'Council doesn’t offer value for money'

Less than one in five people in Rochdale think the council is offering value for money, according to a new survey.

Hundreds across the borough were questioned about their local neighbourhoods and the extent to which they felt able to make their voices heard.

The national Place Survey, commissioned by the Government, revealed that while two-thirds were happy with Rochdale as a place to live, only 27.6% were satisfied overall with how the council was run, and only 19.6% thought Rochdale council provides value for money.

A further 28.7% said they would like to be more involved in decisions affecting them and their area.

Communities Secretary John Denham said the results demonstrated the importance of renewing local democracy by listening to local people and delivering what they wanted for their local area.

Mr Denham said: “This survey gives us an important and comprehensive insight in to what people think of where they live and their local authorities.

“The good news is that most people are generally positive about where they live and their quality of life.

“However, the improvements we’ve seen in local services are not being reflected in people’s perception of their council.

“There is a challenge here for both local and central government. I want to see local councils do more — and gain more power — to shape the services offered in their area.

“There is an untapped demand for local people to have more say in what goes on.”

Despite the negative responses on overall satisfaction, when respondents were asked about specific services offered they were more positive.

Recycling topped the table for people being “very or fairly satisfied” with 70.5% of people content with local tips and recycling centres and 67.4% on doorstep recycling. Refuse collection also faired well, with 66.9% and local libraries 61.3%.

Residents are most dissatisfied with theatre and concert hall provision, at 21.9%, whilekeeping public land clear of litter and refuse, sports and leisure provision, and museums and galleries all ranked at under 40% satisfaction.

Acting Head of Performance and Development at Rochdale Council, Jane Silvester said: "The council is 100% committed to improving the quality of life for people in the borough. We will be carefully examining the information from this survey and putting robust plans in place to address the findings."

Mr Denham added: “The opportunity for councils to gain new powers in future will depend on increasing public confidence in their role as well as the efficient and responsive delivery of services.”

Nationally, more than 500,000 people responded to the survey. The Government plans to use the results to measure how well its priorities are being delivered by local government and their partners, as part of a new, streamlined local performance framework.

The Department for Communities and Local Government estimated that more than 1,000 people responded to the survey in each local council area.