Residents and businesses have overwhelmingly backed Stroud District Council and the way it is responding to the Coronavirus pandemic in its annual survey.
Every year the council commissions a budget survey to measure performance and set priorities. The independent survey conducted telephone surveys with a random sample of 500 residents and 200 businesses.
Quotas on age and gender of residents and size of businesses were set to ensure the results were representative.
The survey found that levels of satisfaction with SDC remains high, and much higher than a national survey of residents carried out by the Local Government Association (LGA) at a similar time.
Stroud District Council’s survey of residents found:
94% are satisfied with their area as a place to live, compared to a national average of 78%.
75% are satisfied with how SDC runs things, compared to a national average of 56%
68% agree that services have been maintained to a good standard
66% reported that Coronavirus had had a negative impact on their lifestyle, an increase of 8% from the previous year.
68% strongly agree/agree that SDC has supported the community during the pandemic.
Fifty-five percent of residents said they would accept an increase of at least 2% in Council Tax (equivalent to 8p per week for a Band D property)
When it came to SDC’s priorities, residents’ top three were:
- promoting economic recovery and working with local partners to support thriving market towns and rural vitality (93%)
- working with partners and communities to tackle the climate emergency and work towards becoming a carbon neutral district (87%)
- increasing the supply of affordable housing and help prevent homelessness (85%).
The survey of businesses found:
96% were satisfied with the area as a place to do business (96% last year)
79% are satisfied that SDC is working to improve the environment (77% last year)
75% agreed that services have been maintained to a good standard (72% last year)
70% were satisfied with how SDC runs things (63% last year)
The majority of business reported that the Coronavirus pandemic had had a negative impact on their customers, employees and supply chain, with almost half expressing concern about their future prospects.
49% of businesses had applied for a Covid-business grant from SDC, with 85% agreeing that the application process was clear and easy to follow.
Promoting economic recovery and working with local partners to support thriving market towns and rural vitality was the top SDC for businesses, with 96% in agreement.
Cllr Doina Cornell, Stroud District Council Leader commented: “After another difficult year I’m delighted that residents and businesses in the Stroud district have such confidence in the work we do and recognise the support we have given.
“And I’m pleased to see that people who live and work in the district agree with the council’s priorities of Economy, Recovery and Regeneration, Environment and Climate Change, and Community Resilience and Wellbeing.”
The full results of the survey can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/3q5lDRz
The LGA survey can be viewed: