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DERBYSHIRE DALES DISTRICT COUNCIL M·E·L RESEARCH

Corporate Plan Consultation

Derbyshire Dales District Council

Final Report

September 2015

http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/index.php

http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/index.php


MEASUREMENT EVALUATION LEARNING: USING EVIDENCE TO SHAPE BETTER SERVICES

1. Project details

Name of company M·E·L Research Ltd

M·E·L Research

8 Holt Court

Aston Science Park

Birmingham B7 4AX

Tel: 0121 604 4664

Fax: 0121 604 6776

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.m-e-l.co.uk

Title Derbyshire Dales District Council Corporate Plan

Consultation Final Report September 2015

Client Derbyshire Dales District Council

Project number 15114

Client contact

Author Grace Blackham

Contract Manager Clare Rapkins

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.m-e-l.co.uk/


MEASUREMENT EVALUATION LEARNING: USING EVIDENCE TO SHAPE BETTER SERVICES Page 2

2. Executive summary

This report provides the findings from a survey of 1,225 residents in the Derbyshire Dales that responded

to a questionnaire on their views on what Derbyshire District Council’s priorities should be over the next

four years.

Future spending priorities

Current services in the Derbyshire Dales

With an overall Customer Service Index (CSI) score of 66.3, respondents are generally satisfied with the

services currently provided by Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Respondents rate the service ‘Keeping streets and public areas clean and attractive’ as the most

important service to them in making the Derbyshire Dales a good place to live (mean importance score =

8.9).

Respondent comments on future spending priorities

Comments given to help Derbyshire District Council decide its future spending priorities mainly relate to

car parking issues (13% of comments), the need for more affordable housing (7% of comments) and the

need to improve traffic control (5% of comments).

The Derbyshire Dales in four years

The top three words respondents use to describe how they would want the Derbyshire Dales to be in

four years are: Clean / Cleaner / Cleanliness; Safe / Safer; and Thriving.

Opinions about your local area

Your local area as a place to live

The majority of respondents are fairly or very satisfied (85%) with their local area as a place to live. Just

8% of respondents are fairly or very dissatisfied.

Overall satisfaction

The majority of respondents are fairly or very satisfied (65%) overall with the way Derbyshire Dales

District Council runs things. Just 12% of respondents are fairly or very dissatisfied.

Value for money

Just over half of respondents tend to or strongly agree (53%) that Derbyshire Dales District Council

provides value for money. A further 29% of respondents neither agree nor disagree and 18% tend to or

strongly disagree.



Influencing decisions that affect the local area

The majority of respondents tend to or definitely disagree (52%) that they can influence decisions

affecting their local area. Just under a quarter of respondents tend to or definitely agree (23%) that they

can influence decisions while a further a quarter neither agree nor disagree (25%).



3. Contents

1. Project details ............................................................................................................................................... 1

2. Executive summary ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Future spending priorities ...................................................................................................... 2

Opinions about your local area ............................................................................................. 2

3. Contents….. .................................................................................................................................................. 4

4. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Method and Response Rate ................................................................................................... 5

Statistical reliability and reporting conventions ................................................................. 5

5. Future spending priorities .......................................................................................................................... 7

Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales ........................................................................... 7

Current Services by geographic area ................................................................................. 11

Respondent comments on future spending priorities .................................................... 18

The Derbyshire Dales in four years .................................................................................... 20

6. Opinions about your local area ............................................................................................................... 22

Your local area as a place to live ......................................................................................... 22

Overall satisfaction ................................................................................................................ 24

Value for money ..................................................................................................................... 26

Influencing decisions that affect the local area ................................................................ 28

7. Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 30

Appendix 1 – Profile of respondents .................................................................................. 31

Appendix 2 – Question response counts .......................................................................... 32

Appendix 3 – Cover letter ..................................................................................................... 34

Appendix 4 - Questionnaire .................................................................................................. 35



4. Introduction

In June 2015, Derbyshire Dales District Council (District Council) commissioned M·E·L Research to

undertake their Corporate Plan Consultation. The consultation was carried out between June and July

2015 to ascertain residents’ views on what the District Council’s priorities should be over the next four

years. The findings will be used to shape the targets and spending priorities for Derbyshire Dales District

Council’s Corporate Plan 2015 – 2019.

Method and Response Rate

Fieldwork was undertaken throughout July 2015. A sample mailing to 4,500 randomly selected

Derbyshire Dales residents who are on the electoral role was sent out, which included a paper copy of the

questionnaire and a freepost envelope. This was followed by a postcard reminder mailing to non-

respondents two weeks later. Respondents were also given the option to complete the survey online (the

survey URL and a Quick Response (QR) code were included on the covering letter and questionnaire).

To ensure there were no duplicate responses, any resident who undertook the survey online had to enter

a unique M·E·L ID.

In addition, the District Council emailed a link to a separate public online version of the survey to 315

people from their communications database that had expressed an interest in consultation and issued a

reminder via Facebook and Twitter on 27th July. The District Council also emailed this link to 343 people

who are either members of the Citizen Panel or expressed interest in being consulted via a previous

budget consultation exercise. In addition, the on-line survey was publicised to residents at the three Area

Community Forum meetings that took place in July.

Statistical reliability and reporting conventions

With a total of 1,225 responses to the survey the overall results in this report are accurate to ±3% at the

95% confidence level (Table 4.1). This means that we can be 95% certain that the results are between

±3% of the calculated response, so the ‘true’ response could be 3% above or below the figures reported

(i.e. a 50% agreement rate could in reality lie within the range of 47% to 53%).

Table 4.1. Surveys sent, survey responses and resultant confidence intervals

Collection method

Surveys sent

Returns Response rate Confidence interval

Postal (random sample)

4,500

Paper 1034 23% ±3%

Online 48 1% ±14%

Combined 1082 24% ±3%

Public online 658 143 22% ±8%

Total 5,158 1225 24% ±3%



In some cases the actual base size being reported is smaller than the overall response rate due to some

respondents not answering specific questions; the confidence interval will be higher for these questions.

Analysis

This report represents the findings for all 1,225 responses. In order to ensure that the findings are as

representative to the Derbyshire Dales population as possible, weighting by age and gender has been

applied. To provide further insight into the results, analysis by demographic sub groups has been

undertaken and where statistically significant differences occur these have been drawn out in the report.

Rounding percentages issue

We report decimal places rounded to the nearest whole number. If specific response options are then

totalled, this can result in slight rounding differences in the figures reported. Owing to the rounding of

numbers, percentages displayed visually on graphs may not always add up to 100%; this may also apply

to some of the percentages reported for ‘total satisfaction’. For example, 51.4% plus 44.2% equals

95.6%. Rounded to the nearest whole number this total would be reported as 96%. But in the report this

would be shown as 51% plus 44% equalling 95%, giving the appearance that the reported total is

incorrect.



5. Future spending priorities

Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales

Respondents were asked to score how important a number of services are to them in making the

Derbyshire Dales a good place to live. Scores were based on a ten-point scale where 1 = extremely

unimportant and 10 = extremely important. Respondents were then asked to score how satisfied or

dissatisfied they are with the same services. Scores were based on a ten-point scale where 1 =

extremely dissatisfied and 10 = extremely satisfied. A Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) was calculated

based on these scores for all respondents and for demographic sub groups.

The overall CSI score is 66.3 which shows that respondents are generally satisfied with the services

currently provided by Derbyshire Dales District Council (see Table 5.1 for details of CSI calculations).

With a mean importance score of 8.9 (out of a possible 10), respondents rate the service ‘Keeping

streets and public areas clean and attractive’ as the most important service in making the Derbyshire

Dales a good place to live. In comparison, the service ‘Employing staff to put on Matlock Bath

Illuminations and other special events in future’ has the lowest mean score (5.9) and therefore is the

least important service for respondents.

All of the services listed, excluding ‘Providing high quality regulatory services that keep food safe,

premises licenced and building of a good standard’ have a standard deviation of 2 or more for the

satisfaction mean score. This suggests a wide variety of opinion in the levels of satisfaction between

respondents for the majority of services.

All services (excluding ‘Employing staff to put on Matlock Bath Illuminations and other special events in

future’) have negative priority for improvement (PFI) values. This means that for the majority of services

there is a gap between how important the service is to respondents and the satisfaction they have with

the service. Therefore, levels of satisfaction could be improved for the vast majority services. The

services that are the highest priority for improvement are: ‘Helping our town centres to thrive’ (PFI score

of -2.4); ‘Providing off-street car parks for residents and visitors’ (PFI score of -2.3); ‘Keeping streets and

public areas clean and attractive’ (PFI score of -2.1); and ‘Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour e.g.

providing secure car parks, working in partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour’ (PFI score of -2.0). A

visual representation of the gaps between importance and satisfaction for each service can be seen in

Figure 5.1.



