Tax cuts lead to double poll boost
Friday May 15, 2009
More happy residents and falling tax has allowed Hammersmith & Fulham Council to buck a national trend in more ways than one.
Spiralling tax and tumbling residents' satisfaction is commonplace among the other 411 public sector authorities in Britain. But in H&F tax has fallen by three per cent for each of the past three years and now a second opinion poll in a month shows residents' satisfaction going through the roof.
Last month we reported that, according to the Government's Place Survey, overall satisfaction with the council is up to 59 per cent - from 53 per cent in 2005/06. The Place Survey is a postal poll of around 1,500 residents and was carried out last autumn. H&F is now ranked in an elite band of five London councils, compared to 15th three years ago.
Now a second poll shows residents' satisfaction up to an all time high of 75 per cent - up from 64 per cent in 2007. The Reputation and Media survey polled 600 H&F residents over the phone last March. 58 per cent said the council provides good value for money, up from 46 per cent in 2007.
Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, says, "Hammersmith & Fulham has bucked the national trend of tax rises and poor satisfaction ratings for the second time in a month. This proves that lower taxes lead to increased satisfaction levels and it is clear that this council is showing the way forward for the whole of the public sector.
"We have a lot more hard work to do but these snap-shots of public opinion are encouraging and prove we are on the right track."
Your H&F News fairs well in the Reputation and Media poll with 81 per cent of residents saying it is informative - up from 66 per cent two years ago. H&F News is now the second most read paper in the borough with 63 per cent of residents saying they had read it in the past month.
