Cumbria Quality of Life Survey 2006 Whitehaven NMIA Report

1. Cumbria Quality of Life Survey 2006 Whitehaven NMIA Report

2. Part 1: Key findings

3. Key findings (1) – quality of life • There are marked differences in perceptions of quality of life and local service delivery between Cumbria as a whole and the economically deprived Neighbourhood Management Initiative Areas (NMIAs). A challenge for the Council and its partners will be to narrow this often considerable gap. • Levels of satisfaction with the local area are lower in the NMIAs than in the County generally - 88% of Cumbria residents say they are satisfied, compared to 77% in Whitehaven NMIA, 79% in Workington NMIA, and 61% in Barrow NMIA. • Nonetheless, these levels of satisfaction are consistent with what would be expected for economically disadvantaged areas, such as those found in previous Ipsos MORI research in the 39 deprived New Deal for Community areas across England. • Whitehaven residents score lower on many healthindicators - happiness, state of health, disability, smoking and diet – than do residents elsewhere in the County.

4. Key findings (2) – crime and safety • Levels of economic deprivation (using the Indices of Multiple Deprivation) appear to be linked with perceptions of quality of life. Of Cumbria’s three NMIAs, residents in Whitehaven generally score higher on quality of life and service satisfaction indicators than those in Workington or Barrow, which is likely to reflect lower levels of economic deprivation in Whitehaven than in Workington, and in turn, lower levels in Workington than in Barrow. • Fear of crime is less pronounced in Whitehaven than it is in Workington or Barrow NMIAs, but it is nonetheless higher than in the County as a whole. 32% of Whitehaven residents say they feel unsafe in their local area outside after dark – while this figure is comparable to the national average of around three in ten people (British Crime Survey 2005/6), it is higher than in the County generally (21%). • Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a key concern for residents in the NMIAs – and NMIA residents feel less well informed about what is being done to combat it than those in Cumbria generally do. Addressing ASB issues visibly, and communicating to residents that action is being taken, will be important challenges for the Council and partner agencies dealing with ASB in Cumbria.

5. Key findings (3) – participation • Feelings of community cohesion and involvement are broadly weaker in the NMIAs than in Cumbria overall. In Whitehaven, residents are as likely to feel they belong in the local area as those in the County generally, but they are less likely to trust most people locally (46% agree in Whitehaven, compared with 63% in Cumbria overall). Almost half of Whitehaven residents believe people in their neighbourhood are able to influence local decision-making by working together - only slightly lower than the proportion of Cumbria residents taking this view. • Levels of volunteering in Whitehaven NMIA (20% volunteering in the last year) are lower than those for Cumbria residents generally (35%) - national survey data showing around a quarter of people volunteering nationally also suggests that volunteering levels are low in Whitehaven (Ipsos MORI Social Issues Omnibus, 2006). • Many Whitehaven residents state they are keen to have more of a say in Council decisions, with a third giving this view, compared to around one in five residents nationally (source: Ipsos MORI research for the DCLG). It is worth mentioning, however, that previous Ipsos MORI research has shown residents tend to ‘overclaim’ in terms of their actual willingness to get involved.

6. Key findings (4) - liveability • A key aspect for the Neighbourhood Management Team in Whitehaven NMIA to address is that Whitehaven residents are more likely than those in Cumbria overall to say theirlocal area has got worse in recent years, both in general and in regard to crime and safety specifically. • Liveability issues such as clean streets are an important driver of residents’ satisfaction with the local area. This is illustrated by the finding that those residents (three in ten) who believe their local area has got worse in recent years give liveability issues as their main reason for this view. This is consistent with recent analysis published by Ipsos MORI suggesting that ‘physical capital’ has a clear relationship with quality of life in Britain. • In this context, improving the cleanliness of streets, dealing with litter and road and path maintenance are likely to drive up satisfaction with the Council among Whitehaven NMIA residents.

