Citizens' Panel - Summer 2006
Citizens' Panel Newsletter
Summer 2006
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Welcome to the latest Citizens' Panel newsletter. In this edition we'll let you know the findings from the latest survey which included questions on Road Safety, Abandoned Vehicles, Annual Report/Summary Statement of Accounts and Community Safety.
Road Safety
Eight out of ten panel members state that they regularly see road safety messages about the danger of speeding traffic. Three-quarters of panel members state that cars parked in the street bring added danger to children and a similar proportion believe that there are not enough safe places for children to play.
There is a high level of awareness amongst panel members of a number of measures aimed at increasing road safety. Three-quarters of the panel state they are aware of the road safety campaign stickers on wheelie bins, whilst a similar proportion state they are aware of Watchman cameras and yellow zigzag markings outside schools. Coupled with a high level of awareness, a high proportion of panel members strongly support the use of these road safety measures.
There is strong support for 20 mph zones around schools with nearly 9 in 10 panel members supporting this measure. When asked if panel members had any concerns about 20 mph zones outside schools, answers included:
- Concern that the restriction was only in place during school hours
- Increased congestion
- Need to stop parking on the yellow zigzag markings
Panel members were asked what else the Council and its partners could do to improve road safety around schools. Some suggestions were:
- No parking/stopping in the vicinity of the school
- Enforcement of speed limits
- Encourage walking to school
Abandoned Vehicles
The majority of panel members do not think abandoned vehicles are a big problem in their neighbourhood. Only 7% of respondents thought abandoned vehicles were a problem. If panel members did discover an abandoned vehicle, half would contact the police to have it removed. Around a quarter of panel members are aware of the Council's services for removing abandoned vehicles.
Annual Report - Summary Statement of Accounts
Panel members were asked if they recalled the publication of the Summary Statement of Accounts from the Citizen. As the results below show, over half of all panel members recalled the publication of the article. Of the panel members that did recall the article, three-quarters thought it was very or fairly useful. Around three-fifths of the panel thought that the article in the Citizen was sufficient for the annual report/financial summary.
- No / can't remember, 36%
- Yes - read some of it,41%
- Yes - read all of it, 14%
- Yes - did not read any. 10%
Community Safety
Panel members were asked how satisfied they are, overall, with their local area as a place to live. The results are shown in the chart below, which also includes the results broken down by district assembly.
| Very / Fairly dissatisfied (%) | Very / Fairly satisfied (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall (1382/1281) | -10 | 79 |
| Ashton (284/269) | -11 | 79 |
| Denton / Audenshaw (298/270) | -11 | 76 |
| Droylsden (155/145) | -9 | 79 |
| Dukinfield (112/126) | -11 | 80 |
| Hyde (07/197) | -12 | 77 |
| Longdendale / Hattersley (89/80) | -12 | 79 |
| Mossley / NE Stalybridge (105/77) | -7 | 87 |
| Stalybridge (132/116) | -8 | 83 |
Panel members were asked, thinking generally, what things are the most important in making somewhere a good place to live.
The top five results for making somewhere a good place to live are:
- The level of crime (60%)
- Clean streets (44%)
- Affordable decent housing (44%)
- Health services (44%)
- Education provision (37%)
Panel members were asked how safe they felt in a variety of situations. 95% of panel members feel safe out in their neighbourhood during the day and 47% feel safe out in their neighbourhood after dark. This has increased slightly from 44% in 2005.
Panel members were asked to rate how much of a problem certain situations are in their local area. The proportions saying ‘a very big problem' or ‘a fairly big problem' are shown in the following chart. The results are ranked by the proportion saying ‘a very big problem'.
| Scenario | Very big problem | Fairly big problem |
|---|---|---|
| Parents not taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children (1369/1269) | 42 | 38 |
| Teenagers hanging around on the streets (1372/1272) | 34 | 35 |
| People not treating other people with respect and consideration (1369/1269) | 29 | 39 |
| Rubbish and litter lying around (1370/1270) | 21 | 32 |
| People using or dealing drugs (1368/1268) | 18 | 24 |
| People being drunk or rowdy in public spaces (1363/1263) | 17 | 26 |
| Vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to property or vehicles (1362/1261) | 15 | 26 |
| Noisy neighbours or loud parties (1355/1257) | 11 | 16 |
| People setting fire to rubbish and wheelie-bins (1362/1264) | 6 | 11 |
| Abandoned or burnt out cars (1351/1253) | 2 | 7 |
Finally, with regard to feelings of safety, panel members were asked for their level of agreement over the statement "I am probably more afraid of crime than I should be".
- Tend to agree, 32%
- Neither agree nor disagree, 30%
- Tend to disagree, 20%
- Definitely disagree, 10%
- Definitely agree, 5%
If you have any comments, ideas or queries about the Citizens' Panel please contact:
Jonathon Blackburn, tel: 0161 342 3529