COVID-19 response and recovery consultation results
Covid-19 response and recovery surveys
Our Scrutiny Committee set up two task and finish groups to help identify how to best support the borough and our residents through the Covid-19 pandemic and the recovery stages.
We wanted to know how the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the lives of our residents. To enable us to identify the areas of best practice and any lessons learnt.
Two Consultations were held one focusing on "shaping places" and the second on "helping people".
The COVID-19 response and recovery place survey sought residents views on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their daily lives, and whether the Council's response has met their needs.
The survey also helped us understand how behaviours have changed and how we can have a positive impact upon the community and the overall town centre experience.
327 people responded to the survey. The results showed that there was a decrease in town centre usage in the immediate after effects of the pandemic.
After analysing the data, on average, respondents thought that:
- Safety measures were sufficient
- Stats and Information was readily available
- Social distancing measured were not suitably encouraged or maintained
- There was sufficient parking in the town
- There was amble short stay parking in the town
- Car parks were not reasonably priced
- There is insufficient cycle lanes and parking in the town
- There is insufficient local bus services
In general activity and leisure facility usage went down, except in outdoor activities such as running clubs, fishing, horse riding and the country park.
In general entertainment venue usage also significantly decreased across all areas.
You can view the results on the download panel below.
The people survey was launched on 15 June 2021 and was open for eight weeks. The survey asked residents about how the pandemic had affected their physical mental and financial well-being. In addition, the survey aimed to understand how residents’ needs had been supported since the beginning of the pandemic and gain an understanding of how effectively the Council and its external partners responded to it.
159 responded to the survey, which showed:
- There was a slight decrease in full time employment since the start of the pandemic, however unemployment had also fallen.
- Income levels are increasingly not meeting the cost of living with respondents using savings, loans or benefits to top up income.
- A third of respondents stated that their health had been adversely affected