Resident survey 2011
The council carried out an online and face to face survey between September and October to find out residents’ views about the local area and the council.
Ninety five per cent of residents in South Oxfordshire were satisfied with living in the area according to the survey which indicated that the majority of people actively enjoyed living in their local area.
Over three quarters of residents surveyed also agreed that the quality of services provided by the council was good overall and had improved in recent years.
The responses to the survey indicated that residents considered waste and recycling to be the most important service provided by the district council. This is also the area which has achieved the highest level of resident satisfaction in South Oxfordshire.
This was the first residents’ satisfaction survey since the council brought in its current waste and recycling scheme in 2010 and eighty-five per cent of those surveyed said that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service.
Satisfaction with the way the council runs things in South Oxfordshire was seventy-three per cent which is one per cent higher than the national average.
Nearly three quarters of residents felt that they were well informed about the council and the services it provides which is well above the national average of fifty-nine per cent.
There were some areas in which the council believes it can improve. Satisfaction with the way in which the council deals with an issue was down from seventy-two per cent saying they were satisfied or very satisfied in 2007, to sixty-seven per cent in 2011. However, the number of those who said they were very satisfied increased from twenty-seven per cent to thirty-six per cent.
Despite not increasing council tax and the significant savings achieved through joint working with Vale of White Horse District Council, the number of people who felt the council provides good value for money had dropped slightly, something the council hopes to improve in the next couple of years, especially with the reduction in council tax in 2012/13.
Cllr Ann Ducker, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We live in a wonderful area of the country and as a council we strive to make it as pleasant to live here as possible. We are also very pleased that our residents have indicated that they are satisfied with the services we provide. Our recent nomination as one of the best councils in the country reinforces this point well. We always strive improve though, and the survey has highlighted some areas for us to focus on for the future.”
Consultation closed on 31 October 2011
Last reviewed: 09 - 02 - 2012