Residents' Survey (2026)
We'd like to hear what you think about the council, its services, and your local community.
Consultation status Open - 58 days leftBackground
In 2021, we ran a Residents' Survey to find out what matters most to our communities and to inform the development of our current Council Strategy. It was based on the Local Government Association 'Are you being Served' survey and included questions that were specific to our local area and the services we provide.
A lot has changed over the last five years. At the time of the last survey we had just come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the world was a very different place. More recently there is the cost-of-living crisis and the resultant economic strain, changes in government leadership and national policy, increasing demand on public services and health care, as well as changes in people's work and lifestyle, for example, shift to remote/hybrid working. All of which may have impacted on people's needs and perceptions on a local level.
While we have carried out many community engagement and public consultation exercises on policy development, budgets, and user satisfaction over the last five years, we haven't carried out a broader 'what do you think of the council and the local area' survey.
As we approach the end of our current Council Strategy, we feel it is the right time to run another residents' survey to help inform council services over the next few years.
Why we'd like your views
Our survey is made up of six sections:
1. Satisfaction with the local area and the council
We'd like to understand how you feel about your local area (the area within a 15 to 20 minute walk from your home), and the council in general terms, for example, how things are run and whether we provide value for money. We'd also like to know if you've contacted the council recently, and if so, how you'd rate that contact.
2. Service improvement
We're responsible for providing a range of services in your local area, including waste and recycling collection, street cleaning, planning, education, social care and road maintenance. We'd like to know what you think of some of our key services, and if you think there are any areas where we can make improvements.
3. Communication and engagement
We communicate and engage with our communities on a host of different things using a wide range of methods, and we'd like to know which of these you use to find out what's going on at the council, and in your local area. We'd also like to hear whether you believe the council acts on residents' concerns.
4. Sense of belonging, safety, and community
We'd like to understand how you feel about your local area in terms of community and safety, specifically, whether you feel like you belong, if people get on and work well together to improve the local area, and whether you feel safe in public spaces.
5. Personal wellbeing (optional)
We'd like to know more about our resident's happiness, well-being, and overall quality of life, so this section asks a few questions about how you're feeling and what areas of your life, if any, are currently worrying you most.
6. Demographics (optional)
The final set of questions are about you, for example, gender, age. We want to ensure that we have the views of a range of people from across West Berkshire and learn about whether particular groups have different views. All the questions are optional and any information you give will be kept completely confidential and will not be used to identify you.
How to take part
If you're a resident of West Berkshire and would like to take part, please click on the green 'Take Part' button below, which will take you through to our survey. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Most questions are multiple choice, with space to add comments if you want to.
All responses must reach us by midnight on Sunday, 10 May 2026.
If you have any questions about the survey, please email the Performance, Research and Consultation Team at rcpteam@westberks.gov.uk.
Please do not use this survey to report a specific problem, as we'll be unable to respond to you. If you need to report a problem you can do so here or contact Customer Services.
For general enquiries about consultation and engagement, please visit our webpage.
What happens next
Your feedback will be analysed and presented to services and Members to help inform the development of service priorities, and as important context for policy development, service delivery, and review.