Table 5.1. Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales - Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) - 2015 (base: 1225)

Service (A) Importance

Score (B)

Weighting Factor (%)

( C )

Standard Deviation - Importance

(D)

Satisfaction Score

(E)

Weighted Score

(F)

Standard Deviation - Satisfaction

(G)

PFI (H)

Keeping streets and public areas clean and attractive 8.9 0.07 1.66 6.8 0.46 2.24 -2.07

Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour e.g. providing secure car parks, working in partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour

8.6 0.06 1.96 6.6 0.43 2.20 -2.00

Helping our town centres to thrive 8.4 0.06 1.96 6.0 0.38 2.25 -2.44

Maintaining parks and recreation grounds 8.4 0.06 1.82 7.5 0.48 2.08 -0.85

Providing off-street car parks for residents and visitors 8.0 0.06 2.17 5.8 0.35 2.58 -2.28

Providing facilities / activities for young people e.g. sports lessons, skate parks and other physical recreational facilities

8.0 0.06 2.23 6.5 0.39 2.33 -1.51

Providing Sports and Leisure Facilities & Activities 7.9 0.06 2.08 7.1 0.43 2.05 -0.84

Providing high quality regulatory services that keep food safe, premises licenced and building of a good standard

7.9 0.06 2.09 7.4 0.45 1.78 -0.52

Encouraging visitors to the Derbyshire Dales to spend more money at local businesses

7.9 0.06 2.23 6.5 0.39 2.17 -1.38

Creating and sustaining local employment and business opportunities e.g. ensuring sufficient land and premises for businesses

7.9 0.06 2.18 6.2 0.37 2.06 -1.62

Improving recycling and composting for household waste 7.8 0.06 2.25 7.7 0.45 2.07 -0.10

Providing public toilets for visitors to our towns and villages 7.7 0.06 2.40 6.1 0.36 2.49 -1.57

Continuing to support local markets including Farmers' Markets 7.4 0.06 2.39 7.1 0.40 2.13 -0.27

Improving the supply of affordable, decent housing 7.2 0.05 2.76 5.9 0.32 2.40 -1.28

Supporting community / voluntary groups e.g. providing grants to local groups, providing meeting venues

7.1 0.05 2.35 6.3 0.34 2.06 -0.73

Ensuring you know what Council services are available to you 7.0 0.05 2.51 6.4 0.34 2.23 -0.57

Employing staff to put on Matlock Bath Illuminations and other special events in future 5.9 0.04 2.70 6.7 0.30 2.28 0.83

Total 131.88 CSI (%) 66.33

(A) Services listed in order of importance - most important at the top (E) The average satisfaction score (mean) for each service

(B) The average importance score (mean) for each service (F) The satisfaction score multiplied by the weighting, which is then totalled and multiplied by 10 to express as a %

(C) Individual importance score expressed as a % of the total importance score (G) Standard deviation shows the 'average distance from the mean score' (satisfaction) - less than 2, similar scores

(D) Standard deviation shows the 'average distance from the mean score' (importance) - less than 2, similar scores

(H) Priority for Improvement (PFI) - the difference between E and B (negative scores denote possible areas for improvement)

: a standard deviation of 2 or more, indicting a greater range of rating scores



Figure 5.1 .Current services in the Derbyshire Dales - Comparison between importance mean and satisfaction mean

NB. Services with a higher importance mean than satisfaction mean have a negative Priority for Improvement (PFI) value.

8.9

8.6

8.4

8.4

8.0

8.0

7.9

7.9

7.9

7.9

7.8

7.7

7.4

7.2

7.1

7.0

5.9

6.8

6.6

6.0

7.5

5.8

6.5

7.1

7.4

6.5

6.2

7.7

6.1

7.1

5.9

6.3

6.4

6.7

Keeping streets and publicareas clean and attractive

Tackling crime andanti-social behaviour

Helping our town centres to thrive

Maintaining parksand recreation grounds

Providing off-street car parksfor residents and visitors

Providing facilities / activitiesfor young people

Providing Sports and LeisureFacilities & Activities

Providing high quality regulatory servicesthat keep food safe, premises licenced and

building of a good standard

Encouraging visitors to the Derbyshire Dalesto spend more money at local businesses

Creating and sustaining localemployment and business opportunities

Improving recycling andcomposting for household waste

Providing public toilets for visitorsto our towns and villages

Continuing to support local marketsincluding Farmers' Markets

Improving the supply ofaffordable, decent housing

Supporting community / voluntary groups

Ensuring you know whatCouncil services are available to you

Employing staff to put on Matlock BathIlluminations and other special events in future

Importance Satisfaction



Further analysis of customer satisfaction by demographic sub group shows:

Male and female respondents show a similar level of satisfaction (64.7 and 67.9

respectively).

Younger respondents (18-34 year olds) show a lower level of satisfaction (61.4) than older

respondents (67 for 35-44 year olds, 45-54 year olds and 55-64 year olds) while the

highest levels of satisfaction are seen in the oldest respondents (68.3 for 65+ year olds).

Respondents with and without a disability show similar levels of satisfaction (67.4 and 66.1

respectively).

White respondents show a higher level of satisfaction (66.4) compared to respondents

from other ethnic groups (60.0).

Respondents from the central area show the highest level of satisfaction (CSI score =

68.4) while lower levels of satisfaction are seen in the north (CSI score = 65.8) and south

(CSI score = 63.4) (see Table 5.2).

The method of collection for the survey has little influence on levels of satisfaction seen in

respondents (66.2 for the postal survey and 67.3 for the public online survey).

Figure 5.2. Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales - CSI score by demographic sub group

Percentage of respondents - Base size various

67.3

66.2

63.4

65.8

68.4

60.0

66.4

66.1

67.4

68.3

67.0

66.8

67.0

61.4

67.9

64.7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Public online survey

Postal (paper & online) survey

Area - Southern

Area - Northern

Area - Central

Other ethnic group

White

No disability

Disability

65+ yrs

55 - 64 yrs

45 - 54 yrs

35 - 44 yrs

18 - 34 yrs

Female

Male

Overall CSI score = 66.3



Current Services by geographic area

As mentioned previously, respondents from the central area show the highest level of satisfaction

(CSI score = 68.4) while lower levels of satisfaction are seen in the north (CSI score = 65.8) and

south (CSI score = 63.4) (see Table 5.2).

Analysis of the importance means for services finds that ‘Keeping streets and public areas clean

and attractive’ ranks as the most important service for all three areas (north =9.0, central and south

both = 8.9). Indeed, the same services are rated as important across the three areas, for example

‘Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour’ ranks second for the central and north areas, and third for

the south area. Similarly, ‘Maintaining parks and recreation grounds’ ranks third for central and

north areas and fourth for the south area.

For the central area, the services ‘Improving recycling and composting for household waste,’

‘Continuing to support local markets including Farmers' Markets,’ and ‘Employing staff to put on

Matlock Bath Illuminations and other special events in future’ all have positive PFI values. All other

services have negative PFI values and therefore show a negative gap between how important the

service is to respondents and the satisfaction they have with the service. For the north and south

areas, all services (excluding ‘Employing staff to put on Matlock Bath Illuminations and other

special events in future’) have negative PFI values. The large number of services with negative PFI

values means that levels of satisfaction could be improved for the vast majority services in all

geographic areas. A visual representation of the gaps between importance and satisfaction for

each service in each area can be seen in Figure 5.3.



Table 5.2a. Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales - Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) - 2015 - Central (base: 435)


Score (B)


( C )


(D)

Satisfaction Score

(E)

Weighted Score

(F)


(G)

PFI (H)



8.7 0.07 1.86 6.5 0.43 2.29 -2.22




8.2 0.06 2.10 6.9 0.43 2.19 -1.30



8.0 0.06 2.14 6.8 0.41 2.07 -1.18



8.0 0.06 2.11 7.5 0.45 1.78 -0.46



7.8 0.06 2.23 6.3 0.37 2.02 -1.49

Improving recycling and composting for household waste 7.7 0.06 2.26 7.8 0.45 1.92 0.10

Continuing to support local markets including Farmers' Markets 7.4 0.06 2.33 7.5 0.42 1.96 0.07



7.2 0.05 2.28 6.5 0.35 2.02 -0.70



Total 133.63 CSI (%) 68.39









Table 5.2b. Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales - Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) - 2015 - North (base: 336)


Score (B)


( C )


(D)

Satisfaction Score

(E)

Weighted Score

(F)


(G)

PFI (H)



8.6 0.07 1.96 6.6 0.43 2.17 -1.97




8.1 0.06 2.03 6.2 0.38 2.19 -1.89


8.1 0.06 2.25 6.4 0.39 2.39 -1.70


8.0 0.06 1.97 7.3 0.44 1.84 -0.64



7.9 0.06 2.10 6.8 0.41 2.06 -1.04







7.2 0.05 2.35 6.3 0.34 2.23 -0.89



Total 131.76 CSI (%) 65.77









Table 5.2c. Current Services in the Derbyshire Dales - Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) - 2015 - South (base: 311)


Score (B)


( C )


(D)

Satisfaction Score

(E)

Weighted Score

(F)


(G)

PFI (H)




8.5 0.06 2.09 6.5 0.42 2.30 -1.99





8.0 0.06 2.41 6.0 0.36 2.33 -1.99


8.0 0.06 2.25 5.8 0.35 2.47 -2.14


7.9 0.06 2.22 7.4 0.44 1.74 -0.47




7.7 0.06 2.40 6.2 0.36 2.11 -1.50




7.0 0.05 2.53 6.2 0.33 2.09 -0.77



Total 132.24 CSI (%) 63.41









Figure 5.3. Current services in the Derbyshire Dales - Comparison between importance mean and satisfaction mean

a) Central


8.9

8.7

8.5

8.5

8.2

8.1

8.0

8.0

8.0

7.8

7.8

7.7

7.4

7.2

7.2

7.0

6.6

6.9

6.5

7.9

6.1

6.9

6.0

6.8

7.4

7.5

6.5

6.3

7.8

7.5

6.4

6.5

6.3

6.9

Keeping streets and publicareas clean and attractive

Tackling crime andanti-social behaviour

Maintaining parksand recreation grounds

Helping our town centresto thrive

Providing facilities / activitiesfor young people


Encouraging visitors to the DerbyshireDales to spend more money at local businesses

