1 INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________ 3 2 RESPONDENTS ___________________________________________ 3 3 OVERALL SAVINGS PROPOSALS ____________________________ 3 4 SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY ______________________________ 4 4.1 Overall Savings Proposals _____________________________ 4 4.2 About the Respondent _________________________________ 4 4.3 Service Closures/Reductions Proposals __________________ 5 4.4 Charges/Income Proposals _____________________________ 6 4.5 Staffing Proposals ____________________________________ 8 4.6 General Budget Reduction Proposals ____________________ 8 5 INITIAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY ______________________________ 10 5.1 Overall Savings Proposals ____________________________ 10 5.2 Service Closures/Reductions __________________________ 16 5.3 Charges/Income _____________________________________ 34 5.4 Staffing ____________________________________________ 48 5.5 General budget Reductions ____________________________ 53 6 FREE TEXT COMMENT SUMMARIES ________________________ 58 6.1 Part A Questions ____________________________________ 58 6.2 Part B Questions ____________________________________ 78 7 EMAILS/LETTERS FROM ORGANISATIONS ___________________ 90 8 PETITIONS ______________________________________________ 91 9 EMAILS/LETTERS/NOTES FROM INDIVIDUALS ________________ 92 10 WEBSITE FEEDBACK _____________________________________ 92 Note: This report is best read in colour to differentiate chartered data. 2 of 92 1 INTRODUCTION The ‘Balancing the Budget’ survey went live at 4pm on Monday the 15th January and closed at midnight Sunday 11th February. There were 2,793 survey responses completed which includes almost 180 hardcopy surveys. The survey was in two parts. Part A, the short version, gave respondents the opportunity to comment on the overall budget proposals while Part B gave people the opportunity to respond in more detail to the individual proposals. Seven out of ten people completed the whole survey, while nine out of ten respondents at least started Part B. 2 RESPONDENTS Almost two thirds of respondents (64%) were female. The great majority of respondents were White particularly White Scottish (81%) and in the main were either Christian (48%) or had no religious belief (39%). Almost two thirds of respondents (65%) do not suffer any of the health conditions offered to choose from. Three out of ten (29%) respondents were from households consisting of couples with children attending school. Over a third (36%) of respondents used a Council leisure facility (excluding a pool) at least once a week over the last 12 months while slightly more than a fifth (22%) of respondents did not use a Council leisure facility at all over the last 12 months. Nearly one in three (31%) respondents used a Council swimming pool at least once a week in the last 12 months. However a similar proportion (32%) didn’t use a Council pool at all in the last 12 months. More than a third (36%) of respondents have not used a Council public toilet in the last 12 months but approximately one in eight respondents (13%) used a Council public toilet at least once a week in the last 12 months. Over half of respondents (55%) did not use a Council Customer Service Centre in the last 12 months. Meanwhile one in twenty (5%) used a Council Customer Service Centre at least once a fortnight and one in eight (13%) used a Council Customer Service Centre at least once a month. Four out of five respondents (81%) or members of their family do not receive any Health and Social Care Partnership services. Half of respondents were aged 35 to 54 years (50.4%) This signifies an over representation of the actual proportion of South Ayrshire residents that age. There was an under representation of people aged 16 to 24 and older people aged 55 and over. Respondents from six neighbourhoods were over represented particularly from Prestwick West which had more than three times the actual proportion of its over 16 population. One in 25 respondents (4%) indicated they live outside South Ayrshire. Over represented neighbourhoods were: Alloway & Doonfoot, Girvan, Holmston & Forehill, Prestwick East, Prestwick West, and Troon. 3 OVERALL SAVINGS PROPOSALS Eight out of ten people disagree or strongly disagree with the savings proposals. Seven out of ten people would accept additional charges for some services to protect the level of service provided. Six out of ten people disagree or strongly disagree with closing some facilities in order to protect and develop others. 