Residents' voice

11.1 Key Facts

• When asked how well the local council ran things, almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents to the latest survey (in Autumn 2017) reported satisfaction, compared to 63% for London and 66% nationally. Between Autumn 2015 and Spring 2017, satisfaction with Barnet Council was consistently higher than the national average, only becoming similar in Autumn 2017.
• Seven out of ten Barnet residents felt that the council was doing a good job, whilst 62% believed that the council was trustworthy. Both these measures remained in line with the previous wave of the survey, conducted in Spring 2017.
• In Autumn 2017, 85% of Barnet residents were satisfied with their local area as a place to live. This is consistent with previous waves of the Residents’ Perception Survey and the national figure (81%) and is higher than the London average (80%). 
• Eight out of ten Barnet residents were satisfied with street lighting (80%) and waste collection (79%). In contrast, residents remain least likely to feel satisfied with road and pavement maintenance as well as parking services.
• Whilst the level of satisfaction with pavement maintenance in Barnet has increased in recent years, the current figure of 39% remains below both the national (54%) and London (53%) averages.
• Only a third of residents were satisfied with the level of support for children and young people (32%) and a fifth were satisfied with activities for teenagers / young people (22%).
• In ranked order the top three concerns of Barnet residents were: Crime, lack of affordable housing and condition of roads and pavements.
• Almost half of residents were satisfied with libraries (48%) and sports & leisure services (48%), which was lower than the London and national averages, for both types of service.
• Three quarters of respondents (75%) to the latest survey felt that Barnet was a family friendly place to live.

11.2 Strategic Needs

• Three quarters of residents feel that they strongly belong to the local area and the same proportion think that Barnet is a family friendly place to live. These and other markers indicate that there is strong community cohesion within Barnet, which if encouraged appropriately could foster a strong culture of volunteering and create a resilient partnership between Barnet Council and the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS).
• The top three concerns for Barnet residents (namely; crime, lack of affordable housing and the condition of roads and pavements) remained the same between Spring and Autumn 2017. However, the order changed in the latest survey; crime became the number one concern for residents and lack of affordable housing rose by 10 percentage points to become number two.
• The percentage of Barnet residents rating crime in their top three concerns has risen from 25% in Spring 2015 to 39% in Autumn 2017, reflecting declines in both the proportion of residents feeling safe after dark and satisfaction with the council and the police in dealing with anti-social behaviour (ASB). Initiatives to lessen fear of crime and target ASB may be productive.
• There has been a recent decline in satisfaction with the way the council runs things, so that around two thirds of residents are satisfied, is a departure from pattern shown over the previous few years. The level of satisfaction with how the council runs things in Barnet is now in line with both London and national averages, where in the past it was significantly higher than both. Investigations into the reasons for this change may be warranted.
• In Autumn 2017, 56% of residents thought that the council was efficient and well run, which was a fall of 10 percentage points from Spring 2017 (66%). This perception is linked to a number of variables including a fall in the percentage of residents who feel that the council is making the local area a better place to live from 67% to 62% between Spring and Autumn 2017.
• Several drivers linked to the perception of Barnet Council as efficient and well run, have shown little change between Spring and Autumn 2017 e.g. the perception that the council is doing a good job, provides good value for money for the council tax paid and involves residents in decision making.
• In the latest Residents’ Perception Survey, 38% of respondents agreed that the council “is doing a better job now than one year ago,” which represents an increase of five percentage points from Spring 2017 (33%) and brings this measure back in line with Spring 2016 wave (40%).
• In terms of the core reputational measure for the council, two-thirds of residents (65%) were satisfied with the way Barnet Council runs things, which was a decrease of five percentage points from the previous survey conducted in Spring 2017. This was the only core reputational measure that showed a decline in the latest survey; the proportion of residents who believe that Barnet Council is trustworthy, gives good value for money and keeps residents informed about what they are doing remained in line with the Spring 2017 survey.

11.3 Overview

The most recent Residents’ Perception Survey (for Autumn 2017) was conducted during October – November 2017, with 501 adult residents of Barnet, covering a range of questions dealing with their perceptions of the local area, as well as the reputation and services of the local council. The survey has been conducted twice each year for several years, to show trends and benchmarking has been against London and national comparators.[1]

[1] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357

11.4 Resident Satisfaction with Barnet Council

When asked how well the local council ran things, 65% of respondents to the latest survey reported satisfaction, compared with 63% for London and 66% nationally. Since Autumn 2015, the level of satisfaction with local authorities nationally has shown a downward trend. Between Autumn 2013 and Spring 2017, satisfaction with Barnet Council was consistently higher than the national average, only becoming similar in Autumn 2017.[1]

Seven out of ten Barnet residents felt that the council was doing a good job, whilst 62% believed that the council was trustworthy (see Figure 11.1). Both these measures remained in line with the previous wave of the survey, conducted in Spring 2017. In contrast, a lower proportion of respondents believed that the council was making the local area a better place to live (62% vs. 67% in Spring 2017) or is efficient and well run (56% vs. 66%). Just over half of residents (57%) thought that Barnet Council provides good value for money based on council tax paid, which was in line with the previous survey (58%). Similarly, around half of respondents (54%) believed that Barnet Council listened to the concerns of residents, whilst half thought that the council involved residents in decision making (50%). The proportion of Barnet residents who believed that the council acts on the concerns of residents fell by five percentage points between Autumn 2016 and Autumn 2017, from 55% to 50%. Only 38% of respondents to the latest survey felt that the council was doing a better job than one year ago, compared to 33% in Spring 2017.