Providing Sports and Leisure Facilities & Activities

Providing high quality regulatory services that keepfood safe, premises licenced and building

of a good standard

Providing public toilets forvisitors to our towns and villages


Improving recycling andcomposting for household waste

Continuing to support localmarkets including Farmers' Markets

Ensuring you know what Councilservices are available to you


Improving the supply of affordable, decent housing





b) North


9.0

8.6

8.3

8.3

8.1

8.1

8.0

7.9

7.9

7.9

7.9

7.7

7.4

7.4

7.2

6.9

5.5

6.9

6.6

7.3

6.2

6.2

6.4

7.3

5.8

6.8

7.5

6.7

5.4

7.2

6.2

6.3

6.3

6.5

Keeping streets and public areasclean and attractive

Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour

Maintaining parks and recreation grounds



Providing facilities / activities for young people

Providing high quality regulatory servicesthat keep food safe, premises licenced

and building of a good standard



Improving recycling and compostingfor household waste

Providing Sports and LeisureFacilities & Activities

Improving the supply of affordable,decent housing









c) South


8.9

8.7

8.5

8.5

8.2

8.2

8.0

8.0

7.9

7.8

7.8

7.7

7.5

7.1

7.0

7.0

5.5

6.8

5.6

6.5

7.1

7.0

5.4

6.0

5.8

7.4

7.6

5.4

6.2

6.2

6.3

6.2

5.7

6.5

Keeping streets and public areasclean and attractive


Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour

Maintaining parks and recreation grounds

Providing Sports and Leisure Facilities & Activities



Providing facilities / activities for young people

Providing high quality regulatory servicesthat keep food safe, premises licenced

and building of a good standard

Improving recycling and compostingfor household waste


Creating and sustaining local employmentand business opportunities




Improving the supply of affordable,decent housing





Respondent comments on future spending priorities

Respondents were asked if they had any other comments to make to help the District Council decide its

future spending priorities. 50% of respondents chose not to answer this question. Responses have been

coded and are ranked in Table 5.3 (where responses contained more than one theme each theme was

coded separately). Themes that account for less than 1% of responses have been grouped together as

‘other.’ A word cloud was constructed as a visual representation of resident responses. The size of each

word relates its frequency in responses, with larger words occurring more frequently than smaller words

(Figure 5.4).

The greatest number of responses (13%) relate to parking and include comments regarding: the need to

reduce car parking fees; parking costs are higher in Derbyshire Dales than other areas; car parks should

be free; the need for more parking spaces or car parks; parking restrictions need to be enforced. The

second greatest number of responses (7%) highlight the need for more affordable housing. In addition, a

large number of responses (5%) mention the need to improve traffic control and include comments

regarding: the need to reduce congestion; the need for more speed restriction measures; too many

lorries; need to restrict HGV access.

The large number of comments about parking, alongside the service of ‘Providing off-street car parks

for residents and visitors’ being the second highest priority for improvement based on CSI

calculations, suggests that this issue is very important to respondents in terms of future spending

priorities.

Figure 5.4. Word cloud of respondents comments on future spending priorities



Table 5.3. Respondent comments on future spending priorities

Comment Count (%)

Other 165 19%

Reduce car parking fees / Parking costs are higher in Derbyshire Dales than other areas / Car parks should be free / need more parking spaces or car parks / Need to enforce parking restrictions

116 13%

Need for more affordable housing 57 7%

Improve traffic control / Reduce congestion / Need more speed restriction measures / Too many lorries / Restrict HGV access

43 5%

Repair roads 31 4%

More public toilets / Cleaner public toilets / Improve public toilets / Open public toilets in winter / Longer opening hours for public toilets

30 3%

Keep streets clean 28 3%

Keep and improve public transport, especially to and from rural areas 25 3%

Support and attract local and smaller businesses 22 3%

Improve Planning Department / planning legislation 21 2%

Improve maintenance of verges, hedges and other vegetation 21 2%

Don't develop on greenfield sites 20 2%

More support / facilities / activities for young people 18 2%

Too much dog mess / Need more dog bins 18 2%

Sufficient gritting / snow clearing in bad weather 16 2%

Cut or freeze staff wages / Cut expenditure within council buildings / Reduce number of staff / Reorganise the council

