cambridge city council older persons tenant survey … · cambridge city council older persons...

1

Cambridge City Council Older Persons

Tenant Survey July 2014 Survey Report

Analysis and report by

NWA Social Research

2

Cambridge City Council Older Persons Tenant Survey July 2014

Survey Report

Contents

Page No.

1 KEY FINDINGS .................................................................................................. 3

2 BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY ................................................ 7

SURVEY FINDINGS

3 OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH SERVICES .......................................................... 9

4 VALUE FOR MONEY .......................................................................................... 11

5 REPAIRS ........................................................................................................... 14

6 YOUR ESTATE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD ............................................................. 18

7 INFLUENCING YOUR HOUSING SERVICE ............................................................ 20

8 COMPLAINTS ................................................................................................... 22

9 CONTACTING THE COUNCIL .............................................................................. 24

10 PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE ............................................................................ 26

11 ABOUT YOU ..................................................................................................... 28

Appendix 1B Copy of questionnaire marked-up with top-line findings

Appendix 2B Tables of frequencies

Appendix 3B Tables of results

Appendix 4B Responses to open questions

3

1. KEY FINDINGS

OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH SERVICES

1.1 Over 90% of all respondents were 'satisfied' with the 'services provided by landlord'

(94.6%), 'neighbourhood as a place to live' (93.5%), 'quality of your home' (92.8%) and

'condition of your home' (92.2%).

1.2 Agreement relating to terms of tenancy was highest for the statements:

'I understand my responsibilities as a Council tenant' (98.0%),

'My landlord has friendly, approachable staff' (94.5%).

1.3 These were followed by:

‘It is easy to contact my landlord' (93.4%);

'I understand what to expect from my landlord' (92.4%);

'I understand my rights as a Council tenant' (92.0%);

'My landlord treats tenants fairly' (91.7%), and;

'I know how to access Council housing services' (91.5%).

1.4 82.0% of respondents to the Older People's survey agreed that 'my landlord listens to my

views', with 79.4% agreeing that 'I can afford my rent' which saw the highest percentage

of 'disagree' responses (7.9%: 5.3% 'somewhat'/2.6% 'strongly disagree').

1.5 Agreement was lowest in relation to the statement: 'my landlord acts on my views'

(77.5%).

1.6 94.0% of respondents indicated that they are 'satisfied' with the service provided by their

landlord.

VALUE FOR MONEY

1.7 Four-in-five, or more, respondents expressed satisfaction with four aspects of their

tenancy in terms of ‘value for money’, with satisfaction being highest in relation to ‘the

clarity of information you get from the Council about how your rent and service charges

are set’ (88.4%) and ‘that your rent provides value for money’ (86.9%).

1.8 85.5% expressed satisfaction with ‘the advice and support you receive from the Council

for paying rent and service charges or managing your finances’ while satisfaction was

lowest in relation to service charges providing ‘value for money’ (80.0%).

1.9 71.9% of respondents indicated that they are currently claiming Housing Benefit. 50.0% of

respondents in receipt of Housing Benefit have heard of Universal Credit, with nine-in-ten

respondents in receipt of Housing Benefit indicating that they have a bank or building

society account in order to receive future payments (89.7% 'yes').

4

1.10 45.4% of respondents living in sheltered accommodation indicated that they 'are keeping

up without any difficulties'. 35.6% of respondents were 'keeping up but struggle to do so

from time to time', while 14.9% were either 'keeping up but it is a constant struggle'

(10.3%) or 'having real financial problems' (4.6%). 4.1% gave 'don't know' responses.

REPAIRS

1.11 56.2% of respondents had ordered a repair to their property in the last year.

1.12 Amongst respondents who had had a repair completed in the previous 12 months,

satisfaction was highest in relation to 'attitude of workers' (94.6%) and 'being told when

workers would call' (92.7%), while nine-in-ten respondents were satisfied with the 'quality

of repair work' (90.0%). Satisfaction only fell below 90% in relation to the 'speed of

completion of work' (88.1%) and 'time taken before work started' (85.5%).

1.13 Nine-in-ten respondents were 'satisfied' (90.0%) with the repairs service provided by

Cambridge City Council.

1.14 Over half of all respondents selected 'improvements to pathways' (53.4%) as their first

priority for their neighbourhood, while 19.8% selected 'security measures' as their first

priority. Third most selected as respondents' first priority were 'estate lighting' (7.6%) and

'car parking facilities' (7.6%).

1.15 Most selected as either 'very' or 'fairly important' services were:

'Adaptations for people with disabilities' (97.3%);

'Energy efficiency improvements' (91.1%), and;

‘Regular external repairs and decoration' (87.3%).

1.16 These were followed by:

'Installing new bathrooms' (76.1%);

‘Installing new central heating systems' (74.6%);

‘Installing new kitchens' (71.9%);

‘Installing new windows' (62.8%), and;

‘Making structural improvements' (60.7%).

1.17 Least selected as being important were 'installing new doors' (57.8%) and 'fencing'

(55.4%).

1.18 When asked to give their level of agreement relating to four statements regarding energy

efficiency, agreement was highest relating to the statement: 'I feel I know how to make

my home more energy efficient' (75.1%). Over half gave 'agree' responses to the

statement - 'I use a timer to turn my heating on and off at set times of the day' (55.6%) -

while agreement was lowest in relation to the statements: 'I would be interested in

5

changing my fuel supplier within the next year' (16.1%) and; 'I have contacted an energy

advice agency to seek advice' (12.6%).

YOUR ESTATE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD

1.19 Satisfaction with six aspects of services provided by Cambridge City Council was highest in

relation to 'grass cutting' (85.1%) and 'cleaning of indoor communal areas' (84.3%), with

81.2% expressing satisfaction with 'cleaning of outdoor communal areas' (81.2%). 75.6%

expressed satisfaction with 'litter picking', while 70.5% were satisfied with 'maintenance

of planted areas' and 56.4% with 'window cleaning'.

1.20 Most selected as being either a 'problem' in respondents' local area were ‘car parking’

(40.0%), ‘rubbish or litter’ (37.5%) and ‘dog fouling/dog mess’ (31.5%). These were

followed by ‘fear of crime’ (26.9%), ‘disruptive children/teenagers’ (21.8%), ‘noisy

neighbours’ (19.4%) and ‘drunk or rowdy behaviour’ (19.1%).

INFLUENCING YOUR HOUSING SERVICE

1.21 13.5% of respondents indicated that they would be interested in finding out more about

opportunities to influence and improve their housing services.

1.22 Four-in-five respondents (80.4%) were 'satisfied' that Cambridge City Council gives them

the opportunity to make their views known. 69.0% were 'satisfied' that the Council listens

to their views and acts upon them, while satisfaction was lowest in relation to publicising

improvements made using tenant feedback (65.9%).

COMPLAINTS

1.23 14.6% of respondents had made a complaint to Cambridge City Council in the previous 12

months. Respondents who had made a complaint were most likely to have done so in

relation to 'repairs' (41.4%) or 'anti-social behaviour' (20.7%), while 10.3% (3

respondents) had done so regarding 'rent'. 6.9% had made a complaint in regards to

'tenancy issues' with 3.4% (1 respondent) doing so in relation to 'estate services'.

1.24 Three-quarters of respondents were 'satisfied' (75.0%) with the way their complaint was

handled.

CONTACTING THE COUNCIL

1.25 The majority of respondents preferred to receive information from Cambridge City

Council by 'letter' (80.9%), while a 22.5% would prefer 'face to face' contact and 19.6% by

'phone'. 14.7% would like to receive information from Cambridge City Council by 'email'.

1.26 37.7% of respondents indicated that they have access to the internet. Of respondents

with internet access, access was most likely to be through a 'desktop/laptop' (79.2%),

while smaller numbers had access through a 'tablet' (20.8%) or 'Smartphone' (15.6%).

13.0% indicated that they access the internet at a 'library', with 7.8% doing so through a

'work device'.

6

1.27 Half of all respondents without internet access (49.6%) stated that not being interested

was their main reason for not having access, while 29.3% could not afford access. 17.9%

stated that they 'don't know how'.

1.28 Amongst respondents who had contacted Cambridge City Council in the preceding 12

months, satisfaction was highest in relation to 'how enquiries are dealt with' (86.3%) and

'satisfaction with outcome' (86.0%). Satisfaction was lowest regarding the 'ability of staff

to deal with query' (83.3%).

PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE

1.29 Most selected as respondents’ first priority was ‘providing sheltered accommodation for

elderly or vulnerable tenants’ (30.9%), followed by ‘building new council housing’ (24.4%)

and ‘advice and support for those seeking a home’ (13.8%).

7

2. BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY

2.1 NWA Research was commissioned to undertake a postal and online survey of 498 older

people’s housing tenants. The questionnaires were made up of core ‘STAR’ questions

provided by Housemark, and benchmarking questions from Cambridge City Homes to

meet the annual benchmarking requirements. Key issues included in the questionnaire

were:

Overall satisfaction with services

Value for money

Repairs

Estate and neighbourhood

Influencing the housing service

Complaints

Contacting the Council

Priorities of for the future

2.2 The section relating to respondent details included information on the number, age,

gender and relationship with the lead tenant; working status; ethnic group; disability and

whether the household is likely to move in the next three years. If likely to move further

questions on where to and why respondents were likely to move were asked.

2.3 Questionnaires were branded both on the questionnaire and the envelope in which it was

sent to encourage response. The questionnaires contained a separate tear off slip with

additional household data. A copy of the questionnaire marked up with top line findings is

included with this report as Appendix 1B. The questionnaire was also available on line via

a link which could be accessed using the ID on the paper questionnaire and respondent’s

postcode.

2.4 Questionnaires were posted out to tenants on 29th May for delivery that weekend and

reminder questionnaires to non respondents were sent out on 19th June. At the time of

proceeding to analysis a total of 210 returned questionnaires had been received, a

response rate of 42%.

2.5 Results from the survey were analysed using SPSS and this analysis is attached as further

appendices to this report. Appendix 2B shows tables of frequencies including missing

data; Appendix 2C tables of results with cross breaks and Appendix 2D shows responses

to open questions. The cross breaks used for the analysis are shown in the table overleaf.

2.6 In order to assess whether observed differences between two samples or sample sub-

groups have just occurred by chance or whether they are ‘real’, ‘statistical significance’

testing is undertaken. Sample numbers are of prime importance when assessing

‘statistical significance’, and the table below shows the minimum difference which needs

to be observed between random samples of various sizes, in order to be ‘95% Confident’

that these differences are statistically significance.

8

95% confidence level

Number of respondents

Response Percentage

10%/90% 30%/70% 50%

+/- +/- +/-

Main tenant - gender Male 97 6.0 9.2 10.0

Female 85 6.4 9.8 10.7

Main tenant - age group

Under 65 years 29 N/A N/A N/A

65 to 74 years 72 7.0 10.7 11.6

75 to 84 years 52 8.2 12.6 13.7

85 years and over 43 9.1 13.9 15.1

Number of bedrooms

One bedroom 181 4.4 6.7 7.3

Two bedrooms 21 N/A N/A N/A

Q34: Limiting long term health problem

in household?