Figure 11.1: Image of Barnet Council, Autumn 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

Looking at the core reputation measures for the council, 64% of residents felt that Barnet Council keeps residents informed about what they are doing, whilst 62% believed that the council was trustworthy. Less than half (47%) of respondents to the latest survey thought that the local council provided good value for money. Barnet residents aged 55-64 were significantly less likely than younger age groups to feel the council was trustworthy and those aged 75+ were significantly more likely to believe that the council offered good value for money than those aged 35-64. Similarly, residents aged 75+ were significantly more likely to think that the council kept them informed (80%) compared to younger age groups, except for those aged 65-74 years (74%) and those aged 25-34 years (73%).[2]

[1] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357

[2] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357

11.5 Local Services

As can be seen from Figure 11.2, eight out of ten residents were satisfied with street lighting (80%) and waste collection (79%). In contrast, residents remain least likely to feel satisfied with road and pavement maintenance as well as parking services. However, road and pavement maintenance ratings have shown recent improvement, with satisfaction in both increasing significantly between Autumn 2016 and Autumn 2017. Satisfaction with road maintenance (42%) is now in line with national (39%) and London average (43%).  However, whilst satisfaction with pavement maintenance in Barnet has increased in recent years, the current figure of 39% remains below both the national (54%) and London (53%) averages.[1]

Figure 11.2: Levels of satisfaction with universal services (used by all residents), Autumn 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

Half of respondents to the latest Residents’ Perception Survey (see Figure 11.3) were satisfied with primary education (51%). Around half of residents were satisfied with under 5s early education (45%) and secondary education (43%). However, only a third were satisfied with the level of support for children and young people (32%) and a fifth were satisfied with activities for teenagers / young people (22%).

Figure 11.3: Levels of satisfaction with non-universal services (educational and family services), Autumn 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

Other than educational and family services, satisfaction with other non-universal council services, also showed considerable variation (see Figure 11.4). Almost half of residents were satisfied with libraries and sports & leisure services (48% in both cases). For libraries, the national and London levels of satisfaction were 62% and 59% respectively, whilst for sports and leisure services, these benchmarks were 62% and 64%.  For both types of non-universal service, the level of satisfaction of Barnet residents, reflected by the Autumn 2017 survey, was lower than both London and national averages. About a quarter of respondents (27%) were satisfied with social care services for adults, which was similar to the previous figure of 28% from Autumn 2016. However, compared to the previous year, the level of residents’ satisfaction with council housing fell from 21% to 16% in Autumn 2017.[2]

Figure 11.4: Levels of satisfaction with other non-universal services, Autumn 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

[1] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357

[2] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357

11.6 Top Concerns for Residents

In response to the question; “Which three things are you personally most concerned about?”  the top three concerns for Barnet residents remained the same, although the order has changed (see Figure 11.5). In ranked order the top three concerns of Barnet residents were:

• Crime (39%)
• Lack of affordable housing (38%) and
• Condition of roads and pavements (33%).

Whilst both crime and the lack of affordable housing both showed increases from their Spring 2017 figures (of 7 and 10 percentage points respectively), concern over the condition of the roads and pavements fell from 35% to 33% between Spring and Summer 2017.

Figure 11.5: Top concerns for Barnet residents, Spring & Autumn 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

The ranking of crime as the top concern for respondents is understandable, given that the proportion of residents feeling safe in the night has fallen to 68% (compared to 74% in Autumn 2016), whilst only 60% of residents are satisfied that the police and the council are dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime in their local area, down seven percentage points from Autumn 2016. Linked to this, concern over several anti-social behaviour measures increased between Autumn 2016 and Autumn 2017 (see Figure 11.6).

Figure 11.6: Trends in concern over antisocial behaviour in Barnet, Autumn 2013-17

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

11.7 Community Cohesion

In the most recent Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017), 85% of Barnet residents were satisfied with their local area as a place to live, compared with 82% in the previous survey (Spring 2017. The current level of satisfaction with the local area for Barnet residents is in line with the national average (81%), but higher than the London figure (80%). Similarly, three quarters of respondents (75%) to the latest survey felt that Barnet was a family friendly place to live, which remained in line with the previous survey (see Figure 11.7).

Figure 11.7:  Proportion of respondents who felt that Barnet is a family-friendly place to live, 2017

Source: Barnet Residents’ Perception Survey (Autumn 2017).

The proportion of Barnet residents who think that people from different backgrounds get on well together (84%) remains in line with the previous year (81%), as well as the national average (81%). Three-quarters of respondents in Barnet (75%) felt that they strongly belong to the local area, which was also in line with the figure for Autumn 2016 (76%), but higher than the national average (62%). Only of quarter of Barnet residents (24%) thought that not treating each other with respect and consideration was a problem, compared to over a third (37%) in Spring 2017.[1]

[1] London Borough of Barnet (2019). Resident’s Perception Survey – Autumn 2017. Available at: https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1234/documents/1357