14 2%

Fewer charity shops 14 2%

Focus on local residents 13 1%

Improve / Better park facilities and play areas for local children 13 1%

Too much litter / Too much fly-tipping / Need more litter bins 13 1%

Happy 12 1%

Improve and repair pavements and footpaths / pavements and footpaths in poor condition 12 1%

Need a bypass 11 1%

Keep libraries / Keep mobile library service 11 1%

Need to have / re-open local post office and/or local shop 10 1%

More housing for older people 9 1%

More shops / Better quality shops 9 1%

Attract and encourage more visitors 8 1%

More activities / facilities support for older people 8 1%

More police 8 1%

More support / facilities / activities / access for disabled people 8 1%

Don't waste money on surveys 7 1%

No inappropriate housing developments / No to low cost housing / No more housing estates / Less social housing

7 1%

Listen to public opinion / Ask for residents' views / Pay attention to more rural communities 6 1%

Merge with other councils 6 1%

Reduce business rates 6 1%

Advertise better / Promote local events 5 1%

Better / more / improve leisure facilities 5 1%

Develop town centres / Main Street / village centre 5 1%

Encourage more recycling / More recycling facilities / Improve recycling facilities 5 1%

Improve local facilities 5 1%

Fewer holiday and second homes / Increase council tax for holiday and second homes 5 1%

Refuse collection crew need to take more care / return bins to correct houses 5 1%

Responses 871 100%

Respondents 615

* Multi-coded answer



The Derbyshire Dales in four years

Respondents were asked what three words they would use to describe how they would want the

Derbyshire Dales to be in four years. 21% of respondents chose not to answer this question. Some

respondents chose to give between one and three separate words, while others gave a three-word

phrase. Single words and phrases were coded and ranked in Table 5.4. Words or phrases that account

for less than 1% of responses have been grouped together as ‘other.’ A word cloud was constructed as a

visual representation of resident responses. The size of each word relates its frequency in responses,

with larger words occurring more frequently than smaller words (Figure 5.5).

The top three words provided by respondents are:

Clean / Cleaner / Cleanliness

Safe / Safer

Thriving

Interestingly, these words match the three most important services to respondents in making the

Derbyshire Dales a good place to live based on the importance scores in the CSI calculations:

‘Keeping streets and public areas clean and attractive,’ ‘tackling crime and anti-social behaviour

e.g. providing secure car parks, working in partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour’ (thereby

making it safer) and ‘Helping our town centres to thrive.’ This confirms the importance of these

services to respondents in terms of future spending priorities.

Figure 5.5. Word cloud of responses to what three words would you use to describe how you would want the Derbyshire Dales to be in four years



Table 5.4. Words respondents use to describe how they would want the Derbyshire Dales to be in four years

Words Count (%)

Other 816 37%

Clean / Cleaner / Cleanliness 220 10%

Safe /Safer 187 8%

Thriving 157 7%

Attractive 82 4%

Efficient 72 3%

Green / Greener 54 2%

Prosperous 45 2%

Affordable / More affordable 43 2%

Vibrant 40 2%

Welcoming 38 2%

Same as now / Just as good / Just the same / Like now / Remain the same / Similar to today

34 2%

Care / Cared for / Cares / Caring 32 1%

Beautiful 30 1%

Better 27 1%

Sustain / Sustainable 26 1%

Tidy 25 1%

Friendlier / Friendly 24 1%

Rural 23 1%

Unspoilt / Unspoiled 22 1%

Peaceful 21 1%

Community 20 1%

Health / Healthy / Healthier 19 1%

Improve / Improved / Improving 18 1%

Accessible 17 1%

Crime free / Low crime 17 1%

Listen 17 1%

Busy / Busier 16 1%

Effective 16 1%

Supported / Supporting 15 1%

Fair 14 1%

Proactive 13 1%

Good 12 1%

Responses* 2212 100%

Respondents 968

*Multi-coded answer



6. Opinions about your local area

Respondents were asked a number of questions about their local area. For the purpose of the survey a

resident’s local area is classed as “the area within 15 – 20 minutes walking distance from your home.”

Your local area as a place to live

Respondents were asked how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with their local area as a place to live.

The majority of respondents are fairly or very satisfied (85%) and just 8% are fairly or very dissatisfied.

Figure 6.1. Levels of satisfaction with the local area as a place to live

Percentage of respondents – base size 1216 (‘Don’t know’ responses have been removed)

Further analysis by demographic sub group shows:

There is little difference in the percentage of male and female respondents who are fairly or

very satisfied (85% and 86% respectively).

There is no significant difference between levels of satisfaction across the age groups.

A significantly higher proportion of respondents with no disability are very or fairly satisfied

(87%) compared to those with a disability (72%).

100% of respondents from other ethnic groups are fairly or very satisfied. This drops to 85%

for White respondents, however the base size for other ethnic groups is too small to test

whether this difference is significant.

