2014 King’s Sutton Way Ahead Village Survey – Preliminary Report Now Available
April 14th, 2015
There is still much work to do on the analysis of the Way Ahead Village Survey results. For the moment, however, you can click here to view/download a preliminary 19-page report detailing all the survey respondents’ views on various aspects of village life. For those who have no wish to wade through all the numbers, here’s a summary of the survey highlights:
Households Responding to the Survey
Absolute Number of House-holds Responding to Survey: 304
Number of Properties in the Parish of King’s Sutton: 1015
Proportion of Parish Properties Responding to Survey: 29.95%
Individuals Responding to the Survey
Absolute Number of Individuals Responding to the Survey: 472
Number of Electors Living in the Parish of King’s Sutton: 1721
Proportion of Parish Electors Responding to Survey: 27.43%
Demographic Information About the Respondents
The majority of respondents are over the age of 44
Just over half of the respondents have lived in King’s Sutton for fewer than 16 years
Respondents’ Attitudes to Their Current Dwelling
Over three quarters of respondents are content to stay in their current dwelling over the next 5-10 years
Attitudes to Housing Development
Over three quarters of respondents think traditional style building is important
Only just over 10% of respondents are in favour of South Northants Homes’ plans for Astrop Grange
Despite only 15 households reporting a member having to move because local housing was too expensive, over half of respondents want to see more “affordable” (ie, social) housing in King’s Sutton
The majority of respondents are in favour of the conversion of redundant building for housing, while just over 35% are happy to see infilling with 1-4 houses. Just over a quarter would find expansion on the edge of the village acceptable.
Attitudes to Economic Development
Almost half of respondents would welcome small scale enterprises in King’s Sutton
Nearly 60% of respondents would like to see local apprenticeship schemes
Nearly half of respondents would be against the promotion of King’s Sutton as a tourist destination. (Lees than one third would be in favour.)
Attitudes to Education
Around 90% of respondents regard the pre-primary and primary schools in King’s Sutton as important local assets
Nearly a third of respondents’ children attend pre-school education outside the village
Around a quarter of respondents’ with pre-school children intend sending them to a primary school outside the village
Medical Matters
The majority of respondents are registered with a surgery in Banbury
Only around 5% of respondents attend the surgery at King’s Sutton Millennium Memorial Hall
Over 70% of respondents attending a surgery outside of King’s Sutton say it’s because they are happy with their current surgery
Three quarters of respondents never have any difficulty getting to their chosen surgery
Respondents’ Use of Local Amenities
Nearly 60% of respondents use the rights of way around King’s Sutton at least once per month
Around 80% of respondents use the village Post Office at least once per month
Nearly 50% of respondents use other shops in the village at least once a week
Over half of respondents visit the pubs in the village rarely or not at all
Only a handful of respondents are involved in sports at the Playing Fields
Over one third of respondents use the train services at King’s Sutton at least once per month
Nearly 70% of respondents never use the King’s Sutton bus services
Nearly 60% of respondents think they will make more use of King’s Sutton’s public transport services in the next 5-10 years
Respondents’ Attitudes to Road Traffic and Parking Issues
Around three quarters of respondents view parking in King’s Sutton as a problem
Around three quarters of respondents view speeding in King’s Sutton as a problem
Over three quarters of respondents are not bothered by traffic noise from the M40 motorway
Respondents’ Attitudes to Dogs
Over 70% of respondents regard dog fouling as a problem in King’s Sutton
Over 60% of respondents think dogs should always be kept on a lead in the village
Only just over one third of respondents think dogs should be banned outright from open spaces in the village
Respondents’ Views of the Parish Council’s Performance
Around half of respondents are unhappy with the parish council’s provision of facilities for teenagers in King’s Sutton
Around 70% of respondents think the Parish Council makes a good job of communicating with King’s Sutton residents
Around 80% of respondents think the Parish Council does a good job picking up litter and keeping King’s Sutton tidy
Two thirds of respondents think the Parish Council provides adequate footpath lighting in King’s Sutton
90% of respondents are happy with the Parish Council’s provision of grass cutting in King’s Sutton
Respondents’ Views of the Performance of Other Local Authorities
Around half of respondents are unhappy with the local planning authority’s performance
70% of respondents are satisfied with the local authority’s street cleaning performance
Over 80% of respondents think Northamptonshire Highways makes a poor job of road maintenance in King’s Sutton
Over 90% of respondents are happy with South Northamptonshire Council’s refuse disposal and recycling services
Respondents’ Views of the Performance of Northamptonshire Police
Despite relatively low levels of crime, less than a quarter of respondents think the police presence in King’s Sutton is adequate
Over 40% of respondents think the police force does not communicate effectively with local residents
Respondents’ Views of the Performance of Their Services & Utilities
Over 90% of respondents are happy with Royal Mail’s services in the village
Over 80% of respondents are satisfied with Anglian Water’s provision of fresh water in King’s Sutton
Over half of respondents are satisfied with Thames Water’s provision of sewerage services in King’s Sutton
Over 60% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with telephone and broadband services from BT’s Adderbury exchange. However, since Superfast broadband was introduced soon after the survey closed, opinions may well be different now.
Nearly half of respondents are unhappy with mobile voice and data coverage in King’s Sutton
What single change would you make to the village to make it a better place to live?
Nearly 60% of respondents answered this open-ended question with a number of suggested improvements recurring:
Restriction of further new development
Better control over parking
Improvement to pubic transport
Better controls to prevent speeding including a possible one way system for parts of the village
Better broadband provision. (The survey was conducted before Superfast Broadband became available.)
There is still much work to do on the analysis of the Way Ahead Village Survey results. For the moment, however, you can click here to view/download a preliminary 19-page report detailing all the survey respondents’ views on various aspects of village life. For those who have no wish to wade through all the numbers, here’s a summary of the survey highlights: