Local people asked what they think of services

The public’s views on Shropshire’s transport and highways services will be compared with others across the country, thanks to the second annual National Highways and Transport (NHT) Network Public Satisfaction Survey.

Shropshire Council is one of 77 Local Authorities to have signed up to a standardised survey that asks local people exactly the same questions, whether they live in Swindon, Suffolk or Shropshire.

This second annual survey is the result of months of hard work between the NHT Network, a regional Highways Service Improvement Group and a number of Regional Improvement Efficiency Partnerships. It will enable Local Authorities to compare results, share in best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire was sent out last week to a random sample of around 4500 Shropshire residents, with local and national results expected to be published later this summer. Since the survey is based on a sample, residents that receive a copy are being urged to take part.

Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said: “We are committed to understanding and responding to local people views and we hope this survey will help highlight these.

“By working with other Local Authorities we can hopefully share best practice to deliver the best possible outcomes for local residents.”

Further information

The survey is the result of a collaboration between the National Highways and Transport Network and the County Surveyors Society South West Highway Service Improvement Group, and is being supported by a number of the Regional Efficiency Improvement Partnerships (RIEPs) most notably the South West RIEP, which has provided two tranches of funding for improvements to the mapping/reporting capabilities of the NHT Survey database.

The survey is being carried out on behalf of the participating Local Authorities by market research specialist, Ipsos MORI.

Participation in the survey is voluntary. The survey was carried out for the first time last year with 33 authorities participating. The 2009 survey has seen a 133% increase in uptake on 2008. It is believed to be the first time such a large number of separate highway authorities from all over the country have joined forces to carry out their surveys in a comparable format

The survey questionnaire is 12 pages long and covers all aspects of local highway and transport services (e.g. from the condition or roads and footways to the quality of local bus services). The questionnaire should be completed in around 20 minutes

3 July 2009

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