In September, thousands of South Derbyshire households will receive a questionnaire asking for their views on what it's like to live in the local area and to comment on a range of issues including community safety and local decision-making.  

The Place Survey 2008 - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the survey about?

The questionnaire asks for your opinions about aspects of the quality of life in your local area which we know are important to local people. The findings from this research will be used to see how well South Derbyshire District Council and its partners are doing at delivering the services that matter to you and to decide what needs doing differently in the future.

Who is the survey from?

The Place Survey is being carried out by South Derbyshire District Council on behalf of the South Derbyshire Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). The survey itself is being conducted by a reputable market research agency called Ipsos MORI. Ipsos MORI will make sure that the information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence. Responses, which will not include personal information such as names and addresses, will only be used by public service organisations to monitor public services and assess how well they are performing.

Why have I been sent a questionnaire?

Central government has asked us to gather the views of residents in our area. To make sure that we ask a cross section of people in the area to take part in the survey, they give each local authority a random sample of addresses from their area to which they must send a questionnaire. Your address was on this list. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only just moved into the area or don’t pay council tax. It’s important that we hear everybody’s views.

Why should I fill it in?

Please take this opportunity to have your say; it’s important that we hear everybody’s views. The questionnaire asks for your opinions about aspects of the quality of life in your local area which we know are important to local people. The findings from this research will be used to see how well South Derbyshire District Council and its partners are doing at delivering the services that matter to you and to decide what needs doing differently in the future.

Which person in the household should complete the questionnaire?

Any resident aged over 18 in the household can fill in the questionnaire

Why didn't I get a survey – I have seen the publicity and want one

We are given a list of addresses in our area by central government. These have been selected at random from all the addresses in South Derbyshire and we are not allowed to add any further addresses to the list. Although you cannot take part in this survey there are other ways in which you can have your say. Please contact us to find out about other consultations that you can take part in by calling Sasha Ryan, Policy Officer (Consultation) on 01283 595726, emailing yourviews@south-derbys.gov.uk.

I've lost the return envelope / questionnaire. How do I get another one?

Please telephone the Survey Helpdesk on FREEPHONE 0808 238 55402 or email having.your.say@ipsos-mori.com and we will arrange for a replacement to be sent.

I've ruined my form, how do I get another one?

Please telephone the Survey Helpdesk on FREEPHONE 0808 238 55402 or email having.your.say@ipsos-mori.com and we will arrange for a replacement to be sent.

I don't get out much / I'm not an expert, do you really want me to fill it in?

Yes please, we really do value your views and we want to know what a cross section of different types of people in South Derbyshire think. It won’t take very long to fill in but it helps us to improve our services to you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only just moved into the area or don’t pay council tax. It’s important that we hear everybody’s views.

I can't read the form very well

We want all of our residents to be able to take part so if you have any difficulty reading or understanding the questionnaire please contact us by telephone on 01283 595795.

I work for the Council, can I still fill it in?

Yes please. We very much hope that you will take part. We want to know what all of our residents think.

Is it really anonymous?

To ensure personal information about you is secure, all of your answers will
be treated in the strictest confidence and will be stored securely.
The questionnaire asks for details about your age, gender etc to enable us to
find out how representative the survey is of the general population of South Derbyshire, not to identify people personally.

Am I too late to fill the form in?

Questionnaires can be completed and returned to us up until the closing date of 19 December 2008.

I don't want to fill in the survey

We very much hope you will choose to take part and thank you very much for your help in advance. We really do value your views and we want to know what a cross section of different types of people in Derbyshire think. It won’t
take very long to fill in but it helps us to improve our services to you. If you really do not want to complete the questionnaire please contact the Survey Helpdesk on FREEPHONE 0808 238 5402 or email having.your.say@ipsos-mori.com and you will not be sent any further reminders.

I've received a reminder letter to fill the survey in and have already completed it and sent it back

Your completed survey may have crossed with the reminder in the post. Please contact the Survey Helpdesk on FREEPHONE 0808 238 5402 or email having.your.say@ipsos-mori.com  and you will not be sent any further reminders.

How will the results be used?

We want to capture your views, experiences and perceptions, in order to help our understanding of how to improve South Derbyshire. The responses will help the Council and Local Strategic Partnership to identify priorities areas for action for the district.

How will I be kept informed?

Results from the completed questionnaires will be available in Spring 2009.
Residents will be kept informed about the Place Survey via the website and press releases. A summary of the key findings from the Place Survey will appear on the consultation section of the website by May 2009.

Who do I contact for further information?

If you have any questions about the Place Survey or consultation in general, please contact Sasha Ryan, Policy Officer (Consultation) on 01283 595726 or e-mail yourviews@south-derbys.gov.uk  

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