7. Key findings (5) – service delivery • Whitehaven NMIA residents’ priorities for service delivery differ from those of Cumbria residents overall. While improving the availability of activities for teenagers and road and pavement repairs are key priorities in Whitehaven as they are in the County generally, job prospects are also felt to be a key priority, while affordable decent housing is seen as a much less important priority than it is in the County as a whole. • Broadly speaking, Whitehaven NMIA residents who use local services and facilities think service delivery in the local area is good. User satisfaction is particularly high with libraries and fire and rescue services, which often attract high levels of satisfaction. In addition, Whitehaven NMIA service users are more satisfied with many local services than are those in Cumbria generally: libraries, opportunities for adult education and leisure facilities for young people. • The services or facilities that Whitehaven NMIA users are most dissatisfied with are public toilets, the availability and quality of dentists and children’s playgrounds and play areas. Residents are less satisfied with these three facilities, local bus services and the number and quality of parks and green spaces than are those in Cumbria overall.

8. Context - Neighbourhood Management Initiative Areas • Under The Neighbourhood Renewal Initiative (NRI) selected areas with particularly high levels of deprivation come under special management within Local Authorities. • Objectives of NMIAs: • To improve quality of life for people living in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods within Local Authorities; and, • To ensure their service providers are more responsive to neighbourhood needs and improve their deliverability. • A Neighbourhood Manager is appointed who liaises with public, private and voluntary organisations to improve the quality of local services. • A Neighbourhood Management Board is established which advises the Manager.

9. Interpretation of the data • A sample, not the entire population of Whitehaven NMIA, has returned a survey questionnaire. All results are therefore subject to sampling tolerances, and not all differences between percentages are statistically significant. As a guide, when comparing Cumbria against the NMIAs there needs to be a difference of 5 percentage points for that difference to be statistically significant. • Data have been weighted to the known demographic profile of the area from the 2001 Census and to account for relative differences in the population size of districts. • Where percentages do not sum to 100, this may be due to computer rounding, the exclusion of ‘don’t know’ categories, or it being possible to give multiple answers to that question. • In this headline report, reference is made to ‘net’ figures. This represents the balance of opinion on attitudinal questions, and provides a useful means of comparing the results for number variables. For example, if 40% of residents are satisfied and 25% dissatisfied, the ‘net satisfaction’ figure is +15 points. • Caution should be taken when making comparisons with national data such as the British Crime Survey due to the different methodologies used.

10. Interpretation of the data • A sample, not the entire population of Whitehaven NMIA, has returned a survey questionnaire. All results are therefore subject to sampling tolerances, and not all differences between percentages are statistically significant. As a guide, when comparing Cumbria against the NMIAs there needs to be a difference of 5 percentage points for that difference to be statistically significant. • Data have been weighted to the known demographic profile of the area from the 2001 Census and to account for relative differences in the population size of districts. • Where percentages do not sum to 100, this may be due to computer rounding, the exclusion of ‘don’t know’ categories, or it being possible to give multiple answers to that question. • In this headline report, reference is made to ‘net’ figures. This represents the balance of opinion on attitudinal questions, and provides a useful means of comparing the results for number variables. For example, if 40% of residents are satisfied and 25% dissatisfied, the ‘net satisfaction’ figure is +15 points. • Caution should be taken when making comparisons with national data such as the British Crime Survey due to the different methodologies used.

11. Part 2: Liveability in Whitehaven NMIA

12. Quality of Life (1) Q Thinking generally, which of the things below would you say are most important in making somewhere a good place to live? % Top ten mentions Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Level of crime Affordable housing Health services Clean streets Job prospects Education provision Activities for teenagers Shopping facilities Public transport Facilities for young children Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

13. Quality of Life (2) Whitehaven NMIA Q Thinking generally, which of the things below would you say are most important in making somewhere a good place to live? Cumbria 2003/04 Cumbria BVPI Level of crime Affordable housing Health services Clean streets Job prospects Education provision Activities for teenagers Shopping facilities Public transport Facilities for young children Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents; 1,137 BVPI 2003/04 residents

14. Improvements to the local area Whitehaven NMIA Q And thinking about this local area, which of the things below, if any, do you think most need improving? Cumbria 2003/04 Cumbria BVPI % Top ten mentions Activities for teenagers Job prospects Road/pavement repairs Level of crime Clean streets Facilities for young children Affordable housing Wage levels/cost of living Cultural facilities Public transport Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents; 1,137 BVPI 2003/04 residents