A significantly higher proportion of respondents from the northern area are fairly or very

satisfied (89%) compared to residents from the southern area (80%)

A higher proportion of respondents who answered the online public survey are very or fairly

satisfied (89%) compared to those who answered the postal (paper and online) survey

(85%), although this is not a significant difference.

41%

44%

6%

5%

3%

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfiednor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisified

85% Satisfaction



Figure 6.2. Satisfaction (fairly / very satisfied) with the local area as a place to live by demographic sub group

Percentage of respondents – base sizes in parentheses (‘Don’t know’ responses have been removed)

89%

85%

80%

89%

84%

100%

85%

87%

72%

85%

83%

86%

90%

83%

86%

85%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Public online survey (143)

Postal (paper & online) survey (1072)

Area - Southern (308)

Area - Northern (335)

Area - Central (429)

Other ethnic group (11)

White (1193)

No disability (1044)

Disability (145)

65+ yrs (334)

55 - 64 yrs (236)

45 - 54 yrs (241)

35 - 44 yrs (193)

18 - 34 yrs (212)

Female (623)

Male (592)

Overall satisfaction = 85%



Overall satisfaction

Respondents were asked how satisfied or dissatisfied they are overall with the way Derbyshire Dales

District Council runs things. The majority of respondents are fairly or very satisfied (65%) and just 12%

are fairly or very dissatisfied.

Figure 6.3. Levels of satisfaction with the way Derbyshire Dales District Council runs thing



A significantly higher proportion of female respondents are fairly or very satisfied (69%)

compared to male respondents (61%).

A significantly lower percentage of 18-34 year olds are fairly or very satisfied (50%)

compared to all other age groups. Respondents in the 65+ year olds age group show the

highest levels of satisfaction (74%).

A higher proportion of respondents with no disability are very or fairly satisfied (66%)

compared to those with a disability (61%), however this difference is not significant.

A higher proportion of White respondents are fairly or very satisfied (66%) compared to

respondents from other ethnic groups (47%), however the base size for other ethnic groups

is too small to test whether this difference is significant.

Although respondents from the northern area show a higher level of satisfaction (69% fairly

or very satisfied) it is not significantly different from satisfaction levels in the central and

southern areas (both 62%).

A significantly higher proportion of respondents who answered the online public survey are

very or fairly satisfied (76%) compared to those who answered the postal (paper and online)

survey (64%).

10%

55%

22%

10%

2%

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfiednor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisified

65% Satisfaction



Figure 6.4. Satisfaction (fairly / very satisfied) with the way Derbyshire Dales District Council runs thing by demographic sub group


76%

64%

62%

69%

62%

47%

66%

66%

61%

74%

68%

63%

66%

50%

69%

61%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%







White (1174)

No disability (1031)

Disability (140)

65+ yrs (330)

55 - 64 yrs (237)

45 - 54 yrs (233)

35 - 44 yrs (193)

18 - 34 yrs (204)

Female (616)

Male (582)

Overall satisfaction = 65%



Value for money

Residents were asked to what extent they agree or disagree that Derbyshire Dales District Council

provides value for money. Just over half of respondents tend to or strongly agree (53%). A further 29%

neither agree nor disagree and 18% tend to or strongly disagree.

Figure 6.5. Levels of agreement that Derbyshire Dales District Council provides value for money



There is little difference between the levels of agreement of male and female respondents (51%

and 54% respectively).

A significantly lower percentage of 18-34 year olds tend to or strongly agree (36%) compared to

all other age groups. Respondents in the 65+ year olds age group show the highest levels of

agreement (62%).

There no significant difference between the levels of agreement of respondents with a disability

(47%) and without a disability (53%).

While around half of White respondents tend to or strongly agree (53%) only around a third of

respondents from other ethnic groups (34%) think this, however the base size for other ethnic

groups is too small to test whether this difference is significant.

Significantly higher proportions of respondents from central and northern areas tend to or

strongly agree (both 53%) compared to respondents from the southern area (47%).

A significantly higher proportion of respondents who answered the online public survey tend to

or strongly agree (62%) compared to those who answered the postal (paper and online) survey

(51%).

7%

46%

29%

15%

3%

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Neither agree nordisagree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

53% Agreement



Figure 6.6. Agreement (tend to / strongly agree) that Derbyshire Dales District Council provides value for money b demographic sub group


62%

51%

47%

53%

53%

34%

53%

53%

47%

62%

54%

52%

53%

36%

54%

51%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%







White (1144)

No disability (996)

Disability (140)

65+ yrs (322)

55 - 64 yrs (232)

45 - 54 yrs (227)

35 - 44 yrs (179)

18 - 34 yrs (202)

Female (595)

Male (567)

Overall agreement = 53%



Influencing decisions that affect the local area

Residents were asked to what extent they agree or disagree that they can influence decisions affecting

their local area. Less than a quarter of respondents tend to or definitely agree (23%) while the majority

of respondents tend to or definitely disagree (52%). A further a quarter neither agree nor disagree (25%).

