Survey to compare Poole's highway and transport services with others across England

Borough of Poole is one of 86 local authorities to sign up to a standardised survey that will ask members of the public the same questions on local highway and transport services, whether they live in Poole, Plymouth or Portsmouth.

The survey is being run for the eighth year by the National Highways & Transport Network (NHT) and a regional Highways Service Improvement Group. It enables local authorities to compare results, share best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire is being sent to a minimum random sample of 3,300 Poole residents with local and national results expected to be published in the early autumn.

Residents who receive a copy are being urged to take part so the council can find out what people think about these important services. This will provide one of several ways Borough of Poole can assess how it is performing and which services to prioritise and to improve.

Residents, who receive a copy of the 12 page long questionnaire, can complete it online if they prefer.

Julian McLaughlin, head of transportation services, Borough of Poole, said: “We believe there are clear benefits to conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it also enables everyone involved to identify areas of best practice.

"The results help us understand our customers' views better, which in turn helps us to deliver the best possible outcomes for local residents.”

Councillor Ian Potter, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, said: "We hope as many local residents as possible will take part in this survey to help us prioritise and improve our services.

"We appreciate that it takes time to complete a survey and sometimes people feel their views may not be acted on or heeded, but we view this survey as a really important source of feedback which truly does help us plan ahead."