Yes - limited a lot 66 7.3 11.1 12.2

Yes - limited a little 52 8.2 12.6 13.7

No 46 8.8 13.4 14.6

Total All respondents 210 4.1 6.2 6.8

9

3. OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH SERVICES

Question 1: 'How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following?'

Question 2: 'How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?'

Question 3: 'Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with

the service provided by your landlord (Cambridge City Council)?'

Appendix 3B - Pages 1 to 8

3.1 Over 90% of all respondents were 'satisfied' with the 'services provided by landlord'

(94.6%: 60.6% 'very'/34.0% 'fairly satisfied'), 'neighbourhood as a place to live' (93.5%:

67.8% 'very'/25.7% 'fairly satisfied'), 'quality of your home' (92.8%: 58.3% 'very'/34.5%

'fairly satisfied') and 'condition of your home' (92.2%: 56.8% 'very'/35.4% 'fairly satisfied').

Positive responses by subgroup fell only slightly below 90% (both amongst respondents

under the age of 65) only in relation to 'neighbourhood as a place to live' (88.9%) and

'condition of your home' (85.7%).

Q1: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following? (Overall - % - 202-206 respondents)

3.2 In response to ten statements relating to the terms of respondents' tenancy, responses

are broadly the same as those indicated in 2012: there is not statistically significant

difference.

3.3 Communicated agreement was highest for the statements: 'I understand my

responsibilities as a Council tenant' (98.0%: 66.0% 'strongly'/32.0% 'somewhat agree'),

and; 'my landlord has friendly, approachable staff' (94.5%).

3.4 These were followed by: 'it is easy to contact my landlord' (93.4%); 'I understand what to

expect from my landlord' (92.4%); 'I understand my rights as a Council tenant' (92.0%);

'my landlord treats tenants fairly' (91.7%), and; 'I know how to access Council housing

94.6 93.5 95 92.8 96 92.2

2 3.5 4 3.4 2 2.43.5 3 1 3.9 3 5.4

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2014 2014 2012 2014 2012 2014

a) Services provided by

landlord

b) Neighbourhood as a place to live

c) Quality of your home d) Condition of your home

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following?

Very/fairly satisfied Neither Fairly/very dissatisfied

10

services' (91.5%). 82.0% of respondents to the Older People's survey agreed that 'my

landlord listens to my views', with 79.4% agreeing that 'I can afford my rent' which saw

the highest percentage of 'disagree' responses (7.9%: 5.3% 'somewhat'/2.6% 'strongly

disagree'). Agreement was lowest in relation to the statement: 'my landlord acts on my

views' (77.5%).

Q2: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Overall - % - 188-204 respondents)

Q3: Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the service

provided by your landlord (Cambridge City Council)? (Overall - % - 201 respondents)

92

.4

91

.5

91

.7

82

77

.5 94

.5

93

.4

92 98

79

.4

5.1 5.6 4.912 16.9

4 4 5.6 112.7

2.5 3 3.46 5.6 1.5 2.5 2.5 1

7.9

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

a) I

un

de

rsta

nd

wh

at t

o

exp

ect

fro

m m

y la

nd

lord

b) I

kn

ow

ho

w t

o a

cce

ss

Co

un

cil h

ou

sin

g se

rvic

es

c) M

y la

nd

lord

tre

ats

ten

ants

fai

rly

d) M

y la

nd

lord

list

en

s to

m

y vi

ew

s

e) M

y la

nd

lord

act

s o

n

my

vie

ws

f) M

y la

nd

lord

has

fr

ien

dly

, ap

pro

ach

able

st

aff

g) It

is

eas

y to

co

nta

ct

my

lan

dlo

rd

h) I

un

de

rsta

nd

my

righ

ts

as a

Co

un

cil t

en

ant

i) I

un

de

rsta

nd

my

resp

on

sib

iliti

es

as a

C

ou

nci

l te

nan

t

j) I

can

aff

ord

my

ren

t

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly/somewhat agree Neither Somewhat/strongly agree

94 93

3.5 52.5 2

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2014 2012

Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the service provided by your landlord?


11

3.5 94.0% of respondents (93.0% in 2012) indicated that they are either 'very' (56.7%) or

'fairly satisfied' (37.3%) with the service provided by their landlord, with such responses

only falling below 90% amongst respondents living in properties with two bedrooms

(89.3% 'satisfied'). 3.5% gave 'neither satisfied nor dissatisfied responses while 2.5% (5

respondents) gave 'fairly dissatisfied' responses (no respondents gave 'very dissatisfied'

responses.

4. VALUE FOR MONEY

Question 4: 'How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following?'

Question 5: 'Are you claiming Housing Benefit?'

Question 6: 'Please answer yes or no to the following questions.'

Question 7: 'Which of the following best describes how you are keeping up with the

cost of living?'


4.1 Four-in-five, or more, respondents expressed satisfaction with four aspects of their

tenancy in terms of ‘value for money’, with satisfaction being highest in relation to ‘the

clarity of information you get from the Council about how your rent and service charges

are set’ (88.4%: 48.0% ‘very’/40.4% ‘fairly satisfied’) and ‘that your rent provides value for

money’ (86.9%: 49.7% ‘very’/37.2% ‘fairly satisfied’).

4.2 85.5% expressed satisfaction with ‘the advice and support you receive from the Council

for paying rent and service charges or managing your finances’ (50.3% ‘very’/35.2% ‘fairly

satisfied’) while satisfaction was lowest in relation to service charges providing ‘value for

money’ (80.0%: 39.0% ‘very’/41.0% ‘fairly satisfied’).

4.3 Again responses remain broadly similar to those of 2012 with no statistically significant

differences being observable.

12

Q4: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following? (Overall - % - 195-199 respondents)

4.4 71.9% of respondents indicated that they are currently claiming Housing Benefit, rising to

82.8% of respondents under the age of 65. Females were more likely than males to be in

receipt of Housing Benefit (76.5% cf. 66.7%). 28.1% were not claiming Housing Benefit.

4.5 50.0% of respondents in receipt of Housing Benefit has heard of Universal Credit, rising to

65.0% of respondents between the ages of 65 and 74. 50.0% of the relevant respondents

had not previously heard of Universal Credit. Nine-in-ten respondents in receipt of

Housing Benefit indicated that they have a bank or building society account in order to

receive future payments (89.7% 'yes').

85.5 84 88.4 86.9 9280 80

12.1 14 7.6 9 711.8 11

2.5 3 4 4 2 6.6 71.5 1

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2014 2012 2014 2014 2012 2014 2012

a) The advice and support you receive from the Council for

paying rent and service charges

or managing your finances

b) The clarity of information you get from

the Council about how

your rent and service charges

are set

c) That your rent provides value for money

d) That your service charge provides value for money

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following?

Very/fairly satisfied Neither Fairly/very dissatisfied Not applicable

13

Q5: Are you claiming Housing Benefit? / Q6: Please answer yes or no to the following questions.

(Overall/'Yes' at Q5 - % - 203/60/58 respondents)

Q7: Which of the following best describes how you are keeping up with the cost of living?

(Overall - % - 194 respondents)

4.6 45.4% of respondents living in older people’s housing accommodation indicated that they

'are keeping up without any difficulties', rising to 60.0% of respondents over the age of

85. 35.6% of respondents were 'keeping up but struggle to do so from time to time', while

14.9% were either 'keeping up but it is a constant struggle' (10.3% - rising to 32.1% of

respondents under the age of 65) or 'having real financial problems' (4.6%). 4.1% gave

'don't know' responses.

71.950

89.7

28.150

10.3

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Overall a) Have you heard of Universal Credit?

b) Changes to benefits mean that claimants will need a bank

account or building society

account to receive future payments. Do you have an account that will be able to

receive these payments?

Are you claiming Housing Benefit?

Please answer yes or no to the following questions

Yes No

I am/we are keeping up without any

difficulties, 45.4I am/we are

keeping up but struggle to do

so from time to time, 35.6

I am/we are keeping up but it is a constant

struggle, 10.3

I am/we are having real

financial

problems, 4.6

Don't know, 4.1

14

5. REPAIRS

Question 8: 'Have you ordered a repair to your property in the last year?'

Question 9: 'How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following?'

Question 10: 'Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the repairs services

provided by your landlord (Cambridge City Council)?'

Question 11: 'Which three of the following improvements to your neighbourhood would

you consider to be your first, second and third priorities?'

Question 12: 'From the list below please indicate how important or unimportant you feel

each is.'

Question 13: 'How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?'


5.1 56.2% of respondents had ordered a repair to their property in the last year, rising to

75.0% of respondents living in two bedroom properties. 43.8% had not ordered a repair

to their property.

Q8: Have you ordered a repair to your property in the last year? (Overall - % - 203 respondents)

5.2 Amongst respondents who had had a repair completed in the previous 12 months,

satisfaction was highest in relation to 'attitude of workers' (94.6%: 73.9% 'very'/20.7%

'fairly satisfied') and 'being told when workers would call' (92.7%), while nine-in-ten

respondents were satisfied with the 'quality of repair work' (90.0%). Satisfaction only fell

below 90% in relation to the 'speed of completion of work' (88.1%) and 'time taken

before work started' (85.5%).

5.3 Nine-in-ten respondents were 'satisfied' (90.0%: 55.5% 'very'/34.5% 'fairly') with the

repairs service provided by Cambridge City Council, with males being more likely than

females to give positive responses (94.2% cf. 84.8%). 5.5% were 'neither satisfied nor

dissatisfied' with the repairs service, while 4.5% gave either 'fairly' (3.6%) or 'very

56.2

43.8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Have you ordered a repair to your property in the last year?

Yes No

15

dissatisfied' (0.9%) responses. 'Satisfied' responses saw a reduction of 6.0% between the

2012 and 2014 surveys (96.0% cf. 90.0%).

Q9: How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following? / Q10: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the repairs services provided by your landlord?

(Overall - % - 109-111/110 respondents)

Q11: Which three of the following improvements to your neighbourhood would you consider

to be your first, second and third priorities? (Overall - % - 115-131 respondents)

92.7 85.5 88.1 94.6 90 90 96

3.67.3 2.8

3.6 6.4 5.523.6

7.2 9.21.8

3.6 4.51

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

a) Being told when workers

would call

b) Time taken before work

started

c) Speed of completion of

the work

d) Attitude of workers

e) Quality of repair work

2014 2012

How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following? Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the repairs services provided by

your landlord?


53

.4

7.6

0.8

19

.8

3.8 7

.6

2.3 4

.6

14

.3

16

.8

7.6

16

.8

17

.6

9.2

5.9

11

.8

7.8 9.6

4.3 7

14

.8 19

.1

13

24

.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

a) Im

pro

vem

en

t to

p

ath

way

s

b) E

stat

e l

igh

tin

g

c) Im

pro

vem

en

ts t

o

est

ate

fe

nci

ng

d) S

ecu

rity

me

asu

res

e) L

and

scap

ing

and

p

lan

tin

g

f) C

ar p

arki

ng

faci

litie

s

g) S

he

ds

and

sto

rage

h) C

om

mu

nal

are

as

1st Priority 2nd Priority 3rd Priority

16

5.4 Over half of all respondents selected 'improvements to pathways' (53.4%) as their first

priority for their neighbourhood, while 19.8% selected 'security measures' as their first

priority. Third most selected as respondents' first priority were 'estate lighting' (7.6%) and

'car parking facilities' (7.6%). Most selected as respondents' second priority were

'landscaping and planting' (17.6%), 'estate lighting' (16.8%) and 'security measures'

(16.8%), while most selected in terms of the third priority were 'communal areas' (24.3%),

'car parking facilities' (19.1%) and 'landscaping and planting' (14.8%).

5.5 In terms of the importance of certain services, most selected as either 'very' or 'fairly

important' were: 'adaptations for people with disabilities' (97.3%); 'energy efficiency

improvements' (91.1%), and; 'regular external repairs and decoration' (87.3%). These

were followed by: 'installing new bathrooms' (76.1%); 'installing new central heating

systems' (74.6%); 'installing new kitchens' (71.9%); 'installing new windows' (62.8%), and;

'making structural improvements' (60.7%). Least selected as being important were

'installing new doors' (57.8%) and 'fencing' (55.4%).

Q12: From the list below please indicate how important or unimportant you feel each is? (Overall - % - 166-191 respondents)

5.6 When asked to give their level of agreement relating to four statements regarding energy

efficiency, agreement was highest relating to the statement: 'I feel I know how to make

my home more energy efficient' (75.1%: 37.0% 'strongly'/38.1% 'somewhat agree'). Over

half gave 'agree' responses to the statement - 'I use a timer to turn my heating on and off

at set times of the day' (55.6%) - while agreement was lowest in relation to the

statements: 'I would be interested in changing my fuel supplier within the next year'

(16.1%) and; 'I have contacted an energy advice agency to seek advice' (12.6%).

97

.3

91

.1

55

.4 76

.1

74

.6

57

.8 71

.9

62

.8

60

.7 87

.3

2.6 7.8

32

.5

21

19

.2

32

.2 23

27

.9

32

.1

8.81.1

12 2.8 6.2 9.9 5.1 9.3 7.1 3.9

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

a) A

dap

tati

on

s fo

r p

eo

ple

wit

h d

isab

iliti

es

b) E

ne

rgy

eff

icie

ncy

im

pro

vem

en

ts

c) F

en

cin

g

d) I

nst

allin

g n

ew

b

ath

roo

ms

e) I

nst

allin

g n

ew

ce

ntr

al

he

atin

g sy

ste

ms

f) In

stal

ling

ne

w d

oo

rs

g) In

stal

ling

ne

w

kitc

he

ns

h) I

nst

allin

g n

ew

w

ind

ow

s

i) M

akin

g st

ruct

ura

l im

pro

vem

en

ts

j) R

egu

lar

ext

ern

al

rep

airs

an

d d

eco

rati

on

From the list below please indicate how important or unimportant you feel each is?

Very/fairly important Neither Fairly/very unimportant

17

Q13: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Overall - % - 167-189 respondents)

75.1

12.6

55.6

16.1

20.6

63.5

29.4

54.8

4.2

2415

29.2

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

a) I feel I know how to make my home more

energy efficient

b) I have contacted an energy advice agency

to seek advice

c) I use a timer to turn my heating on and off at set times of the day

d) I would be interested in changing

my fuel supplier

within the next year

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly/somewhat agree Neither Somewhat/strongly disagree

18

6. YOUR ESTATE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD

Question 14: 'How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with following services provided by

your landlord (Cambridge City Council)?'

Question 15: 'To what extent are any of the following a problem in your

neighbourhood?'


6.1 Satisfaction with six aspects of services provided by Cambridge City Council was highest in

relation to 'grass cutting' (85.1%) and 'cleaning of indoor communal areas' (84.3%), with

81.2% expressing satisfaction with 'cleaning of outdoor communal areas' (81.2%). 75.6%

expressed satisfaction with 'litter picking', while 70.5% were satisfied with 'maintenance

of planted areas' and 56.4% with 'window cleaning'.

Q14: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with following services provided by your landlord? (Overall - % - 184-195 respondents)

6.2 Most selected as being either a 'small' or 'big problem' in respondents' local area were

‘car parking’ (40.0% ‘problem’), ‘rubbish or litter’ (37.5%) and ‘dog fouling/dog mess’

(31.5%).

6.3 These were followed by ‘fear of crime’ (26.9%), ‘disruptive children/teenagers’ (21.8%),

‘noisy neighbours’ (19.4%) and ‘drunk or rowdy behaviour’ (19.1%).

6.4 Smaller numbers of respondents expressed concern about ‘other problems with pets and

animals’ (16.7%), ‘drug use or dealing’ (13.0%), ‘vandalism and graffiti’ (11.6%), ‘people

damaging your property’ (7.1%) and ‘racial or other harassment’ (5.5%), while ‘problem’

responses were lowest in relation to ‘abandoned or burnt out vehicles’ (4.9%). 30.0%

gave ‘problem’ responses in relation to ‘other’ issues in their neighbourhood which are

listed at Appendix 4B.

56.4

84.3 81.2 75.685.1

70.5

12.4

5.4 8.9 12.86.2

12.618.1

6 7.4 8.5 6.1 14.213 4.3 2.6 3.2 2.6 2.6

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

a) Window cleaning

b) Cleaning of indoor

communal

areas

c) Cleaning of outdoor

communal

areas

d) Litter picking

e) Grass cutting

f) Maintenance

of planted

areas

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following services provided by your landlord?

Very/fairly satisfied Neither Fairly/very dissatisfied Not applicable

19

Q15: To what extent are any of the following a problem in your neighbourhood? (Overall - % - 140-192 respondents)

62

.5 80

.5

68

.4 83

.2

78

.3 94

.5

80

.9

88

.4

92

.9

87

95

.1

73

.2

60 7

0

33

.9 13

.5

27

.8 15

.1

20

.7 3.3

14

.2 9.9 6

10

.3

3.3

23

.5

31

.9

21

.4

3.6 5.9

3.7 1.6

1.1

2.2

4.9

1.7

1.1 2.7

1.6

3.4

8.1 8.6

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%a)

Ru

bb

ish

or

litte

r

b) N

ois

y n

eig

hb

ou

rs

c) D

og

fou

ling/

do

g m

ess

d) O

the

r p

rob

lem

s w

ith

p

ets

an

d a

nim

als

e) D

isru

pti

ve

child

ren

/te

en

age

rs

f) R

acia

l o

r o

the

r h

aras

sme

nt

g) D

run

k o

r ro

wd

y b

eh

avio

ur

h) V

and

alis

m a

nd

gra

ffit

i

i) P

eo

ple

dam

agin

g yo

ur

pro

pe

rty

j) D

rug

use

or

de

alin

g

k) A

ban

do

ne

d o

r b

urn

t o

ut

veh

icle

s

l) F

ear

of

crim

e

m)

Car

par

kin

g

n) O

the

r

To what extent are an of the following a problem in your neighbourhood?

Not a problem Small problem Big problem

20

7. INFLUENCING YOUR HOUSING SERVICE

Question 16: 'Would you be interested in finding out more about these opportunities to

influence and improve your housing services?'

Question 17: 'How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that your landlord (Cambridge City

Council)…?'


7.1 13.5% of respondents indicated that they would be interested in finding out more about

opportunities to influence and improve their housing services, rising to 25.0% of

respondents under the age of 65. Half of all respondents would not be interested (51.3% -

rising to 63.9% of respondents over the age of 85) and 35.2% were ‘not sure’.

Q16: Would you be interested in finding out more about these opportunities to influence and improve your housing services? (Overall - % - 193 respondents)

7.2 Four-in-five respondents (80.4%) were either 'very' (36.1%) or 'fairly satisfied' (44.3%)

that Cambridge City Council gives them the opportunity to make their views known, rising

to 88.9% of respondents under 65. 69.0% were 'satisfied' (22.8% 'very'/46.2% 'fairly

satisfied') that the Council listens to their views and acts upon them, while satisfaction

was lowest in relation to publicising improvements made using tenant feedback (65.9%:

27.9% 'very'/38.0% 'fairly satisfied').

13.5

51.3

35.2

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Would you be interested in finding out more about these opportunities to influence and improve your housing service?

Yes No Not sure

21

Q17: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that your landlord (Cambridge City Council)? (Overall - % - 179-194 respondents)

80.469 65.9

15.525 29.6

4.1 5.9 4.5

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2014 2014 2014

a) …gives you the opportunity to make

your views known

b) …listens to your views and acts upon them

c) …publicises improvements made using your feedback

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that your landlord…?


22

8. COMPLAINTS

Question 18: 'Have you made a complaint to your landlord (Cambridge City Council) in

the last 12 months?'

Question 19: 'What was your complaint about?'

Question 20: 'Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way your complaint

was handled by your landlord (Cambridge City Council)?'


8.1 14.6% of respondents had made a complaint to Cambridge City Council in the previous 12

months, with such responses being highest amongst respondents age 65 to 74 (19.7%).

Respondents who had made a complaint were most likely to have done so in relation to

'repairs' (41.4%) or 'anti-social behaviour' (20.7%), while 10.3% (3 respondents) had done

so regarding 'rent'. 6.9% had made a complaint in regards to 'tenancy issues' with 3.4% (1

respondent) doing so in relation to 'estate services'. 17.2% had made a complaint about

'other' issues.

Q18: Have you made a complaint to your landlord (Cambridge City Council) in the last 12 months? / Q19: What was your complaint about?

(Overall/'Yes' at Q18 - % - 199/29 respondents)

8.2 Three-quarters of respondents were 'satisfied' (75.0%: 39.3% 'very'/35.7% 'fairly') with

the way their complaint was handled, representing an increase of 18.0% from the figure

of 57.0% recorded in 2012. 3.6% (1 respondent) gave a 'neither' response, while 21.4%

were either 'fairly' (14.3%) or 'very dissatisfied' (7.1%) with the way their complaint was

handled.

14.619

10.3

41.4

3.4

20.7

6.917.2

85.4 81

0102030405060708090

Yes No a) Rent b) Repairs c) Estate services

d) Anti-social

behaviour

e) Tenancy issues

f) Other

Have you made a complaint to your

landlord in the last 12

months?

What was your complaint about?

2014 2012

23

Q20: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way your complaint was handled? ('Yes' at Q18 - % - 28 respondents)

8.3 There has been a substantial increase in satisfaction with the way Cambridge City Council Housing deals with complaints from 57% in 2012 to 75% in 2014.

75

57

3.6

19

21.4 24

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2014 2012

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way your complaint was handled by your landlord?


24

9. CONTACTING THE COUNCIL

Question 21: 'How do you prefer to receive information from your landlord (Cambridge

City Council)?'

Question 22: 'Do you have access to the internet?'

Question 23: 'If yes, how do you access the internet?'

Question 24: 'If no, what is your main reason for not having internet access?'