3 of 92 4 SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY 4.1 Overall Savings Proposals Part A Question Largest Response Q1 How strongly do you agree/disagree with our savings 80.5% - Combined disagree or strongly proposals? disagree Why? 1,998 free text comments – see page 58 Q2a I would accept additional charges for some services to 68.8% - Combined agree or strongly agree protect the level of service provided. Q2b I would accept the Council closing some facilities e.g. 59.7% - Combined disagree or strongly leisure facility, recycling centre, in order to protect and disagree develop others. Q3 Do you have any suggestions for how the Council could work with you or your community to minimise the impact of 1,384 free text comments – see page 64 the savings proposals? Q4 Do you have any suggestions for how the Council could minimise the impact of the proposed savings on a particular 1,066 free text comments – see page 69 group? Q5 Do you have any suggestions for alternative ways the 1,392 free text comments – see page 73 Council could potentially make the necessary savings? 4.2 About the Respondent About the Respondent Largest Response Q6 How often have you used a Council leisure facility 23.2% - 1-2 times per week (excluding pool) in the last 12 months? 22.2% - Never Q7 How often have you used a Council swimming pool in 32.0% - Never the last 12 months? Q8 How often have you used Council public toilets in the 35.5% - Never last 12 months? Q9 How often have you attended a Council Customer 54.7% - Never Service Centre in the last 12 months? Q10 Do you or any of your family members currently receive 81.0% - No any Health and Social Care Partnership services? 25.7% - 35 to 44 years, Q11 How old are you? 24.7% - 45 to 54 years 11.6% - Alloway & Doonfoot, Q12 What neighbourhood do you live in? 10.1% - Prestwick West Q13 Which gender do you identify with? 63.7% - Female Q14 What is your ethnic group? 81.3% - White Scottish Q15 What religion, religious denomination or body do you 47.8% - Christian, belong to? 38.8% - No religion or belief 64.9% - none, Q16 Do you have any of the following conditions which have 14.1% - Long-term illness, disease or lasted, or are expected to last, at least 12 months? condition Q17 Which one of the following categories best describes 29.1% - Couple with children attending your household? school Q18 Would you like to continue with the survey? 90.9% - Yes 4 of 92 4.3 Service Closures/Reductions Proposals Reduce funding for road surfacing and revise inspection regime Q19 How strongly do you agree/disagree to reduced 75.0% - Combined disagree or strongly funding for road surfacing and inspections? disagree Transferring Council buildings to communities Q20 How strongly do you agree/disagree that transferring 53.9% - Combined agree or strongly agree Council assets to communities is a good option for retaining assets in the community? 25.1% - Neither agree nor disagree Q21 Would you be willing to be involved in running a 67.2% - No 32.8% - Yes community facility? Review sport, leisure and golf Q22a Leisure facilities should stay open, taking into account 63.1% - Combined agree or strongly agree pressure on other Council budgets 50.9% - Combined agree or strongly agree Q22b Transfer of leisure facilities to communities is a viable 27.4% - Combined disagree or strongly option disagree Close Maybole recycling centre Q23 How often have you used Maybole recycling facility in 90.2% - Never the last 12 months? 37.4% - Neither agree nor disagree Q24 How strongly do you agree/disagree that Maybole 32.6% - Combined agree or strongly agree recycling centre should be closed? 30.0% - Combined disagree or strongly disagree Stop South Ayrshire local grant funding Q25 How strongly do you agree/disagree that the Council 37.8% - Combined agree or strongly agree should continue to provide grant funding to community groups taking into account pressure on other Council 36.3% - Combined disagree or strongly budgets? disagree Remove school crossing patrols Q26 How strongly do you agree/disagree that the Council 77.2% - Combined disagree or strongly should remove all school crossing patrols taking into disagree account pressure on other Council budgets? Close all public toilets in South Ayrshire 43.5% - Combined agree or strongly agree Q27 How strongly do you agree/disagree the Council should provide public toilets taking into account pressure on other 42.7% - Combined disagree or strongly Council budgets? disagree Remove outdoor learning, including Dolphin House and Duke of Edinburgh’s awards programme Q28 How strongly do you agree/disagree to the removal of outdoor learning for children including the Duke of 76.2% - Combined disagree or strongly Edinburgh’s award programme taking into account pressure disagree on other Council budgets? Stop accepting cash and cheques at Customer Service Centres Q29 How strongly do you agree/disagree that Customer 65.9% - Combined agree or strongly agree Service Centres should stop accepting cash or cheques? Close Maybole and Prestwick Customer Service Centres