Citizens' Panel Newsletter - Spring 2005
Citizens' Panel Newsletter
Spring 2005
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Welcome to the latest edition of the Citizens’ Panel newsletter focusing on what you told us about the Countryside Service, Social Care and Health, Housing and Council Tax Benefits, Lifelong Learning and Crime and Disorder.
In this newsletter:
- The Countryside Service
- Housing and Council Tax
- Crime and Disorder
- Lifelong Learning
- Social Care and Health
- Panel Update
The Countryside Service
Tameside has a great variety of countryside for residents to enjoy, and to ensure we make the best of this, we wanted to know how frequently panel members visited the countryside, and also how easy it is to find out information about events taking place.
Overall, one-third of panel members say they know when countryside events are taking place in Tameside, and a similar number are interested in attending such events. Over half of all panel members say they know where to find out information about countryside events.
54% of panel members say that the biggest barrier to attending a countryside event is lack of time.
We wanted to know what type of events you would be interested in attending. The most appealing events to panel members are health walks (36% of members say they would be interested in attending these), half-day walks (32%) and evening walks (29%). Three in five panel members with children also say they would like to attend family events.
Half of panel members think that the most convenient place to access information about countryside events would be in a local newspaper.
Amongst the panel members who have attended a countryside event in the last 12 months, 18% travelled to the event on foot, although the majority (75%) travelled to the event by car.
Housing and Council Tax
We are always looking to improve the services we offer residents, and part of this process involves letting you tell us how we are doing.
Three-quarters (76%) of panel members that have claimed Council Tax and/or Housing benefit within the last twelve months say they are either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the service they received from the Benefits office.
Claimants were particularly satisfied with the facilities for getting in touch with the Benefits office (73%) the staff in the Benefits office (69%) and the service in the Customer Service Office (62%).
The clarity of forms, leaflets and letters produced the lowest level of satisfaction, with around half (46%) of claimants being either very or fairly satisfied.
Crime and Disorder
Following on from the last questionnaire, we wanted to find out more about your opinions on crime and disorder.
Firstly, we wanted to know the main reason why you lived in your neighbourhood. Just over two-thirds (69%) of panel members choose to live in their neighbourhood because they like the area. A similar proportion (63%) say they live in the neighbourhood because they like the property.
Following this, the questionnaire focused on anti-social behaviour. We wanted to know what actions panel members think are the most likely to improve safety in town centres in Tameside. The top five responses were:
- More visible uniformed patrols (Patrollers, Police, Community Support Officers) (87%)
- More CCTV coverage (66%)
- More powers for Patrollers to stop and search people for drugs and weapons (62%)
- More enforcement on noise nuisance in the street (61%)
- Tighter controls on drinks promotions (59%)
See the Panel Update section for how these results have been used to help write the new Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy.
Lifelong Learning
The Lifelong Learning and Cultural Services Scrutiny Panel is currently reviewing the steps that are being taken in Tameside to reduce teenage pregnancy and also support teenage parents.
As part of this review, the Panel is looking in to the ways in which education can help prevent teenage pregnancies. The Scrutiny Panel wanted to find out the opinions of parents/guardians and adults with a responsibility for looking after children and young people.
Firstly, we wanted to know how often people talked to their children and young people about sexual health and relationships. As might be expected, the answers varied between primary school age children and secondary school age young people. One-third of parents of primary school age children do not discuss sexual health or relationships with their children compared to only 7% amongst parents of secondary school age young people. However, one-third of parents of primary school age children and four in ten parents of secondary school age young people do say they talk to their children fairly often about sexual health and relationships.
Not only do 93% of respondents think children and young people should get information about sensitive issues relating to sexual health and relationships from parents/guardians, but two-thirds also think parents/guardians are most suitable to give children this information. One in five respondents think that teachers/schools are the best place for children and young people to receive this information.
One in five respondents say they are not sure of some of the answers to their child’s questions about sex and their bodies and four in ten (39%) say they would like a book and video resource library in their local community to help them answer their child’s questions.
A clear majority of respondents do not worry that if their child gets to know too much they will start to have sex at a younger age. Similarly, 93% of respondents believe young people should learn about sexual health and relationships before the age of 16.
Three-quarters (73%) of panel members with responsibility for secondary school age young people are aware their child’s school has a Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Policy. This is true for only four in ten (39%) parents of primary school age children. Only a small minority have been invited to participate or been involved in the consultation for the SRE policy in their child’s school, although one-third of panel members would like to be involved and two-thirds would like to know more about the school’s SRE policy.
Social Care and Health
One in five panel members say they have contacted Social Care and Health within the last two years.
Of these 28% found out who to contact by telephoning the Social Care and Health offices 17% used a contact from a previous time and 14% were referred from hospital.
Four in ten (40%) of all panel members say they would prefer to assess Social Care and Health information at their doctor's surgery, while one-third (34%) say they would like to access information in the local newspaper.
Panel Update
Over the last two questionnaires we’ve been asking for your views on crime and disorder, to help produce our next three-year Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy. The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has carefully considered the results of these questionnaires, along with other consultation exercises, to produce seven key priorities for action.
The priorities are:
- To reduce crimes committed for profit and to fund drug misuse
- To reduce anti-social behaviour
- To reduce the misuse of drugs and alcohol
- To reduce violence in the Borough
- To reduce domestic violence and support victims
- To reduce the fear of crime and reassure the public by supporting victims and witnesses
- To improve safety on our roads and on public transport
To find out more information about Community Safety and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy, please visit http://www.tameside.gov.uk/commsafe/index.htm.