Tower Hamlets Annual Residents’ Survey results announced

Results from the 2015 Annual Residents’ Survey show that 82 per cent have of residents have said they are satisfied with their local area as a place to live and 81 per cent of local people believe that Tower Hamlets is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.
Between January and February 2015, independent researchers held face-to face interviews with more than a thousand residents in Tower Hamlets.
The consultation found that concern over crime remains at historically low levels and satisfaction had increased significantly with the council’s collection of council tax and with public transportNo council services saw a decline in ratings compared to last year’s survey.
Residents rated libraries and Idea Stores higher than the London average, and said that the council was doing a better job at repairing roads than other areas of London.
Three quarters of residents agreed that the council was making the local area a better place to live (76 per cent). Similar proportions felt the council was doing a good job, and that staff were friendly and polite.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs said: “The results show that we are doing a good job and I am proud to lead a council which delivers excellent services to our residents.
“However, we are committed to improving our service delivery wherever possible, and we are already developing new ways to respond to residents and make our services more efficient and effective.”
Residents voiced concerns about a lack affordable housing in Tower Hamlets; the Mayor has set a target for the council to build 1000 new council homes. The council will continue to work with developers, Registered Providers and the GLA to maximise the availability of affordable homes.
Residents’ satisfaction with street cleansing has remained at the same level as last year and in line with the London average.   Over the next year, the council plans to use technology better to improve street cleanliness and increase residents’ satisfaction. This includes increased use of new technology and increasing the number of FiFiLi (Find It, Fix It, Love It) app users, which allows residents to tell the council about public realm issues via their smart phone. The app can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.
Residents’ concern about jobs has fallen significantly over the last two years (from 35 per cent in 2012-13 to the current level of 20 per cent). The council has prioritised work to support local people into employment; going forward the council plans to develop a new integrated employment service to support more residents into work.