More than 12,000 Nottinghamshire residents had their say on the future of the county in the Big Notts survey which closed last month.
The public engagement was the biggest ever undertaken by Nottinghamshire County Council and the feedback will be central to its ambitious new Council Plan that will be launched later this autumn.
The Council Plan will share a vision for Nottinghamshire for the next 10 years and beyond whilst detailing its priorities for the next 4 years.
The total number of responses to the Big Notts Survey came from online surveys including versions tailored to business and young people, a face to face survey conducted in town centres across the county and from printed versions that were made available in council public buildings whilst the engagement was open between 2 August and 19 September.
The council are currently busy analysing all the feedback from the surveys and from the further research carried out over the summer with groups that regularly use its services.
In keeping with the council’s commitment to transparency and keeping residents informed at every stage, they have published some of the early findings, these include:
- 63% of people ranked their biggest concern since the start of the pandemic as the physical health of themselves, their friends, family, and others.
- Over the next two years the two main concerns are climate change and a return to restrictions due to a resurgence of COVID 19.
- When asked about the biggest changes people would like to see made to their local area in the next 10 years, 47% identified improving the condition of the roads as a priority,
- Considering the county’s future, 46% ranked improving the quality and access to health services would most help make Nottinghamshire a better place to live and work.
Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The response to the Big Notts Survey has been incredible and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and for contributing to improving the future for our county.
“We now have a wealth of data from the survey and are busy analysing it all, so we get a clear and detailed picture of people’s priorities and what matter most to our residents.
“This is will be core to our Council Plan where we want to share a bold vision for how Nottinghamshire can emerge from the pandemic and prosper by making the most of any opportunities and from our many resources and assets.”
Councillor Bruce Laughton, Deputy Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council added: “From looking at the initial findings a clear picture is already emerging of what people want to see in their communities and for the future of Nottinghamshire.
“This year we have got off to a good start in addressing some of these issues, by setting up the first cross party Highways Review Panel to review how we can best keep our roads in a good state of repair and by declaring a climate emergency with a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
“But this is just a start and we want to do much more and the results from this survey will help ensure we’re going in the right direction for the people of Nottinghamshire.”
The draft Council Plan will be presented for approval at the Full Council meeting on 25 November 2021.