15. Importance vs. need for improvement % Most important The level of crime Affordable decent housing Health services Clean streets Job prospects Education provision Activities for teenagers Public transport Shopping facilities Facilities for young children Wage levels/local cost of living Access to nature Traffic congestion Road and pavement repairs Level of pollution Parks/ open spaces Cultural facilities Community activities Sports and leisure facilities Race relations % Most need improving Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

16. Satisfaction with local area Q Overall how satisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? Don’t know/not stated Very satisfied Not at all satisfied Not very satisfied Fairly satisfied Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

17. Satisfaction with Cumbria and NMIAs Q Overall how satisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? ±% Net satisfied Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

18. Satisfaction vs. deprivation % Satisfaction Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Barrow NMIA IMD score Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

19. Changes in local area Q On the whole, do you think over the last 3 years your local area has got better, got worse or stayed the same? % Better % Same % Worse Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

20. Comments about local area Q Why do you say the local area has got worse? Most frequent responses: Environment (20%) Crime and safety (18%) Children/young people (10%) Further responses: Transport (8%) Local amenities and facilities (6%) Community (4%) Housing and business development (4%) Other negative comments (10%) Q Why do you say the local area has got better? Most frequent responses: Housing and business development (2%) Local amenities and facilities (2%) Environment (2%) Further responses: Community (1%) Other positive comments (4%) Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

21. Influence over decision-making (1) Q To what extent do you agree with the following statements?‘I can influence decisions that affect my local area’ Strongly agree Not stated Agree Strongly disagree Disagree Neither/nor Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

22. Influence over decision-making (2) Q To what extent do you agree with the following statement?‘I can influence decisions that affect my local area’ % Agree % Disagree Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

23. Interest in the Council and decision-making Q Which of these statements below comes closest to your own attitudes towards your district and county council? Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria I’m not interested in what the council does, or whether they do their job I’m not interested in what the council does as long as they do their job I like to know what the council is doing, but I'm happy to let them get on with their job I would like to have more of a say in what the council does I already work for, or am involved with, the council Don’t know/not stated Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

24. Involvement with the Council (1) Q Which of these statements below comes closest to your own attitudes towards your district and county council? All those agreeing with: ‘I would like to have more of a say in what the council does, and the services it provides’ Gender Male Female Age 16-34 35-54 55+ Working status Working Not working Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

25. Involvement with Council (2) Q Which of these statements below comes closest to your own attitudes towards your district and county council? All those agreeing with: ‘I would like to have more of a say in what the council does, and the services it provides’ Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

26. Part 3: Community and Safety

27. Attitudes to neighbourhood (1) Q To what extent do you agree with the following statements? % Disagree % Agree By working together people in my neighbourhood can influence decisions that affect their neighbourhood Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria In my local area people from different backgrounds get on well together (e.g. race, disability, social group) Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Whitehaven NMIA I trust many or most of the people locally Cumbria Whitehaven NMIA I feel I belong to my local area Cumbria Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

28. Attitudes to neighbourhood (2) Q To what extent do you agree with the following statement? ‘By working together people in my neighbourhood can influence decisions that affect their neighbourhood’ ±% Net agree Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

29. Attitudes to neighbourhood (3) Q To what extent do you agree with the following statement?‘I trust many or most of the people locally’ ±% Net agree Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

30. Time spent on voluntary work Q If you have volunteered during the last year, roughly how many total hours have you volunteered, on average, per week? Less than 2 hours 2-5 hours 6-9 hours 10-13 hours 14 hours plus Base: All those who say they have volunteered in the last year (124)

31. Fear of crime Q How worried are you about being a victim of any type of crime in your local area? % Worried % Not worried Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

32. Having been a victim of crime Q Have you been a victim of any type of crime in the past 12 months? % ‘Yes’ Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

33. Crime and deprivation % Victim of crime Barrow NMIA Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria IMD score Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

34. Perceptions of safety in local area Q How safe or unsafe do you feel in your local area, i.e. the area within 15-20 minutes of your home? Cumbria% ±% Net safe +55 Outdoors after dark +92 Indoors after dark Outdoors during the day +94 +95 Indoors during the day Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

35. Safety in local area % Feeling safe outdoors after dark Cumbria Whitehaven NMIA Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA IMD 2004 deprivation Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

36. Change in local area with regard to crime and safety Q In terms of crime and safety, do you feel in the last 3 years your local area has got better, worse or stayed the same? % Better % Same % Worse Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

