Residents deliver 'milestone' satisfaction survey

Martin Griffiths is the leader of North Northamptonshire Council, which has been controlled by Reform UK since local elections in May

The results of a "milestone" survey will help shape future policy, a local authority has said.

North Northamptonshire Council has published the results of its first residents' satisfaction survey, which captured the views of 500 residents across the area.

It found that 68% of the respondents were satisfied with their local area as a place to live, and highlighted reducing crime, providing more affordable homes and more jobs as areas the council should focus its efforts on for the next five to 10 years.

Martin Griffiths, leader of the Reform UK-controlled council, said the survey provided "a clearer understanding of what matters most to our residents and where we can improve".

North Northamptonshire Council was formed in 2021 after a shake-up of local government in Northamptonshire which saw two unitary authorities replace Northamptonshire County Council and seven district and borough councils.

Mr Griffiths said: "The first four years of any new unitary council will naturally be challenging, and North Northamptonshire Council has been no exception. The results of the residents' satisfaction survey in many ways reflect this.

"I am working hard with my executive colleagues to build a happy and constructive working environment and one that puts the needs of our residents at the very heart of everything we do."

The council will meet to discuss the survey's findings later this month

The survey was commissioned in response to recommendations from the Local Government Association's Corporate Peer Challenge, and carried out by independent research company Yonder Data Solutions, in July.

Other findings from the survey included:

• 77% of respondents expressed satisfaction with waste collection services, compared with national figures of 76%.

• 41% were satisfied with how the council runs things, with older residents and women reporting higher satisfaction. This was lower than the latest nationally surveyed figure of 56%.

• 33% of residents said they felt well-informed about council services, lower than the latest nationally surveyed figure of 47%.

• And 78% of residents said they trusted local councillors to decide how services are provided in the local area, above the national figure of 70%.

North Northamptonshire Council's scrutiny committee will debate the survey findings at a meeting on 21 October, before the council's executive considers a draft corporate plan on 11 November.