sizes were used between surveys which may have an impact on comparability Where there are any other differences in the way the question was asked, this is noted where relevant. Acknowledgements 1.21 ORS would like to thank Rosie Evangelou for her help and assistance. We would also like to thank the 1,600 people who took part in the survey, without whose valuable input the research would not have been possible. 10

11 2. Executive Summary Summary of Main Findings 2.1 The following paragraphs selectively highlight some key findings, but readers are referred to the detailed graphics for the full story. The suite of ORS reports also includes full cross tabulations. Satisfaction with the Local Area 2.2 Over four fifths (86%) of residents expressed satisfaction with their local area as a place to live, with half of these (43%) saying that they are very satisfied. Only 9% said that they are dissatisfied with Barnet as a place to live. 2.3 The high level of satisfaction is broadly comparable with the 2010/11 and 2012/13 Barnet Residents Perception Surveys (86% and 88% satisfied respectively) and national figures from the July 2013 LGA Populous survey (85% satisfied). However the level of satisfaction with the local area has increase by 6 percentage points since 2008/ Residents living in East Finchley, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Totteridge and Woodhouse and residents who are self employed, agnostic or of Jewish faith are significantly more likely to be satisfied with Barnet as a place to live. In contrast, residents living in Burnt oak, of fair or poor health, or those who rent their home from the Council are significantly less likely to be satisfied. Satisfaction with Barnet Council 2.5 Almost three quarters (74%) of Barnet residents are satisfied with how Barnet Council runs things, a significant increase of 11 and 23 percentage points since 2012/13 and 2011/12, respectively. Only 16% are dissatisfied with the way that Barnet Council runs things a significant decrease since 2012/13 (22%) and 2010/11 (27%). 2.6 The current Barnet result is also significantly higher than London overall by 4 percentage points (70%) and Outer London by 5 percentage points (69%) and is one percentage point higher than the national average (73%), although this is not significant. 2.7 Residents aged 75 years or older; living in Finchley Church End or Garden Suburb; looking after the home; have lived in the area for less than 2 years or 3 5 years; have 3 or more children aged under 18 years in the household or are of the Buddhist faith are significantly more likely to be satisfied with the way Barnet Council runs things. Conversely, residents aged years; are permanently sick or disabled; are of poor health; or have no religion are significantly less likely to be satisfied. 11

12 Value for Money 2.8 Half (50%) of Barnet residents agree that Barnet Council provides value for money 2 (a former Place Survey question); around a fifth (21%) disagree that this is the case. 2.9 There has been a significant increase of seven percentage points since 2012/13 (43%) and six percentage points since 2010/11 (44%) in the proportion who agree that Barnet Council provide value for money At just two percentage points lower, the current level of agreement in Barnet is roughly in line with the national figures from the July LGA Populous survey (52% satisfied) Residents aged 75 years or older; living in Finchley Church End or Garden Suburb; in full time education or wholly retired from work are significantly more likely to agree that Barnet Council provides value for money. Conversely, residents living in Childs Hill; an employee in a full time job; permanently sick or disabled or those who are atheists are significantly less likely to agree that this is the case The survey also asked the Survey of Londoners (SOL) question on value for money in relation to Council Tax paid 3, to allow for direct comparisons to London. Historically, this question achieves higher levels of satisfaction than the former Place Survey question reported in paragraphs Just under three fifths (58%) of Barnet Residents feel that the statement provides value for money in relation to the Council tax I pay applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent, while almost two fifths (39%) feel that it applies not very much or not at all. The proportion saying a great deal or to some extent has seen a three percentage point increase since 2012/13 (55%) and an eight percentage point (significant) increase since 2010/11 (47%) The current Barnet result is (significantly) six percentage points above the overall London average (52%) and seven percentage points above the outer London average (49%), but in line with the inner London average Residents who are retired; Christian; or living in Garden Suburb are significantly more likely to say that this statement applies a great deal or to some extent, while conversely residents aged years; employed in a full time job; Hindu; or living in Hale are significantly more likely to feel that this statement applies not very much or not at all. Areas of Personal Concern 2.16 The top areas of personal concern for residents in Barnet, with between a quarter and a third rating them in their top three concerns, are conditions of roads and pavements (30%); crime (30%); and a lack of affordable housing (27%). Of the list given, the areas of least concern (i.e. the lowest proportion of 2 A former Place survey question that the Council is required to ask as the third question in the survey (following satisfaction with the local area, and satisfaction with the Council) in order to be able to benchmark results against the Local Government Inform databases. Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree that Barnet Council provides value for money? 3 SOL question is included within the Image of the Council questions further on in the survey. Question: To what extent does the statement apply to Barnet Council: Provides good value for money for the Council Tax I pay. 12