Figure 6.7. Levels of agreement that residents can influence decisions affecting their local area



There is no difference between the levels of agreement of male and female respondents (both

23%).

Significantly lower levels of agreement are seen in 18-34 year olds (18%) compared to 65+ year

olds (28%).

There is no significant difference between the levels of agreement of respondents with a

disability (27%) and without a disability (23%).

Almost a quarter of White respondents tend to or definitely agree (23%) while just over a third of

respondents from other ethnic groups (34%) think this, however the base size for other ethnic

groups is too small to test whether this difference is significant.

Respondents from all areas show a similar level of agreement; 22% of respondents from

northern and southern areas tend to or definitely agree while 23% of respondents from the

central area think this.

While a higher proportion of respondents who answered the online public survey tend to or

definitely agree (26%) compared to those who answered the postal (paper and online) survey

(22%), this is not a significant difference.

3%

20%

25%

35%

17%

Definitely agree

Tend to agree

Neither agree nordisagree

Tend to disagree

Definitely disagree

23% Agreement



Figure 6.8. Agreement (tend to / definitely agree) that residents can influence decisions affecting their local area by demographic sub group

Percentage of respondents– base sizes in parentheses (‘Don’t know’ responses have been removed)

26%

22%

22%

22%

23%

34%

23%

23%

27%

28%

24%

21%

20%

18%

23%

23%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%







White (1116)

No disability (981)

Disability (128)

65+ yrs (309)

55 - 64 yrs (228)

45 - 54 yrs (228)

35 - 44 yrs (184)

18 - 34 yrs (185)

Female (586)

Male (548)

Overall agreement = 23%



7. Appendices



Appendix 1 – Profile of respondents

Unweighted data Weighted data

District

Population Number of

respondents Percentage

Number of

respondents Percentage

Gender

Male 541 46% 599 49% 49%

Female 641 54% 626 51% 51%

Age

18 – 34 58 5% 212 17% 17%

35 – 44 74 6% 196 16% 16%

45 – 54 172 15% 241 20% 20%

55 – 64 241 21% 240 20% 20%

65 + 619 53% 337 27% 27%

Disability

Yes 196 17% 146 12% -

No 963 83% 1052 88% -

Ethnic Group

White: English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British

1170 99% 1202 99% 99%

Other 7 1% 11 1% 1%

Area

Central 423 39% 435 40% -

North 345 32% 336 31% -

South 309 29% 311 29% -

The survey data has been weighted by age and gender to ensure that the results are representative of Derbyshire Dales population.



Appendix 2 – Question response counts

Q1 & Q2: Services

Response Count *

Q1 (Importance)

Q2 (Satisfaction)


1198 1021

Improving the supply of affordable, decent housing 1204 989

Providing public toilets for visitors to our towns and villages 1200 1135

Ensuring you know what Council services are available to you 1202 1103


1189 1103


1192 962


1196 930

Improving recycling and composting for household waste 1181 1144

Continuing to support local markets including Farmers' Markets 1187 1038


1187 1064


1187 971

Keeping streets and public areas clean and attractive 1187 1173

Employing staff to put on Matlock Bath Illuminations and other special events in future

1178 793

Providing Sports and Leisure Facilities & Activities 1188 1106

Maintaining parks and recreation grounds 1187 1126

Providing off-street car parks for residents and visitors 1186 1099

Helping our town centres to thrive 1157 1012

None of these 5 23

* Response counts do not include ‘Don’t know’ responses.



Question Response

Count *

Q3. Are there any other comments you wish to make to help the District Council decide its future spending priorities?

615

Q4. What three words would you use to describe how you want the Derbyshire Dales to be in four years?

968

Q5. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live?

1216

Q6. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Derbyshire Dales District Council runs things?

1197

Q7. To what extent do you agree or disagree that Derbyshire Dales District Council provides value for money?

1162

Q8. Do you agree or disagree that you can influence decisions affecting your local area?

1134

Q9. Are you interested in receiving up to 6 online questionnaire surveys a year from us, each taking a max of 10 minutes to complete?

1136

Q10. Gender 1225

Q11. Age 1225

Q12. Do you consider yourself to have a disability? 1198

Q13. What is your ethnic group? 1213

Q14. Postcode 1205

* Response counts do not include ‘Don’t know’ responses for Q5, Q6, Q7 and Q8. Response counts do not include ‘Prefer not to say’ responses for Q10 and Q12.



Appendix 3 – Cover letter



Appendix 4 - Questionnaire

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