37. Anti-social behaviour (1) Q How much of a problem do you feel that the following are in your local area? % Not a problem % A minor problem % A serious problem People using drugs People dealing drugs Parents not taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children Teenagers hanging around on the streets People not treating other people with respect and consideration People being drunk or rowdy in public places Crimes against your property Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

38. Anti-social behaviour (2) Q How much of a problem do you feel that the following are in your local area? % Not a problem % A minor problem % A serious problem Noisy neighbours or loud parties Abandoned or burnt-out cars Deliberate rubbish/wheelie bin fires Door step crimes People sleeping rough on the streets People being attacked because of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

39. Tackling anti-social behaviour Q How well informed do you feel about what is being done to tackle anti-social behaviour in your local area? % Very well informed % Fairly well informed % Not very well informed % Not well informed at all % Don’t know/ not stated Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

40. Effectiveness of the criminal justice system Q How effective do you feel the criminal justice system in Cumbria is in bringing offenders to justice? % Very effective % Fairly effective % Not very effective % Not at all effective % Don’t know/ not stated Whitehaven NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Barrow NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

41. Part 4: Environment, Local Services and Transport

42. Environmental issues (1) Q How big a problem do you think the following environmental issues are in your local area? % Not a problem % A minor problem % A serious problem Dog fouling Rubbish and litter lying around Roads and footpaths in poor condition Pavements blocked by parked cars Vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to property or vehicles Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

43. Environmental issues (2) Q How big a problem do you think the following environmental issues are in your local area? % Not a problem % A minor problem % A serious problem Neglected or derelict buildings or land Noise pollution State of the local river/ stream The appearance or location of new developments Air quality and traffic pollution Base: 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

44. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities (all residents) (1) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Whitehaven NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied GPs 73 70 56 55 Hospitals 71 66 Libraries Number of parks/green spaces 59 70 Quality of parks/green spaces 51 61 Fire/rescue services 57 50 29 40 Appearance of streets etc 51 52 Local primary schools Local secondary schools 43 40 37 38 Opportunities for adult education Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

45. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities (all residents) (2) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Whitehaven NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied 29 29 Local train services Suitable housing 11 -8 13 14 Local bus services Leisure facilities for adults 16 30 Children’s playgrounds/play areas 9 31 Social services 30 24 -20 -4 Dentists Leisure facilities for young people -2 2 -40 -13 Public toilets Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

46. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities among users (1) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Whitehaven NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied Libraries (328) 91 84 Opportunities for adult education (78) 81 55 Fire/rescue services (32)* 82 86 GPs (540) 75 73 Number of parks/green spaces (313) 71 80 Quality of parks/green spaces (313) 64 72 Hospitals (454) 61 64 Leisure facilities for adults (177) 60 56 Base: All users. Base sizes in brackets above. * Small base size

47. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities among users (2) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Whitehaven NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied Social services (91) 66 64 Train services (230) 52 50 Leisure facilities for young people (113) 45 26 Bus services (332) 24 34 Children’s playgrounds/ play areas (188) 11 50 Dentists (348) * 11 Public toilets (249) -36 -5 Base: All users. Base sizes in brackets above.

48. Forms of transport Q Please list your main form of transport for different journeys on a typical weekday: Public transport Car/motorbike Pedestrian/cyclist Whitehaven NMIA (269) Work Cumbria (1,178) Whitehaven NMIA (572) Shopping Cumbria (2,202) Whitehaven NMIA (464) Leisure Cumbria (1,861) Medical/ clinic Whitehaven NMIA (508) Cumbria (1,830) Base: All those who travel. Base sizes in brackets above.

49. Distances travelled Q Please list how many miles you travel for different journeys on a typical weekday: Under 3 miles 3-4 miles 5-8 miles More than 8 miles Work (254) Shopping (560) Leisure (407) Medical/clinic (466) Base: All those who stated how far they travel. Base sizes in brackets above.

50. Time travelled Q Please list how much time it takes you to travel for different journeys on a typical weekday: None >15 mins 15-29 mins 30-59 mins 1-2 hours <2 hours Work (384) Shopping (568) Leisure (454) Medical/clinic (506) Base: All those who stated how far they travel. Base sizes in brackets above.