Annual Town Survey - You Said, We did

Annual Town Survey 2023 - You Said, We Did

The 2023 Annual Town Survey went live on the 24th of May 2023 and closed on the 31st of July 2023, with 200 respondents total.

When the survey closed 137 respondents had confirmed their status, 29 were pending, and 34 were anonymous. 

Overall, we had 904 visits to the Commonplace platform whilst the survey was live, including 116 via Facebook, 31 through LinkedIn, 31 from Twitter, 15 via our website, and 98 through an online news post.

Who Responded?

The 200 respondents were from Cirencester and over 20 other places including Ashton Keynes, Bibury, Coates, Kemble, Minchinhampton, Nailsworth, Preston, Siddington, and Tetbury.

Of the respondents from Cirencester, the Ward breakdown was as follows: Abbey 17%, Beeches 16%, Chesterton 11%, Four Acres 6%, New Mills 10%, Stratton 12%, St Michaels 16%, Watermoor 12%.

Local Connection:

50 of the respondents lived in Cirencester, 7 stated that they lived in Cirencester as well as having a business, 21 lived and worked in Cirencester, 11 visited and shopped in Cirencester, and 2 worked in Cirencester.

Gender:

56 respondents identified as being Male, 62 as being Female, and 1 as other.

Benchmarking with 2022

In 2022 we issued some statements and asked the public if they agreed or not. The feedback received was that the public wanted more evidence and info to be able to respond accurately. In 2023, we provided a wide range of information and an evidence base relating to the statements. The chart below compares how many respondents agreed to the statements in 2023, compared with 2022:

How are we doing?

We wanted to know how satisfied respondents were with the services provided by Cirencester Town Council for example markets & events, the local information centre, parks, and open spaces; 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being very satisfied. Of the 171 people who responded, 65% were satisfied or very satisfied with the services provided by the Town Council:

How are others doing?

We also asked respondents how satisfied they were with the services provided by Cotswold District Council for example planning, waste and recycling, parking, environment, and housing of the 171 people who responded, 40% were satisfied or very satisfied with the services provided by the District Council:

We asked the same question, in respect of Gloucestershire County Council and services they provide such as public transport, roads, libraries, health, and social care; of the 169 people who responded, 12% were satisfied or very satisfied with the service provided by the County Council:

You Said, We Did

Some members of the public are critical of engagement and consultation; this could be for many reasons. Cirencester Town Council is seeking to build a level of trust with the public which demonstrates that our consultations are meaningful and relevant. Through the Commonplace platform we will always follow up with a feedback summary and a ‘you said - we did’ tile or ‘you said - we’ll do’; demonstrating an active response to the feedback we receive. We will be passing on your comments to the respective Lead Officers and Lead Members at the Town Council and will pass on your comments to the District and County.

In the 2023 Annual Town survey we received over 100 comments; 14 of which related to the Town Council, 25 Cotswold District Council, and 49 the County Council. 22 were general comments and 2 related to the impact of college students parking in nearby residential areas.

The following charts outline the areas of concern for residents and those with a local connection to Cirencester:

And Finally....

77% of respondents said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with Cirencester as a place to live, work, or study. The following word cloud expresses your thoughts on Cirencester: