Below is a summary of the results, for detailed results and graphs, please see the attached PDF document.

LOCAL AREA

Question 1 - Which are your priorities for your local area?

Consensus in this question was around lower council tax bills and local policing as both top priority and a stated priority, with over 80% stating both.

Question 2 – What specifically, in your view, would most improve your local area

Answers ranged greatly for this question, but the common themes were:

• Improved parking
• More Police
• Improve community police presence
• Reduced traffic
• Improved public transport

LAW AND ORDER

Question 3 David Cameron has said that a future Conservative government would scrap the planned ID Card and instead concentrate on setting up a dedicated border police force to secure the UK’s borders. Do you agree with this?

A massive 73% agreed here, with just 19% supporting ID Cards. 8% did not answer the question.

Question 4 – What do you consider to be the most important law and order question locally?

Visible police presence topped the list for this question, with vandalism and anti-social behaviour very close behind. Providing young people with something to do and breaking up gangs of youths also featured highly.

Question 5 – What do you think would contribute to tackling crime in your area?

The overwhelming consensus here was for more visible policing and more police foot patrols. Well over half of respondents stated this as the best way to tackle crime. Better youth facilities, tougher sentencing and an end to early release also featured highly.

TRANSPORT

Question 6 - One proposal being considered by the current government is national road pricing. Motorists would be charged for using roads at variable rates depending on the roads used and the time of day. Do you consider national road pricing to be a good idea in principal?

A clear consensus was found against road pricing, with 78% objecting to the principal of pay-as-you-drive.

Question 7 – What are your top three priorities for transport in Staffordshire?

Less consensus on this question, but still a clear division between the answers, with the tope three coming out as: More bus services; More rail services; and increased spending on roads – all receiving more than 40% support.

HEALTH

Question 8 – It has been suggested that GP surgeries should open on Saturday morning. How important would this be for you?

16% say this is unimportant, 27% Very Important and 57% useful. 84% would therefore find Saturday morning GP services beneficial.

Question 9 – Do you have access to an NHS dentist?

54% do not have an NHS dentist, while 44% have access. 2% did not answer the question.

Question 10 – If not, how important is it for you to have access to an NHS Dentist?

Of those without access to an NHS dentist, 86% said it was either very important or useful to have access. 14% said it was unimportant.

Question 11 – How could health services be improved in your area?

The most commonly occurring answers were cleaner hospitals, longer GP opening hours, more GP services/local services, more flexible appointments and less administrative work for frontline staff (doctors and nurses).

HOUSING

Question 12 – There are proposals to build around 12,000 more homes in Stafford Borough to meet demand. (West Midlands Regional Strategy 2007). Do you agree with the proposal to build more homes?

67% wanted to see more homes built, with 17% supporting building on this scale. 27% opposed any new homes being built.

Question 13 – Do you have any ideas for helping to solve the problem of the lack of affordable homes?

Limit or stop immigration was the top suggestion, with tax incentives for first time buyers, more war time style prefabricated homes and using brown-field sites to build new homes were the top suggestions.

EDUCATION

Question 14 – There has been discussion of the number of national tests which children have to take. What do you think of the amount of formal testing of children in schools?

46% believe children are over tested in school, with a further 45% believing the current level of testing is sufficient. Just 9% wish to see more formal testing.

Question 15 – How could education in the area be improved in your view?

Stronger discipline in the classroom, with a focus on traditional teaching methods such as the three “R’s” were the strongest comments for this question. Smaller class sizes, and less testing also featured highly, alongside fairer funding.