During late spring 2007, a questionnaire was delivered to every household in the parish asking for views and comments on a variety of issues affecting current day-to-day life and asking for the wishes and aspirations of parishioners for the future.
The result exceeded our most optimistic expectations. Over 68% of the questionnaires werecompleted and collected. Many households returned completed questionnaires with contributions from all family members. It has been suggested, in the past, that there is a raging apathy in the Parish and there would not be a collective will to make things happen, even if a need were identified. This suspicion has been well and truly put in its place.
Each form returned involved 70 completed questions. Out of 470 households, 320 completed the forms. This meant that at least 22,400 items of data needed to be entered into a database and as many forms were completed by more than one person, this figure may well have been as high as 30,000 entries. The task for data input fell to three of the steering group - Peter Boylan, Mary Cockburn and Tricia Lilley.
In October 2007 the analysis was complete and the Steering Group began the next phase:-
- to meet with relevant committees and groups that already exist within the parish with the hope that the information can be used to advance existing projects, providing valid research data to support any applications for grant funding and to consider future projects highlighted by the results
- to assist the Parish Council to use the results to help identify the need for action and to support requests for the necessary finance.
- with the remaining areas that do not come within the scope of either of the above, to encourage the formation of groups to take up and pursue projects, with the support and guidance of the Parish Council through the steering group.
The results of the questionnaire show, not only the percentage returns for each part of the parish and the extent of the assistance promised for future projects, but also the incredible number of written responses received. Only 4 questions actually asked for written comment (349 were received) but in addition, a further 553 written responses were given to 51 of the other 66 questions, where they were not specifically requested. All of these responses have also been added to the database.
A complete table of results was circulated to every household in the parish by the end of October and you can view these here. In the meantime, some of the information provided is already being acted upon. There has already been significant engagement with Hertfordshire Police and response from Highways regarding the problems of speeding and parking on pavements as well as more attention to gulley and pavement maintenance. The Neighbourhood Watch Scheme has also been resurrected, again with the assistance of the local Police and with the support of the questionnaire results.
The primary objective of the community plan steering group is not to initiate or be responsible for projects within the parish but to provide the data required to identify a need and to support applications for grant funding. It is hoped that existing organisations in the parish will take up the challenges and that where no organisation exists at present, sufficient interest will have been generated to encourage groups to be created to take projects forward. The questionnaire results undoubtedly provide considerable scope for imagination.
The steering group, although not taking on projects, will certainly be available to provide assistance, support and guidance, perhaps even suggestions. Eventually, a Community Plan report will be produced, but only when a clear way forward has been established and some semblance of a time-table formulated. The plan is intended to generate actions, not paper, and projects to be pursued will vary from those smaller ideas that can be implemented immediately to those that will take 5, 10 perhaps even 20 years to develop and achieve.
For those who were kind enough to complete the questionnaire, a big ‘Thank you’. To those who didn’t, I still hope that you will find some of the results to be of sufficient interest to encourage you to become involved at some time in the future. Please contact a member of the steering group if you would like to volunteer assistance in the future.
David Williamson
Steering Group Chairman
Steering Group members
David Williamson – Parish Councillor
Vic Flintham
Ned Dailly
Peter Boylan – Parish Councillor
Tricia Lilley
Mary Cockburn – Parish Councillor
Sue Lankester
Caroline Langley-Jones
Roy Glazebrook
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© 2010 Braughing Parish Council and Braughing Parochial Church Council