Cumbria Quality of Life Survey 2006 Barrow NMIA Report

1. Cumbria Quality of Life Survey 2006 Barrow 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 61% in Barrow NMIA, 77% in Whitehaven NMIA and 79% in Workington 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. • Barrow 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 Barrow generally score lower on quality of life and service satisfaction indicators than those in Workington or Whitehaven, which is likely to reflect higher levels of economic deprivation in Barrow than in either of these two areas. • Fear of crime is more pronounced in Barrow than it is in Whitehaven or Workington NMIAs, and Barrow residents are also more likely to say they have been a victim of crime. 52% of Barrow residents say they feel unsafe in their local area outside after dark – this figure is higher than in the County generally (21%) and also higher than the national average of around three in ten people (British Crime Survey 2005/6). • 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 Barrow NMIA, residents are less likely to feel they belong in the local area, less likely to trust most people locally and less likely to believe that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area than are those in the County generally. • Almost half of Barrow NMIA residents believe people in their neighbourhood are able to influence local decision-making by working together – comparable to the proportion of Cumbria residents taking this view. • Levels of volunteering in Barrow NMIA (21% volunteering in the last year) are lower than those for Cumbria residents generally (35%) – but the ‘committed core’ of volunteers in Barrow also dedicate more time to volunteering than do those in Cumbria overall. • Barrow NMIA residents are more likely than Cumbria residents overall to state they are keen to have more of a say in Council decisions (46% Barrow NMIA, 38% Cumbria) – although it should be noted 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 Barrow NMIA to address is that 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. • However, an encouraging finding is that Barrow NMIA residents are also more likely to say the local area has got better than are those in the County generally. • 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, dealing with litter, improving the cleanliness of streets and road and path maintenance are likely to drive up satisfaction with the Council among Barrow NMIA residents.

7. Key findings (5) – service delivery • Broadly speaking, Barrow NMIA residents think service delivery in the local area is good. Satisfaction is particularly high with local GPs, libraries and hospitals. The services or facilities residents are most dissatisfied with are public toilets, the appearance of the streets and the availability and quality of dentists. • Barrow NMIA residents’ top priorities for service delivery are cleaner streets, improved provision for teenagers and road and pavement repairs. Several issues are perceived as higher priorities by Barrow residents than by Cumbria residents overall: clean streets, road and pavement repairs, crime levels and facilities for young children. By contrast, good quality affordable housing and wage levels are seen as less important priorities than in the County as a whole. • Barrow NMIA service users are more satisfied with many local services than are those in Cumbria generally: libraries, hospitals, local train and bus services and opportunities for adult education. However, they are also less satisfied with the number (although not the quality) of parks and green spaces, children’s playgrounds and play areas and public toilets.

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 Barrow 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. Part 2: Liveability in Barrow NMIA

11. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Affordable housing Clean streets Level of crime Job prospects Health services Activities for teenagers Education provision Wage levels/cost of living Parks/open spaces Facilities for young children Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

12. Quality of Life (2) Barrow 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 % Top ten mentions Affordable housing Clean streets Level of crime Job prospects Health services Activities for teenagers Education provision Wage levels/cost of living Parks/open spaces Facilities for young children Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 663 Barrow NMIA residents; 1,137 BVPI 2003/04 residents

13. Improvements to the local area Barrow 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 Clean streets Activities for teenagers Road/pavement repairs Level of crime Job prospects Affordable housing Level of traffic congestion Facilities for young children Wage levels/cost of living Community activities Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 663 Barrow NMIA residents; 1,137 BVPI 2003/04 residents

14. Importance vs. need for improvement % Most important Affordable decent housing Clean streets The level of crime Job prospects Health services Education provision Parks and open spaces Activities for teenagers Wage levels and local cost of living Shopping facilities Road and pavement repairs Facilities for young children Public transport Cultural facilities Level of traffic congestion Access to nature Community activities Level of pollution Sports and leisure facilities Race relations % Most need improving Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents

15. Satisfaction with local area Q Overall how satisfied are you with your local area as a place to live? Not stated Very satisfied Not at all satisfied Not very satisfied Fairly satisfied Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

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

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

18. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

19. Comments about local area Q Why do you say the local area has got worse? Most frequent responses: Environment (28%) Crime and safety (22%) Children/young people (11%) Further responses: Housing and business development (10%) Transport (5%) Local amenities and facilities (5%) Community (5%) Other negative comments (10%) Q Why do you say the local area has got better? Most frequent responses: Housing and business development (5%) Environment (3%) Local amenities and facilities (2%) Further responses: Crime and safety (2%) Community (2%) Other positive comments (4%) Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents

20. 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’ Not stated Strongly agree Agree Strongly disagree Disagree Neither/nor Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents

21. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

22. 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? Barrow 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; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

23. 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: 663 Barrow NMIA residents

24. 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’ Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

25. Part 3: Community and Safety

26. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria In my local area people from different backgrounds get on well together (e.g. race, disability, social group) Barrow NMIA Cumbria Barrow NMIA I trust many or most of the people locally Cumbria Barrow NMIA I feel I belong to my local area Cumbria Base: 2,133 Cumbria residents; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

27. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

28. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

29. 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 More than 14 hours plus Base: All those who say they have volunteered in the last year (135)

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

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

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

33. 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; 663 Barrow NMIA residents

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

35. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

36. 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 Parents not taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children People dealing drugs Teenagers hanging around on the streets People being drunk or rowdy in public places People not treating other people with respect and consideration Deliberate rubbish/wheelie bin fires Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

37. 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 Crimes against your property Abandoned or burnt-out cars Door step crimes People being attacked because of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion People sleeping rough on the streets/other public places Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated

38. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

39. 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 Barrow NMIA Cumbria Workington NMIA Whitehaven NMIA Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA; 622 Workington NMIA; 608 Whitehaven NMIA residents

40. Part 5: Environment, Local Services and Transport

41. 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 Rubbish and litter lying around Dog fouling Roads and footpaths in poor condition Vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to property or vehicles Neglected or derelict buildings or land Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the charts does not include don’t know or not stated

42. 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 Pavements blocked by parked cars Noise pollution Air quality and traffic pollution The appearance or location of new developments State of the local river/ stream Base: 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the charts does not include don’t know or not stated

43. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities (all residents) (1) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Barrow NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied GPs 69 70 Libraries 72 66 Hospitals 61 55 Quality of parks/green spaces 60 61 Number of parks/green spaces 50 70 Local bus services 46 14 Fire/rescue services 61 50 Local train services 47 29 Opportunities for adult education 45 38 Local primary schools 47 52 Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated responses

44. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities (all residents) (2) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Barrow NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied Leisure facilities for adults 25 30 Children’s playgrounds/play areas 20 31 Local secondary schools 34 40 Suitable housing -2 -8 Dentists -5 -4 Appearance of streets etc -11 40 Social services 31 24 Leisure facilities for young people 2 2 Public toilets -30 -13 Base: 2,133 Cumbria; 663 Barrow NMIA residents. Note: the chart does not include don’t know or not stated responses

45. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities among users (1) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Barrow NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied Libraries (376) 93 84 Fire/rescue services (47)* 84 86 Quality of parks/green spaces (431) 72 72 GPs (600) 71 73 Hospitals (500) 69 64 Train services (315) 66 50 Opps. for adult education (105) 61 55 Social services (119) 63 64 Base: All users. Base sizes in brackets above. * Small base size

46. Satisfaction with local services/ facilities among users (2) Q How satisfied are you with the following services or facilities in your local area? ±% Net Barrow NMIA ±% Net Cumbria % Dissatisfied % Satisfied Bus services (384) 60 34 Number of parks/green spaces (431) 58 80 Leisure facilities for adults (199) 55 56 Children’s playgrounds/ play areas (219) 28 50 Leisure facilities for young people (119) 27 26 Dentists (384) 15 11 Public toilets (273) -20 -5 Base: All users. Base sizes in brackets above. * Small base size

47. Forms of transport Q Please list your main form of transport for different journeys on a typical weekday: Public transport Car/motorbike Pedestrian/cyclist Barrow NMIA (307) Work Cumbria (1,178) Barrow NMIA (611) Shopping Cumbria (2,202) Barrow NMIA (550) Leisure Cumbria (1,861) Medical/ clinic Barrow NMIA (564) Cumbria (1,830) Base: All those who travel. Base sizes in brackets above.

48. 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 (281) Shopping (590) Leisure (491) Medical/clinic (511) Base: All those who stated how far they travel. Base sizes in brackets above.

49. 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 (455) Shopping (604) Leisure (538) Medical/clinic (561) Base: All those who stated how far they travel. Base sizes in brackets above.

50. Part 5: Health and Well-being