Strong Neighbourhoods 2009-10

Strong Neighbourhoods

January 2010

The aim of the 'Strong Neighbourhoods' theme is to make Richmondshire a place with vibrant, sustainable communities, where people want to live and work and feel able to contribute to decisions that affect them.

This year we are concentrating on three issues:
access to services, transport and volunteering

ACCESS TO SERVICES

The organisations which form the Local Strategic Partnership are working together to improve access to services in your area. One way of doing this is to deliver a range of services in one location as near to your home as possible at a local Community Office or Information Point. Other ways include the use of a website, phone or letter.

Your views and experience of using these services will help us to understand how and where we need to improve.

Q1	What services have you accessed in the last 12 months in the Richmondshire area and how did you do it? Please go through the services and tick the relevant box(es) to show how you accessed that service. Leave the rows blank for any services you did not use. Richmondshire District Council
Q1		In person	Phone	Internet	Council web site	Video link eg Dales line	Other (please specify)
	Planning advice / query
	Housing and Council Tax Benefit Services
	Payments to council (eg council tax)
	Lifeline
	Housing
	Business support
	Environmental health

North Yorkshire County Council
	In person	Phone	Internet	Council web site	Video link eg Dales line	Other (please specify)
Social care
Highways services
Library (mobile)
Library (static)
Adult learning

Other - means of accessing the service

Other services

Q2	If you have used any of Richmondshire District Council's Community Offices or Information Points in the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the service provided? For any office you have visited, please tick one of the boxes to the right
Q2		Very satisfied	Satisfied	Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied
	Leyburn
	Richmond
	Colburn (in the library)
	Reeth (Hudson House)
	Upper Wensleydale (Hawes)
	A1 Community Works, Catterick Village
	The Hive, Catterick Garrison

Q3	If you were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the office or the services it provides, please explain why and give advice on any changes you think are needed. If you have visited more than one centre please make it obvious in your response which ones you are referring to.

If you used a Community Office or the Dales line video link how far was this from your home? If you have used more than one, please reply about the one nearest to your home.

1 mile or less

5-10 miles

more than 1 mile but less than 5

more than 10 miles

Q5	Are there any other services you would like to be able to access reasonably close to, or at, your home?

What is your preferred method of accessing information and services? Please tick no more than 2 boxes

By telephone

In writing

In person at Local Community Office

By fax

By email

Through relevant website ( eg www.richmondshire.gov.uk)

Via video link

Somebody asking on your behalf (e.g. Councillor)

Q7	How easy or otherwise have you found accessing, applying for or receiving the following services. Please limit your responses to the services you have used. Richmondshire District Council
Q7		Very easy	Easy	Neither easy nor difficult	Fairly difficult	Very difficult
	Planning advice / query
	Housing and Council Tax Benefit Services
	Payments to council (eg council tax)
	Lifeline
	Housing
	Business support
	Environmental health

Voluntary sector services
	Very easy	Easy	Neither easy nor difficult	Fairly difficult	Very difficult
Citizens Advice Bureau - debt advice
Citizens Advice Bureau - general advice

Other - different services

Q8	How easy or otherwise is it for you to understand information which you receive from these services? eg application form, service charter etc Please limit your responses to the services you have used. Richmondshire District Council
Q8		Very easy	Easy	Neither easy nor difficult	Fairly difficult	Very difficult
	Planning advice / query
	Housing and Council Tax Benefit Services
	Payments to council (eg council tax)
	Lifeline
	Housing
	Business support
	Environmental health

Voluntary sector services
	Very easy	Easy	Neither easy nor difficult	Fairly difficult	Very difficult
Citizens Advice Bureau - debt advice
Citizens Advice Bureau - general advice

Other - different services

Q9	If you have answered 'fairly difficult' or 'very difficult' for any of the services mentioned in the last two questions, please specify what assistance you would like to help you access or understand that information more readily.

Q10

If you feel that you have a disability or special needs, do you think that the application process for these services takes full account of this?

Yes

Not applicable

TRANSPORT

Many people in Richmondshire live in remote, sparsely populated areas and accessing services can be difficult. We are anxious to know how people from all parts find the current transport arrangements, including information about bus times etc as well as the services themselves and we would like to know of any suggestions for improvement you may have

Please describe

Q12

Do you think this method could be improved?

Yes

Q13	If, yes please describe the changes you would like to see

Q14	If more information points were to be provided where would you like to see one? (An information point is a place where information and leaflets are available on local services including transport)

Q15

Are there any community transport arrangements in your area? (Community transport includes: community minibus, dial-a-ride, volunteer/community car scheme, Wheels2Work)

Yes

Q16

Are they adequate?

Yes

Q17	If they are inadequate or there is no community transport at all where you live, please describe what could be done to improve the situation.

Q18

Do you think you can easily access services using local transport?