13 residents rating them as one of their top three concerns) are poor public transport (5%), number of homeless people (8%) and pollution of the environment (8%) While crime and conditions of roads and pavements were also the top two concerns in 2012/13, concern about conditions of roads and pavements has increased significantly by 4 percentage points, moving into the top position. Furthermore, a lack of affordable housing has significantly increased by 6 percentage points, moving into third place, while level of council tax has decreased significantly by 5 percentage points, falling from third to sixth place Barnet is performing better than London with regards to lack of jobs (8 percentage points lower); litter/dirt in streets (8 percentage points lower); and crime (6 percentage points lower). However Barnet is performing worse than London with regards to a lack of affordable housing (4 percentage points higher) The sub groups who are more concerned by various issues vary depending on the concern. The conditions of roads and pavements are significantly more likely to be of concern to older residents who are retired and lived in the area for many years, as well as those with a long term illness or disability. However, those living in Brunswick Park or Hale and those with children are significantly more likely to be concerned about crime in their local area, and younger residents who are renting, working full time and lived in the area for less than five years are significantly more likely to be concerned about the lack of affordable housing. Opinions of Council Services 2.20 In terms of satisfaction with Councils services, the highest rated services (i.e. the largest proportion of residents rating them as good, very good or excellent) are Refuse collection (79%); Street lighting (75%); Doorstep recycling (69%) and Parks, playgrounds and open spaces (69%) The lowest rated services (i.e. the lowest proportion of residents rating them as good, very good or excellent) are Activities for teenagers/young people (16%); Housing benefit service (21%); Council housing (22%); and Parking services (23%). However, it should be noted that, except for Parking services, residents are more likely to say don t know for the lowest ranking services compared to the services which are more universally used. Therefore, it is important to also examine which services are rated lowest if ranked by the proportion who rate them as poor, very poor or extremely poor; in this case the worst performing services are Parking services (55%); Repair of roads (44%); Quality of pavements (40%) and Activities for teenagers/young people (39%). Together, this suggests that parking services and activities for teenagers/young people are priorities for improvements in Barnet, as well as Repair of Roads and Quality of Pavements Since 2012/13 there has been a significant increase in the proportion of residents rating the service as excellent good for 10 services, including those with the lowest levels of satisfaction (Collection of council tax; Council owned leisure services; Social services for children and families; Parking services; Council housing; Secondary education; Housing benefit service; Policing; Primary education; Activities for teenagers/young people). 13

14 2.23 While refuse collection has seen a slight (but not significant) decrease in positive ratings, it remains the highest rated Council service with almost four fifths (79%) rating it as excellent good. Overall, only four council services have seen a significant decrease in the proportion of residents rating them as good (local health services; libraries; doorstep recycling; refuse collection) Users of services are in general much more likely to rate the service as excellent good. The fact that many services are perceived poorly by the general public possibly suggests that the overall image of these services are poor and general information relating to what they can offer does not reach the wider public. The largest differences between user and overall satisfaction is evident with the Housing benefit service; Trading standards and consumer advice; Social services for children and families; Social services for adults and Under 5 s early years, Primary and Secondary education Barnet is performing better than London across eight services but worse than London across 5 services. The services for which Barnet is performing better than London as a whole are: Refuse collection; Primary education; Under 5 s early education; Social services for adults; Social services for children and families; Secondary education; Street lighting; and Policing. The services for which Barnet is performing worse than London as a whole are: Parking services; Council owned leisure services; Repair of roads; Libraries; and Local health services The demographic sub group analysis for satisfaction with services supports the findings of the differences between users and all residents, in that sub groups we might expect to be more likely to use particular services are significantly more likely to rate that service as excellent, very good or good and vice versa. Table 7 breakdowns the groups more or less likely to be satisfied with each service. Image of Barnet Council 2.27 In terms of the extent to which residents feel each statement applies to Barnet Council, the statements with the largest proportion of residents saying that they feel it applies to Barnet council a great deal or to some extent are Has staff who are friendly and polite (81%); Is doing a good job (76%); and It is easy to access Council services (70%) The statements with the smallest proportion of residents (less than half) saying they feel it applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent are Is doing a better job now than one year ago (40%); listens to the concerns of local residents (44%); Involves residents when making decisions (45%); and Acts on the concerns of local residents (45%) The statements Doesn t do enough for people like me (51%) and Is difficult to get through on the phone (47%) are negative statements but around half feel they apply to Barnet Council at least to some extent There has been an increase in the proportion of residents saying a great deal or to some extent for all statements that were asked in both the current wave of the Barnet RPS and in 2012/13, apart from Listens to concerns of local residents (where the 1 percentage point decrease is not significant, and the significant increase that was experienced between 2010/11 and 2012/13 has been sustained) and Doesn t do enough for people like me (which has seen a negative significant increase of 4 percentage points). 14

15 2.31 There have been significant increases in: Keeps residents informed about what they are doing; Is efficient and well run; It is easy to access Council services; Is making the area a better place to live; Is trustworthy; Is doing a better job now than one year ago; and Is doing a good job When compared to London data there are some areas where Barnet Council has a more positive image and other areas where the image of Barnet Council is less positive than across London overall. Barnet is performing significantly better in terms of Has staff that are friendly and polite and provides value for money for the Council tax you pay. However, Barnet is performing significantly less well than London in seven areas, these are: Listens to concerns of local residents; Is making the area a better place to live; Involves residents when making decisions; Keeps residents informed about what they are doing; Is doing a better job now than one year ago; Doesn t do enough for people like me; Is difficult to get through to on the phone Therefore, it can be seen that while image of the Council is improving in general for Barnet, London overall has experienced similar increases in public perception of images of local councils and therefore Barnet is still below London in several areas It is apparent, and interesting to note, that sub groups of the population who are in general more likely to perceive the Council as having a good image are those aged less than 35 years, in full time education, with children, lived in the area for a short period of time and rent their home from a private landlord or the Council. Meanwhile, the sub groups less likely to perceive the Council as having a good image are those aged 45 years or more, those who are of poor health or have a disability, those who are retired from work, those who have lived in the area for 21 years or more and those who own their home outright. Contacting the Council 2.35 Almost three fifths (58%) of residents have contacted their local Council in the last 12 months for any reason. Residents living in Child s Hill or High Barnet, those with poor health or a limiting illness or disability and those rent their home from the Council are significantly more likely to have contacted the Council Almost three quarters (73%) of those who were in contact with the Council did so via telephone, while just over a quarter (27%) used , and around 1 in 10 visited in person (11%), used the website (11%) or sent a letter (7%) The reason most frequently given for contacting the Council was to report an issue or a problem with over two fifths (44%) of respondents giving this as their main reason for contact. Around a third (32%) called to ask for advice or information; and over a quarter (28%) to apply to use a service. Five per cent called for another reason including paying for bills or fines and applying for planning permission Of those who contacted the Council within the last 12 months, almost three fifths (59%) were satisfied with the service they received when they contacted the Council, with almost a third (32%) being very satisfied. However, almost a third (32%) were dissatisfied with the service they received with a fifth (20%) being very dissatisfied The proportion of residents who were satisfied with the service they received when they contacted the Council has not changed since 2012/13 (59%), but has increased slightly by 3% since 2010/11 (56%). 15

