Survey asks residents for opinion on state of West Somerset

AGENCIES across Somerset have joined forces to find out what matters to local residents in West Somerset.
A new survey, known as the Place Survey, is taking place next month to ask people at randomly selected addresses for their opinions on the current state and their future hopes for the district.
West Somerset Council leader Councillor Keith Ross said: “It has been recognised that no single organisation can tackle complex issues such as reducing crime or achieving sustainable development without support from its partners.
“We hope residents welcome this new approach in identifying what matters to local people.
“We are asking people to complete the questionnaire and return it to us so that we can tackle the issues that people care about.”
Each district needs a minimum of 1,100 responses to validate its research.
The survey results will be available next January and the Place Survey will be carried out again in 2010 to track changes in perceptions and to monitor if any improvements have been achieved.
The West Somerset survey, which forms part of a national survey, is being undertaken in partnership with the five other principal local councils in the county, Somerset Primary Care Trust, and the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.