Annual residents’ survey launches this week!

The Council is asking 6,000 local people to tell them what they think about the services provided and to find out what matters most as part of their annual residents’ survey.

Residents, whose addresses have been selected at random, are being asked for their views on their local area and key council services. The survey asks how they would like the council to keep them informed and what they think about the newly launched website. The survey also asks if a service they use were to be reduced or cut, which of the range of options available to the council they would be most willing to support.

Feedback gathered from the survey will be used to monitor residents’ satisfaction with key council services and to help to make improvements.

The council has seen a £5m reduction in funding from Central Government over the past five years, so crucially it will be used to understand local priorities as part of the council’s budget process to target resources to the things that matter most.

In addition, of the total Council Tax paid by Thanet residents, the district council receives just 13p in every £1. That money is used to help fund more than 30 different services and includes everything from the crematorium and harbour, to bin collections, cleansing of beaches, streets and parks, environmental health, planning, housing, tourism and much more!

Thanet District Council’s Cabinet Member for Financial Services and Estates, Cllr Ian Gregory, said:

“It’s never been more important for local people to have their say. We’ve seen a significant reduction in funding from Central Government, which means we have to review the way we deliver our services. And we can’t do that alone. Seeking residents’ views at this critical time means that as we consider future budgets, we can be confident that decisions can be made taking local views on board and then target the reduced resource we have, to the the areas and services that matter most.

“I’d urge anyone who is contacted as part of the sample, to take just 15 minutes to tell us what they think. Getting involved and sharing their thoughts means that as we make some of these tougher decisions, we do so with their views in mind.”

The random sample of residents will receive a blue postcard providing them with a unique reference number which they will need to complete the survey online. All responses to the survey will remain anonymous. The survey can be completed by any resident (aged 18+) living at that address, but only one survey can be completed per household.

If you have received a postcard with a unique reference number, you can complete the survey here.

Hard copy surveys can be made available for those selected upon request – details are provided on the postcard.

All surveys should be completed by midnight on Monday 8 October. The results will be published by the council and will be used to help inform its budget and service priorities.