16 2.40 Residents aged years; living in Coppetts; self employed or in full time education; lived in the area for less than 2 years or rent their home from a private landlord are significantly more likely to be satisfied with the service they received when they contacted the Council. Conversely, residents living in Hendon; have fair general health and have 4 or more adults in the household are significantly less likely to be satisfied. Respect and Consideration Getting on Well Together 2.41 Over four fifths of residents (84%) agree that their local area is a place where people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well together. By getting on well together we mean living alongside each other with respect. Only 8% disagree that this is the case In terms of change over time, the Barnet result has remained relatively consistent since 2012/13 (83%), but has fallen by 5 percentage points since 2010/ Residents aged years; living in Coppetts or Finchley Church End; lived in the area for less than 2 years; have 2 children in the household or own their home outright are significantly more likely to agree that people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well together in their local area. Conversely, residents aged years; living in Colindale or West Hendon; are permanently sick or disabled; have poor general health; have a limiting illness of disability and rent their home from a housing association or RSL are significantly less likely to agree. Community safety feeling safe 2.44 The majority of residents (94%) feel safe when outside in their local area during the day, with over three fifths (62%) saying that they feel very safe. Only 4 % say that they feel unsafe outside in their local area during the day The proportion of Barnet residents who feel safe outside in their local area during the day is broadly inline with 2010/11 (95%) and 2012/13 (95%) results and national results (95% (LGA Populous survey 2013)), however there has been a significant increase of 6 percentage points since the 2008/09 Barnet Place Survey When asked how safe or unsafe they feel when outside in their local area after dark, the proportion of residents feeling safe is lower than during the day, but still over two thirds (70%) feel safe, with just over a quarter (26%) saying they feel very safe. However, a fifth (20%) say that they feel unsafe outside in their local area after dark The proportion of Barnet residents who feel safe outside in their local area after dark is broadly in line with 2012/13 (68%) results but has seen a significant decrease of 6 percentage points since 2010/11. Barnet residents are also significantly less likely than residents nationally to feel safe after dark (78%). 4 The Place Survey is a former statutory survey, which all local councils had to carry out as stipulated by central government. Caution should be applied when making direct comparisons to the Place survey owing to differences in methodologies. The former Place survey used a postal methodology which was random and not set to quota, and therefore cannot be directly compared to the more recent surveys across Barnet, London and nationally which have been carried out via telephone or face to face and set to quota to be representative of the population. 16

17 2.48 Residents aged 65 years or more; living in East Finchley, Finchley Church End, Totteridge or Underhill; Atheist or no religion; and those in the White ethnic group are significantly more likely to feel safe when outside in their local area during the day. Conversely, residents aged years; living in Burnt Oak; permanently sick or disabled poor general health, Hindu and those in the Asian ethnic group are significantly less likely to feel safe during the day Residents aged 25 34; Male; Living in East Finchley, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb or High Barnet; an employee in a full time job or self employed; lived in area 3 5years; agnostic and rent their home from a private landlord are significantly more like to feel safe when outside in their local area after dark. Conversely residents who are female; living in Burnt Oak, Edgware or Underhill; unemployed and available for work; of fair general health, have 3 or more children in household, have a limiting illness or disability and rent their home from the Council are significantly less likely to feel safe when outside in their local area after dark. Community safety CCTV 2.50 Almost two thirds (59%) of residents in Barnet agree that Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) makes them feel safer, with over a third (37%) strongly agreeing with this. However, almost a quarter (23%) disagree that CCTV makes them feel safer Residents aged 75 years or more; living in Hendon; wholly retired from work; of Hindu or Jewish faith and in the Asian ethnic group are significantly more likely to agree that CCTV makes them feel safer while residents who are self employed; are agnostic; atheist or have no religion are significantly less likely to agree that CCTV makes them feel safer. Problems in the local area/ Anti social behaviour (ASB) 2.52 Residents in Barnet perceive rubbish or litter lying around as the biggest ASB concern in their area with 38% of residents saying it is a very or fairly big problem, with teenagers hanging around the streets (28%) and people using or dealing drugs (26%) as the second and third biggest problems in the local area The order of ASB concerns, in terms of the proportion saying they are a very of fairly big problem, in quarter 2/3 are in line with results, with rubbish or litter lying around remaining the top concern. However, in most cases a slightly higher proportion of residents have rated the problem as fairly or very big in compared to 2012/13. Rubbish or litter lying around and people being drunk or rowdy in public places are both becoming more of a concern (with a significant increase in the proportion rating them as very or fairly big problems) Residents living in Garden suburb, High Barnet, Oakleigh or Totteridge; have 4 or more adults in the household and those who are atheists are significantly more likely to feel that rubbish or litter lying around is a big problem Residents aged 55 years or more; living in East Barnet, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb or Totteridge; those who are self employed or wholly retired from work; agnostic or atheist and own their home outright are significantly more likely to feel that teenagers hanging around on the streets is a big problem. 17

