Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has welcomed a commitment from Deputy Chief Executive of Torbay Council Caroline Taylor to look at rectifying the poor results shown in a recent survey of Torbay residents.
The results from the ‘Place Survey’ saw only about a third of residents approving of how the council acts on behalf of local people. Fewer than 20% thought that they had enough influence on local decision making, reflecting Mr Sanders’ own survey of thousands of residents in 2008, where only 13% felt they were involved enough.
The Council is soon to unveil an ‘action plan’ to the Torbay Strategic Partnership to rectify the problems highlighted in the survey and Mr Sanders has been encouraging the council to do more to listen to residents and pro-actively take action on issues.
Adrian said: “The perception of mismanagement at the town hall and the overriding of the needs and wishes of Torbay residents is one of the major concerns people in the Bay raise with me. Hopefully the council can now look closely at why people hold these perceptions and bring in meaningful change, not just in how the council presents itself but in the substance of what it does strategically and on a day-to-day basis.”
“The survey did take in the views of over 2000 residents but the Council should be listening to the views of all residents everyday, ensuring that consultations actually influence decision making.”
In a reply on behalf of Torbay Council, Caroline Taylor wrote to Mr Sanders saying: “The survey has allowed us to do an analysis on a Ward and Town basis and this will allow us to carry out local targeting and some innovative work in Ward areas to respond to various big issues raised. There is also a quarterly residents’ focus group now in place to track changes in perception and concern before the next formal survey takes place in 2 years time.”
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