Overview
Executive summary
Focus groups were held in spring 2023 to understand the reasons behind peoples’ responses to County Views recurring questions. There were 117 participants.
How much do you trust us as a council?
- frustration arises from unsatisfactory or no response and action after:
- reporting issues
- contacting councillors
- personal negative experience of a service
- positive responses centred on managing funds well during challenging times
How informed would you say you are about our services?
- the council could more proactively inform people about services, especially the seldom heard - in clear language. County News could help achieve this, in digital and paper format
- existing on-demand information is accessible and available in a variety of formats
How much would you say we listen to and act on resident’s concerns?
- people feel Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) listens, but doesn’t always act on resident's concerns, deliver what we promise or proactively communicate actions
- considering the time and money available, LCC engages residents and reports on findings
How well would you say we provide value for money?
- money is spent inefficiently on short term fixes. Spending is perceived as uneven across the county and information that could help people judge value for money isn’t easily found
- the council keeps costs down and provides good services overall
Overall, how would you rate Lincolnshire County Council?
- the Council seems:
- slow to act on residents’ concerns
- out of touch with issues affecting peoples’ lives
- to prioritise Lincoln so other areas feel left behind
- LCC does its best to provide for people given the limited resources and variety of needs.
Other themes
- people want information from the council which clearly states what is and is not achievable
- the council sticks to its word and has trustworthy, professional employees
- council tax costs rise, but not all services seem to reflect this
Recommendation
That the views above are shared with relevant leaders and services, taken into consideration, and acted upon accordingly to improve the way we work and, or openly promote activity, information, and services.
Introduction
In March and April 2023, Lincolnshire County Council’s engagement team invited County Views citizen’s panel members to take part in engagement to establish why they answer five regular survey questions in the way they do. We particularly wanted to understand why people respond negatively to these questions to address the issues:
- How much do you trust us as a council?
- How informed would you say you are about our services?
- How much would you say we listen to and act on resident’s concerns?
- How well would you say we provide value for money?
- Overall, how would you rate Lincolnshire County Council?
Stakeholders
At the time the engagement was undertaken, only registered County Views panel members were able to respond to the thrice annually questions so only this group was offered the opportunity to take part. Of those who expressed an interest in preferred ways, dates, and times to engage, 117 took part. Councillors and senior staff within the corporate directorate were made aware, in case of queries about the engagement.
Methodology
A total of 117 panel members took part in the following ways:
- face to face focus groups - 10
- video focus groups - 10
- telephone or video calls - 10
- online survey responses – 80
- postal survey responses - 7