18 2.56 Residents living in Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, High Barnet, Oakleigh or Totteridge and own their home outright are significantly more likely to feel that people using or dealing drugs is a big problem. Dealing with crime and ASB in Barnet 2.57 Around two thirds (67%) of Barnet residents are satisfied that Barnet Police and Barnet Council are dealing with anti social behaviour and crime in their local area, with a quarter (25%) strongly agreeing. However 13% disagree that this is the case Results have remained broadly consistent since 2012/13, however results remain below 2010/11 levels by 9 percentage points. Furthermore, the level of dissatisfaction has increased by only 4% since 2010/11, while the proportion who are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied has increased by 6 percentage points Residents aged 75 years or more; living in Garden suburb, Mill Hill or Totteridge, Christian and those who rent their home from a private landlord are significantly more likely to be satisfied that Barnet Police and Barnet Council are dealing with anti social behaviour and crime in their local area while residents living in Burnswick Park or Burnt Oak; permanently sick or disabled; of fair or poor general health; with a limiting illness/disability; no religion and rent their home from the Council are significantly less likely be satisfied. Some Main Conclusions and Recommendations 2.60 The most positive indicators have been outlined below as well as some areas for consideration. Please bear in mind that these comparisons of best and worst rankings are an arbitrary indication of performance. Areas of high performance 2.61 Over four fifths (86%) of residents expressed satisfaction with their local area as a place to live the high level of satisfaction is broadly comparable with the 2010/11 and 2012/13 Barnet Residents Perception Surveys and national figures Almost three quarters (74%) of Barnet residents are satisfied with how Barnet Council runs things, a significant increase of 11 and 23 percentage points since 2012/13 and 2011/12, respectively Personal concern for level of council tax has decreased significantly by 5 percentage points Barnet is performing better than London with regards to concern for lack of jobs; litter/dirt in streets; crime; and not enough being done for young people Since 2012/13 there has been a significant increase in the proportion of residents rating the service as excellent good for 10 services (Collection of council tax; Council owned leisure services; Social services for children and families; Parking services; Council housing; Secondary Education Housing benefit service; Policing; Primary education; Activities for teenagers/young people). 18

19 2.66 Barnet is performing better than London, in terms of satisfaction, across seven services: Primary education; Under 5 s early education; Social services for adults; Social services for children and families; Secondary education; Street lighting; and Policing in 10 residents or more feel that the statements: Has staff who are friendly and polite (81%); Is doing a good job (76%); and It is easy to access Council services (70%) applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent In terms of image of the Council, there have been significant increases in: Keeps residents informed about what they are doing; Is efficient and well run; It is easy to access Council services; Is making the area a better place to live; Is trustworthy; Is doing a better job now than one year ago; and Is doing a good job Barnet is performing significantly better than London in terms of staff that are friendly and polite and provides value for money for the Council tax you pay Almost three fifths (59%) were satisfied with the service they received when they contacted the Council Over four fifths of residents (84%) agree that their local area is a place where people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well together this has remained relatively consistent since 2012/13 (83%) The majority of residents (94%) feel safe when outside in their local area during the day, with over three fifths (62%) saying that they feel very safe. Only 4 % say that they feel unsafe outside in their local area during the day The proportion who feel safe when outside in their local area after dark is lower than the proportion who feel safe during the day, but still over two thirds (70%) feel safe, with just over a quarter (26%) saying they feel very safe Around two thirds (67%) of Barnet residents are satisfied that Barnet Police and Barnet Council are dealing with anti social behaviour and crime in their local area, with over a quarter (25%) strongly agreeing this has remained consistent since 2012/13. Areas for consideration 2.75 Despite a significant increase this year, and while half (50%) of all Barnet residents agree that Barnet Council provides value for money, around a fifth (21%) disagree that this is the case (however there has also been a year on year increase in the level of agreement) Personal concern about conditions of roads and pavements has increased significantly by 4 percentage points, moving into the top position for concerns. Furthermore, concern about a lack of affordable housing has significantly increased by 6 percentage points Barnet is performing worse than London with regards to concerns about a lack of affordable housing Parking services and activities for teenagers/young people are rated as both less likely to be good and more likely to be poor and are therefore priorities for improvement in Barnet. Repair of roads and 19