Question 25: 'If you have made contact with your landlord (Cambridge City Council) in

the last 12 months, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the

following?'


9.1 The majority of respondents preferred to receive information from Cambridge City

Council by 'letter' (80.9%), while a 22.5% would prefer 'face to face' contact and 19.6% by

'phone'. 14.7% would like to receive information from Cambridge City Council by 'email',

with such responses significantly declining with age from 31.0% of respondents under 65

and 21.4% of those aged 65 to 74, falling to just 2.4% of respondents over the age of 85.

Q21: How do you prefer to receive information from your landlord (Cambridge City Council)? (Overall - % - 204 respondents)

9.2 37.7% of respondents indicated that they have access to the internet, with such

responses consistently declining with age from 60.7% of respondents under 65 reducing

to 9.8% of those over the age of 85. Of respondents with internet access, access was most

likely to be through a 'desktop/laptop' (79.2%), while smaller numbers had access

through a 'tablet' (20.8%) or 'Smartphone' (15.6%). 13.0% indicated that they access the

internet at a 'library', with 7.8% doing so through a 'work device' while 2.6% gave 'other'

responses.

9.3 Half of all respondents without internet access (49.6%) stated that not being interested

was their main reason for not having access, while 29.3% could not afford access (rising to

19.6

80.9

14.7

22.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Phone Letter Email Face to face

25

half of both respondents under 65 [50.0%] and those aged 65 to 74 [50.0%]). 17.9%

stated that they 'don't know how', rising to 31.3% of respondents aged 75 to 84. 12.2%

gave 'other' responses.

Q22: Do you have access to the internet? / Q23: If yes, how do you access the internet? / Q24: If no, what is your main reason for not having internet access?

(Overall/'Yes' at Q22/'No' at Q22 - % - 204/77/123 respondents)

Q25: If you have made contact with your landlord (Cambridge City Council) in the last 12

months, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following? (Overall - % - 128-132 respondents)

9.4 Amongst respondents who had contacted Cambridge City Council in the preceding 12

months, satisfaction was highest in relation to 'how enquiries are dealt with' (86.3%) and

'satisfaction with outcome' (86.0%). Satisfaction was lowest regarding the 'ability of staff

to deal with query' (83.3%).

37.7

62.3

15.6 20.8

79.2

7.8 132.6

49.6

17.929.3

12.2

0102030405060708090

Yes

No

Smar

tph

on

e

Tab

let

De

skto

p/l

apto

p c

om

pu

ter

Wo

rk d

evi

ce

Lib

rary

Oth

er

No

t in

tere

ste

d

Do

n't

kn

ow

ho

w

Can

't a

ffo

rd it

Oth

er

Do you have access to the

internet?

If yes: How do you access the internet? If no: What is your main reason for not having

internet access?

86.3 83.3 86

6.8 7.6 7.86.8 6 6.23

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

a) How enquiries are dealt with

b) Ability of staff to deal with query

c) Satisfaction with outcome

If you have made contact with your landlord in the last 12 months, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following?

Very/fairly satisfied Neither Fairly/very dissatisfied Not made contact

26

10. PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE

Question 26: 'Which three of the following housing related services would you consider

to be your first, second and third priorities?'

Question 27: 'Are there any other housing related services you think should be

prioritised?'

Question 28: 'What single improvement would you most like to see in your housing

service?'

Question 28a: 'What would be the top three reasons that would encourage you to move

to an older people’s housing scheme?'


10.1 Most selected as respondents’ first priority was ‘providing sheltered accommodation for

elderly or vulnerable tenants’ (30.9%), followed by ‘building new council housing’ (24.4%)

and ‘advice and support for those seeking a home’ (13.8%). In terms of respondents’

second priority, most selected here were ‘providing sheltered accommodation for elderly

or vulnerable tenants’ (18.4%), ‘repairing your home’ (17.6%) and ‘building new council

housing’ (15.2%), while third priorities firstly consisted of ‘providing sheltered

accommodation for elderly or vulnerable tenants’ (20.3%), ‘dealing with enquiries and

providing support to tenants by phone, in person, by email or online’ (14.6%) and

‘repairing your home’ (13.0%).

Q26: Which of the following housing related services would you consider to be your first, second and third priorities?

(Overall - % - 123-125 respondents)

13

.8

24

.4

3.3

8.1

3.3

0.8

4.1

30

.9

5.7

5.7

9.6

15

.2

3.2 5

.6

4.8

2.4

7.2

11

.2

18

.4

17

.6

4.87

.3

5.7

4.9

14

.6

5.7 6.5

9.8

4.9

20

.3

13

7.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

a) A

dvi

ce a

nd

su

pp

ort

fo

r th

ose

se

eki

ng

a h

om

e

b) B

uild

ing

ne

w c

ou

nci

l h

ou

sin

g

c) C

lean

ing

of

com

mu

nal

ar

eas

d) D

eal

ing

wit

h e

nq

uir

ies

and

p

rovi

din

g su

pp

ort

to

te

nan

ts

by

ph

on

e, i

n p

ers

on

, or …

e) G

rou

nd

s m

ain

ten

ance

f) H

avin

g yo

ur

say

on

ho

w

ho

usi

ng

in t

he

cit

y is

m

anag

ed

g) Im

pro

vin

g th

e l

oo

k an

d

fee

l of

you

r n

eig

hb

ou

rho

od

h) S

up

po

rt f

rom

sta

ff

me

mb

ers

to m

anag

e y

ou

te

nan

cy

i) P

rovi

din

g sh

elt

ere

d

acco

mm

od

atio

n f

or

eld

erl

y o

r vu

lne

rab

le te

nan

ts

j) R

ep

airi

ng

you

r h

om

e

k) T

ackl

ing

anti

so

cial

b

eh

avio

ur

1st 2nd 3rd

27

10.2 When asked if they have any other housing related issues that should be prioritised, 9.5%

made suggestions, while 24.8% made comments relating to a single improvement which

they would like to made in their neighbourhood, both of which are listed at Appendix 4B.

