Residents Survey Results

Residents’ survey results from St Just and Pendeen. I have been around the ward to find out what are the issues of most importance to local people. I received 401 responses but not everyone answered all questions and some questions allowed or even asked for more than one choice.

For those preferring the results as graphs and pie charts, click here: Detailed Survey Results

The first question asked people to give their top 3 priorities from a general list of things. The top priority was the NHS and Healthcare, a total of 282 said that. Second was keeping Council Tax low, selected by 138 respondents and third was concerns over traffic and parking with 124 respondents ticking that. Locally people were least worried about having better shops and services.

TOP PRIORITIES (Pendeen 1st column, St Just 2nd)

Better/more jobs	46	51
NHS & Healthcare	114	168
Traffic & Parking	37	87
Crime	16	18
Environment	49	67
Facilities for Youth	17	33
Education & Schools	38	70
Keep Council Tax low	57	81
Improving Public Transport	35	51
More Affordable Housing	39	63
Better Shops & Services	11	16

The next issue was about crime and policing. Of those that expressed an opinion, most felt crime rates were better now than in the past – 178 said that. The consensus was that we do not see a Police Officer or PCSO often enough – 279 thinking that and that Policing is underfunded – the choice of 306 people.

Moving on to local housing needs, 29 people said that either they or a family member were in need of better housing. 157 people felt we needed to build more rented homes with many adding ‘social housing’ and 94 wanted more homes for sale and again some commented these should be homes locals can afford.

Most people felt their street was either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ clean and tidy with 339 people saying that. Dog fouling was people’s biggest irritation with 184 complaining of this. Motorist speeding was the next concern with 166 stating that. The third local worry was litter 58 people mentioning that. I am pleased to say that people completing the survey did not regard graffiti as a local issue with only 1 person ticking that!

	Pendeen	St Just
Very clean & tidy	20	61
Quite clean & tidy	111	147
Not clean & tidy	21	33

LOCAL CONCERNS

	Pendeen	St Just
Speeding	71	95
Dog Mess	62	122
Fly tipping	7	8
Litter	20	38
Pot holes	30	24
Graffiti	0	1
Anti social behaviour	8	10

117 people thought we had plenty or about the right amount of off road parking as against 284 who thought we needed more spaces or even an additional car park in the area.

DO WE NEED MORE OFF ROAD PARKING?

	Pendeen	St Just
Yes Plenty	11	4
About Right	42	60
More Spaces Needed	62	107
New Car Park Needed	41	74

How Important Is It To Continue To Have Burial Spaces In Pendeen?

Very Important	89
Fairly Important	40
Not Important	32
No View	25

POSSIBLE FUTURE USES OF ST JUST METHODIST CHAPEL

RESPONSES TO SUGGESTED OPTIONS
Just board it up and do basic structural works	0
Sell it to the highest bidder and let them decide	20
Encourage several local community organisations to share this as a key community venue	137
Seek funding for it to be a visitors and information centre	65
Seek funding for it to be a museum	75
Turn it into housing	41
TOTAL	338

My response to the survey results

Sadly many of the findings show that some people in our community are very irritated by the inconsiderate and some would say, anti social behaviour of others in our community. My New Year message is therefore

• please can all dog owners pick up after their dogs;
• can we all take our rubbish home and dispose of it carefully; and
• stop driving too fast as it could be you or someone you love that is hurt or killed!

Through the Tin Coast project and now our being awarded Coastal Community Team funding, if I continue to be your Councillor after May I will strive to seek funding to improve our off street parking situation. Talking with the area manager of the National Trust has already achieved getting them to move the dog poo bin in Botallack to a more accessible location at the car park. They have also agreed to recruit dog warden volunteers to talk with dog owners and offer poo bags around our coastal paths.

I absolutely hear the priority of most local people to protect our healthcare services and I am taking that in the broadest context as being our NHS and Social Care, very much in the news at the moment. I have launched myself forward to challenge the developing plans, driven by Government funding cuts and known as Sustainability and Transformation plans. Whilst there is room from improvement in the way services are delivered and parts of the system work together, I am absolutely clear that Cornwall is underfunded rather than simply overspending.

In the face of Government funding cuts, keeping Council tax low is a challenge, especially as they expect the Council to improve funding to Adult Social Care, this way. I shall resist however, adding another 1% to household bills to fill the gap the Government won’t.

I cannot be the driver of finding solutions to the future use of the Methodist Chapel or the delivery of burial spaces in Pendeen BUT I will absolutely support local people involved and look for opportunities for funding and bringing the right the decision makers together. My being involved with the Tin Coast project and the Penwith Landscape Partnership give me good links that I will utilise for local benefit.

Some people will know that I Chair a charitable company, Lands End Peninsula Community Land Trust and we built 8 homes for local people down the end of Moorland Close, Pendeen. That is a small contribution to the local housing needs and I found it was not easy being a ‘developer’ so have not rushed to repeat this although with the promise of Government funding to Community Land Trusts, from Second Homes, we could play a role, perhaps in partnership with others. Again, if elected again and if the new Town Council can be persuaded, I hope St Just and Pendeen will look at developing a neighbourhood plan. Part of the process will be identifying the local need for housing and it would also give the opportunity to consider the approach St Ives took to ensure new homes do not become second homes of the future.

I will keep all the issues raised in mind and address them as opportunities arise. Lets keep talking and working together!