20 Quality of pavements are also more likely to be rated as poor and are therefore also priorities for improvement Four local services have seen a significant decrease in the proportion of residents rating them as good (local health services; libraries; doorstep recycling; refuse collection) Barnet is performing worse than London, in terms of satisfaction, across five services: Parking services; Council owned leisure services; Repair of roads; Libraries; and Local health services Despite significant increases in this perception measure this year, less than half (two fifths (40%)) of Barnet residents feel the statement Is doing a better job now than one year ago applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent The significant increase gained last year in terms of listens to the concerns of local residents (44%) and Involves residents when making decision (45%) have been sustained but still remain below the London average. Furthermore, less than half (45%) feel Acts on the concerns of local residents (which was added to the survey this year) applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent In terms of image of the Council, there has been a negative significant increase of 4 percentage points in the proportion of residents saying that Barnet Council Doesn t do enough for people like me a great deal or to some extent Despite making significant gains in some image of the Council measures, Barnet is performing significantly less well than London in seven areas, these are: Listens to concerns of local residents; Is making the area a better place to live; Involves residents when making decisions; Keeps residents informed about what they are doing; Is doing a better job now than one year ago; Doesn t do enough for people like me; Is difficult to get through to on the phone Almost a third (32%) were dissatisfied with the service they received when they contacted the Council, with a fifth (20%) being very dissatisfied Residents in Barnet perceive rubbish or litter lying around as the biggest problem/asb concern in their area with 38% of residents saying it is a very or fairly big problem, with teenagers hanging around the streets (28%) and people using or dealing drugs (26%) as the second and third biggest problems in the local area. Rubbish or litter lying around has remained the top concern since 2012/13 while this and people being drunk or rowdy in public places are both becoming more of a concern. 20

21 3. Satisfaction with the Local Area Results 3.1 When asked to rate how satisfied they are with Barnet as a place to live, over four fifths (86%) of residents expressed satisfaction, with half of these (43%) saying that they are very satisfied. Only 9% said that they are dissatisfied with Barnet as a place to live. Figure 1: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? Base: All Residents (1,599) 3.2 Figure 2 overleaf shows that the high level of satisfaction is broadly comparable with the 2010/11 and 2012/13 Barnet Residents Perception Surveys (86% and 88% satisfied respectively) and national figures from the July 2013 LGA Populous survey (85% satisfied). The Barnet place survey 5 carried out in 2008/09 showed levels of satisfaction with the local area at only 80% 6 percentage points lower than in 2013/14. 5 The Place Survey is a former statutory survey, which all local councils had to carry out as stipulated by central government. Caution should be applied when making direct comparisons to the Place survey owing to differences in methodologies. The former Place survey used a postal methodology which was random and not set to quota, and therefore cannot be directly compared to the more recent surveys across Barnet, London and nationally which have been carried out via telephone or face to face and set to quota to be representative of the population. 21

22 Figure 2: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? Comparisons with previous Barnet residents Surveys and national results (LGA Populous Survey) Base: All Residents Differences by sub group 3.3 The chart below shows how the responses for this question vary across different sub groups of the population who stated they are satisfied with their area as a place to live. 3.4 Results for sub groups which are significantly more likely than the overall score are highlighted in green, whilst results which are significantly less likely are highlighted in red. 3.5 Residents living in East Finchley, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Totteridge and Woodhouse and residents who are self employed, agnostic or of Jewish faith are significantly more likely to be satisfied with Barnet as a place to live. In contrast, residents living in Burnt oak, of fair or poor health, or those who rent their home from the Council are significantly less likely to be satisfied. Figure 3: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? Base: All Residents (number of respondents shown in brackets) 22