10.3 When asked what were the top three reasons respondents would have for moving to an

older people’s housing scheme, the most popular responses related to ‘security’, ‘need

support’ and the nature of the accommodation. Full responses are listed at Appendix 4B.

28

11. ABOUT YOU

Question 30: 'Please provide details for all household members including yourself.'

Question 31: 'Does the household include a pregnant woman?'

Question 32: 'What is your work status?'

Question 33: 'What is your ethnic group?'

Question 34: 'Are your day to day activities limited because of a health problem which

has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months?'

Question 35: 'Does anyone in the household require…?'

Question 36: 'How likely are you to move from your current home in the next 3 years?'

Question 37: 'Where are you most likely to move to?'

Question 38: 'Why would you like to move?'


11.1 The slight majority of respondents were male (53.4%) and 46.6% were female. No

respondents were living in households that included a pregnant woman (0.0%), while

four-in-five respondents (81.2%) indicated that they are 'retired' and a further 6.0% that

they are 'unable to work because of long-term sickness/disability' (4.5% stated that they

are in full-time employment).

Q31: Does this household include a pregnant woman? (Overall - % - 210 respondents)

11.2 70.6% of respondents stated that their day-to-day activities are limited because of a

health problem that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months (38.1% 'limited a

lot'/32.5% 'limited a little'). Half of all respondents (50.0%) indicated that their household

has 'no disability requirements', while smaller numbers required 'level access housing'

(21.3%), 'fully wheelchair accessible housing' (8.0%), 'wheelchair access to essential

rooms' (3.3%) or 'other disability requirements' (13.3%).

100

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Does the household include a pregnant woman?

Yes No

29

Q32: What is your work status? (Overall - % - 133/18 respondents)

Q34: Are your day to day activities limited because of a health problem which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months?

(Overall - % - 160/21 respondents)

4.5 5.60.80.8 1.5

81.294.4

1.56

0.8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Main tenant Joint tenant

Doing something else

In full-time education

Caring for other adult

Caring for child under 16 yearsUnable to work because of long term sickness/disabilityNot seeking work

Retired

Job seeker

Government training/New DealPart-time work

Full-time work

38.1 33.3

32.528.6

29.438.1

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Main tenant Joint tenant

No

Yes - limted a little

Yes - limited a lot

30

Q35: Does anyone in the household require...? (Overall - % - 150 respondents)

Q36: How likely are you to move from your current home in the next 3 years? (Overall - % - 210 respondents)

11.3 Three-quarters of respondents (76.0%) stated that they are either ‘fairly’ (16.2%) or ‘very

unlikely’ (59.8%) to move from their current home in the next 3 years, rising to 91.1% of

respondents between the ages of 75 and 84. 12.3% were ‘neither’ likely nor unlikely to

move from their home, while 11.7% were either ‘very’ (6.1%) or ‘fairly likely’ (5.6%) to do

so, rising to 24.0% of respondents under the age of 65.

11.4 47.7% of respondents who indicated that they are likely to move within the next 3 years

stated that they are most likely to move to ‘sheltered accommodation’, while a further

38.5% would move to ‘another Cambridge City Council home’. 21.5% are likely to move to

a ‘care home’, with 10.8% giving ‘a Housing Association home’ responses. 4.6% gave

‘other’ responses.

83.3

21.3

13.3

50

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Does anyone in the household require…?

No disability requirements

Other disability requirements

Level access housing

Wheelchair access to essential rooms

Fully wheelchair accessible housing

11.7

12.3

76

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

How likely are you to move from your current home in the next 3 years?

Fairly/very unlikely

Neither

Very/fairly likely

31

11.5 The majority of respondents who were likely to move home stated that they would do so

as they ‘need support’ (55.8%). Smaller numbers of respondents had ‘issues with

neighbours/neighbourhood’ (17.3%), were currently living in homes that are ‘too small’

(17.3%) or ‘too big’ (7.7%), or had cost issues arising from the cost of ‘living in this home’

(11.5%) or ‘heating this home’ (5.8%). 17.3% gave ‘other’ responses.

Q37: Where are you likely to move to?

('Likely' at Q36 - % - 65 respondents)

Q38: Why would you like to move? ('Likely' at Q36 - % - 52 respondents)

38.5

10.8

47.7

21.5

4.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

An

oth

er

Cam

bri

dge

C

ity

Co

un

cil h

om

e

A H

ou

sin

g A

sso

ciat

ion

H

om

e

Bu

y a

ho

me

Re

nt f

rom

pri

vate

la

nd

lord

Shar

ed

ow

ne

rsh

ip

She

lte

red

ac

com

mo

dat

ion

Car

e h

om

e

Oth

er

Where are you most likely to move to?

7.7

17.311.5

5.8

17.3

55.8

17.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Ho

me

to

o b

ig

Ho

me

to

o s

mal

l

Co

st o

f liv

ing

in t

his

h

om

e

Co

st o

f h

eat

ing

this

h

om

e

Issu

es

wit

h

ne

igh

bo

urs

/ne

igh

bo

urh

oo

d

Ne

ed

su

pp

ort

Oth

er

Why would you like to move?

cambridge city council older persons tenant survey … · cambridge city council older persons...

Documents