Results from Merton’s 2010 residents’ survey announced this week show that residents feel the borough has made progress in the last year with people generally more satisfied with the service provided by the council. However, there are still concerns in key areas.
The 2010 review surveyed over 1,000 (1025) adults across Merton and 255 young people aged 11-17 in October 2010. The results show that 78% of residents think the council doing a good job and most figures indicate that locals are happier with how the council is addressing their main worries.
Satisfaction with the cleanliness of the streets has increased with 57% of the respondents rating street cleaning as good to excellent – a 7% increase on 2009 – reflecting Merton’s focus on issues of greatest concern to local people. Whilst recognising this improvement, cleaner streets remain one of the top 4 areas of concern for Merton’s residents.
The survey has also seen a fall in residents’ concerns about the level of council tax alongside a 10% increase in the number of people agreeing that the council provides value for money for the council tax they pay. However, the level of council tax is still the second biggest concern for people living in the borough.
Although Merton remains one of the safest boroughs in London, crime remains residents’ number one concern, with 37% of respondents listing it as their main area of concern. At the same time, the survey saw the number of residents worried about anti-social behaviour decrease from 55% in 2009 to 48% in 2010.
Traffic congestion is another area that has seen small decreases in concern but is still third highest on the list for Merton’s residents.
Councillor Stephen Alambritis, Leader of Merton Council said:
“It is encouraging to see residents’ appreciation of our services going up in the majority of cases. It is also helpful for us to see areas of concern, especially where it is consistently expressed over a longer period of time like with traffic congestion, as this helps us focus our planning as much as possible to try and address these issues.
“However, the financial pressures facing the borough mean that we will have to make some tough decisions over the coming months. We will keep talking with residents and make sure Merton’s priorities continue to go hand in hand with those of local people.
“The latest residents’ survey is good news, but we are never complacent and will continue to do our best for the people who live in Merton, even as funds are squeezed still further.”
To see the survey results in full go to Merton’s website http://www.merton.gov.uk/residentssurvey