Christchurch and East Dorset residents being asked for their views

Residents of Christchurch and East Dorset are being asked for their views on their local area and services provided by their local Council.

A questionnaire has been sent out to a random selection of 6,000

households – 3,000 in Christchurch and 3,000 in East Dorset – with all

responses going to an independent market research company.

The questionnaire takes around 15 minutes to complete and covers a range

of topics from satisfaction with Council-owned facilities to community

safety.

All responses will remain confidential and no personal information,

including names and/or addresses, will be revealed to the Councils

themselves.

David McIntosh, Chief Executive of the Christchurch and East Dorset

Partnership, said: "Local government is facing a real challenge with

cuts to our finances. The partnership between Christchurch and East

Dorset Councils has been forged to drive down costs while maintaining or

improving the quality of the services we provide. However, we need to

make sure we are on the right track.

"This survey gives an opportunity for our residents to tell us exactly

what they think of the services we provide and we would ask anyone

receiving the questionnaire to take a little time to complete it so that

we get their views.

"We would like to thank everyone who completes the questionnaire in advance for their help."

Questionnaires should be returned in the freepost envelope provided by

25 October 2011. Although people do not need to give their names or

contact details, those who do so will be entered into a prize draw to

win £50. The draw will be administered by the independent market

research company.