23 4. Satisfaction with Barnet Council and Council services Results Satisfaction with the way Barnet Council runs things 4.1 Almost three quarters (74%) of Barnet residents are satisfied with how Barnet Council runs things, a significant increase of 11 and 23 percentage points since 2011/12 and 2012/13, respectively (Figure 5 overleaf). Only 16% are dissatisfied with the way that Barnet Council runs things a significant decrease since 2012/13 (22%) and 2010/11 (27%). Figure 4: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Barnet Council runs things? Base: All Residents (1,591) 4.2 Figure 5, overleaf, also shows that the current Barnet result is significantly higher than London overall by 4 percentage points (70%) and Outer London by 5 percentage points (69%) and is one percentage point higher than the national average (73%), although this is not significant. 23

24 Figure 5: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Barnet Council runs things? Comparisons with previous Barnet residents Surveys, the Survey of Londoners 2013/14 and national results (LGA Populous Survey) Base: All Residents Differences by sub group 4.3 The chart below shows how the responses for this question vary across different sub groups of the population who stated they are satisfied with the way Barnet Council runs things. 4.4 Results for sub groups which are significantly more likely than the overall score are highlighted in green, whilst results which are significantly less likely are highlighted in red. 4.5 Residents aged 75 years or older; living in Finchley Church End or Garden Suburb; looking after the home; have lived in the area for less than 2 years or 3 5 years; have 3 or more children aged under 18 years in the household or are of the Buddhist faith are significantly more likely to be satisfied with the way Barnet Council runs things. Conversely, residents aged years; are permanently sick or disabled; are of poor health; or have no religion are significantly less likely to be satisfied. Figure 6: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Barnet Council runs things? Base: All Residents (number of respondents shown in brackets) 24

25 Value for Money 4.6 Half (50%) of all Barnet residents agree that Barnet Council provides value for money, while around a fifth (21%) disagree that this is the case. Figure 7: To what extent do you agree or disagree that Barnet Council provides value for money? Base: All Residents (1,598) 4.7 It should be noted at this point that the survey also asked the Survey of Londoners (SOL) question on value for money in relation to Council Tax paid 6, to allow for direct comparisons to London. Historically, this question achieves higher levels of satisfaction than the former Place Survey question reported in this section. Just under three fifths (58%) of Barnet Residents feel that the statement provides value for money in relation to the Council tax you pay applies to Barnet Council a great deal or to some extent (a year on year increase since 2010/11 and significantly higher than the overall London average), while almost two fifths (39%) feel that it applies not very much or not at all. Please see section Image of Barnet Council on page 41 for more detail. 4.8 In relation again to To what extent do you agree or disagree that Barnet Council provides value for money Figure 8 overleaf shows that there has been a significant increase of seven percentage points since 2012/13 (43%) and six percentage points since 2010/11 (44%) in the proportion who agree that Barnet Council provides value for money. The level of agreement in Barnet RPS 2013/14 quarter 2/3 is two percentage points lower than the national average (52%), although this is not significant. 6 SOL question is included within the Image of the Council questions further on in the survey. Question: To what extent does the statement apply to Barnet Council: Provides good value for money for the Council Tax I Pay. 25

26 Figure 8: To what extent do you agree or disagree that Barnet Council provides value for money? Comparisons with previous Barnet residents Surveys and national results (LGA Populous Survey) Base: All Residents Differences by sub group 4.9 The chart below (Figure 9) shows how the responses for this question vary across different sub groups of the population who stated they agree that Barnet council provides good value for money Results for sub groups which are significantly more likely than the overall score are highlighted in green, whilst results which are significantly less likely are highlighted in red Residents aged 75 years or older; living in Finchley Church End or Garden Suburb; in full time education or wholly retired from work are significantly more likely to agree that Barnet Council provides value for money. Conversely, residents living in Childs Hill; an employee in a full time job; permanently sick or disabled or those who are atheists are significantly less likely to agree that this is the case. Figure 9: To what extent do you agree or disagree that Barnet Council provides value for money? Base: All Residents (number of respondents shown in brackets) 26