Yes

VOLUNTEERING

We are asking a number of questions on volunteering to help us to understand the level and nature of volunteering that takes place in Richmondshire, to improve opportunities for people to volunteer and to provide appropriate advice, guidance and support to volunteers

Q19

"Volunteering is defined as an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives."

Do you consider yourself to be a volunteer according to that definition?

Yes

Other

Please list any others

Q22

If you are not already volunteering in the field of transport, is this something you would like to know more about?

Yes

Q23

If you are not a volunteer at present, would you like to do some volunteering?

Yes

Yes, if the things stopping me volunteering could be overcome

Q24

What is preventing you from volunteering? Tick as many boxes as necessary

I do not know enough about the possibilities

I am not available at the right times

Lack of childcare

No available or convenient transport

Infirmity

No time

Not available for long term commitment but would consider project work

Other, please specify

Q25

Do you know of Richmond Volunteer Centre and the services it offers to support volunteers?

Yes

Q26

If you have used their services were they useful?

Yes

Partly

I have not used them

Q27

Overall, about how often over the last 12 months have you given unpaid help to any group(s), club(s) or organisation(s).
Please only include work that is unpaid and not for your family. Tick one box only.

At least once a week

Less than once a week but at least once a month

Less often

I give unpaid help as an individual only and not through group(s), club(s) or organisation(s)

I have not given any unpaid help at all over the last 12 months

Don't know

GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT RICHMONDSHIRE AND ALSO THE DISTRICT COUNCIL

Living in your local area

Q28

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live?
Please tick one box only

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Q29

And how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your home as a place to live?
Please tick one box only

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Q30

How strongly do you feel you belong to your immediate neighbourhood?
Please tick one box only

Very strongly

Fairly strongly

Not very strongly

Not at all strongly

Don't know

Q31

In your opinion are older people in your local area able to get the services and support they need to continue to live at home for as long as they want to? (This could include help or support from public, private or voluntary services or from family, friends and the wider community)
Please tick one box only

Yes

Don't know

Q32

To what extent do you agree or disagree that Richmondshire is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together? (Tick one box only)

Definitely agree

Tend to agree

Tend to disagree

Definitely disagree

Don't know

Too few people in the local area

All same backgrounds

District and County Council Services

Q33	How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with each of the following services provided or supported by Richmondshire District Council or North Yorkshire County Council? Please tick one box for each service
Q33		Very satisfied	Fairly satisfied	Neither satisfied nor dis-satisfied	Fairly dis-satisfied	Very dis-satisfied	Don't know
	Local transport information
	Local bus services
	Sport/leisure facilities
	Libraries
	Museums/galleries
	Theatres/concert halls

Q34

To what extent do you agree or disagree that Richmondshire District Council provides value for money?

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

Don't know

Q35

Over all, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way the Richmondshire District Council runs things?

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Consultation by the Council and making local decisions

Q36	Would you tell us how satisfied you are with various aspects of Richmondshire District Council's decision making process
Q36		Very satisfied	Fairly satisfied	Neither	Fairly dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied
	Giving residents opportunities to contribute to its planning and decision making
	Consulting well about local decision making
	Keeping residents informed about its actions and services

Q37	Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with following statements.
Q37		Definitely agree	Tend to agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know
	You are kept informed about local affairs
	It is important that Richmondshire District Council keeps residents informed about what it is doing
	You can influence decisions affecting your local area

Q38

To what extent do you think Richmondshire District Council takes notice of its residents' views?

Fully

Partially

Rarely

Never

Q39	Please think about any group(s) to which you belong, which make(s) decisions that affect your local area. Please exclude anything that was a requirement of your job. In the past 12 months have you.. Please tick one box only for each statement
Q39		Yes	No
	Been a local councillor (for the local authority, town or parish)........................................
	Been a member of a group making decisions on local health or education services.......
	Been a member of a decision-making group set up to regenerate the local area............
	Been a member of a decision-making group set up to tackle local crime problems.......
	Been a member of a tenants' group decision-making committee....................................
	Been a member of a group making decisions on local services for young people..........
	Been a member of another group making decisions on services in the local community

Q40

Generally speaking, would you like to be more involved in the decisions that affect your local area?

Yes

Depends on the issue

Don't know

About You

Q41

Are you male or female?

Male

Female

Q42

What was your age last birthday?

Under 25

45 - 60

65 and over

25 - 44

61 - 64

Q43

Do you consider yourself to have a long term health problem or disability that limits your daily activity or the work you do?

Yes

Other - please describe

Q46	What is your nearest town or village?

Q47	If you would like to receive future notification of surveys by email please give us your details. (There is no need to do this if you received an email notification of this survey as you are already on our mailing list): Name

	Address

	Postcode

	Email address

Thank you very much for completing this survey!

Please press the "Submit" button and your completed survey will come directly to us at Richmondshire District Council for analysis on behalf of Richmondshire Local Strategic Partnership.