CWMNI: 'YOUR VOICE' THE RESULTS
Document prepared by 'mruk research wales'.

CONTENTS PAGE

1. Background and Objectives
2. Methodology / Research Findings
3. Your Community
4. Community Safety
5. Environmental Issues
6. Health and Well Being
7. Training and Learning
8. Information about You and Your Household
9. Summary and Conclusions: Your Community, Community Safety, Environmental Issues, Health & Well Being, Training & Learning, Your Household.

APPENDICES: APPENDIX I. Research Questionnaire

1. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES .... Return to Top
mruk research were asked to collate the responses to CwmNi’s community audit, evaluate and produce a report on the results of the consultation exercise within the Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda, Tynewydd, Treherbert and Penyrenglyn communities. The main aim was to gather feedback from residents, based around the following issues: Your Community - Community Safety - Environmental Issues - Health and Well Being - Training and Learning - Information about You and Your Household.

2. METHODOLOGY .... Return to Top
The community audit took place over a two and half week period . One in five doors were kocked in order that face to face interviews could be conducted and questionnaires were delivered to the other four in five households in the communities of Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda, Tynewydd, Treherbert and Penyrenglyn. Completed questionnaires were either taken to a number of collection points in the above areas or were collected by volunteers.

To encourage participation in the survey, residents were entered into a prize draw with a chance to win either £100, £50 or £25. A total of 460 questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of 17%.

Fieldwork was conducted in early September 2003 by CwmNi staff members and community volunteers.

Please note that where figures in the charts do not add up to 100%, this is due to rounding. This occurs when decimal points are rounded up or down to whole numbers. For instance, 5.8 is presented as 6 and 5.3 is presented as 5.

RESEARCH FINDINGS
3. YOUR COMMUNITY .... Return to Top

Almost two in five (39%) said that the their community was either an excellent or a good place to live. Just over one in five (22%) however, said that it was either poor or very poor. (see Figure 1)

Figure 1

Residents living in Blaenycwm and Blaenrhondda were the most likely to consider their neighbourhood to be a good or excellent community to live in (62% and 55% respectively).

Half (51%) of respondents said that their neighbourhood had stayed the same over the last 12 months. Almost two in five (38%) however, felt that the neighbourhood had got worse. (see Figure 2)

Figure 2

Residents living in Penyrenglyn were most likely to consider their neighbourhood to have improved over the last twelve months (25% compared to 10% of all residents). To the contrary, Treherbert residents were more likely than others to say that their neighbourhood had got worse (47% compared to 38% overall).

When asked to give their views on why their neighbourhood had either changed for the better or worse, almost a third (32%) did not respond. Almost one in ten (8%) felt that the neighbourhood had changed for the worse because of the litter. (see Figure 3)

Figure 3

Just below half (47%) said that they felt that the community spirit in their area was either excellent or good. Almost one in five (18%) however, said that it was poor, with a further 3% saying it was very poor. (see Figure 4)

Residents in all areas rated community spirit highly, with no great differences apparent.

Figure 4

Over one in five (22%) said that it was the friendliness of the people that they liked best about the area, while 14% said they liked the views.

This was consistent across most of the areas, with the exception of Blaenycwm, where the highest proportion of residents (40%) liked the peacefulness of the area best. Respondents disliked the litter least of all (15%), followed by the gangs of youths (7%). (see Figures 5 and 6). Litter was the main dislike across all areas.

Figure 5



Figure 6

When asked to comment on the quality of the facilities or services which are present in the CwmNi area, the Post Office (76% good), Library (61% good) and Refuse collection (59% good) scored the highest.

Those services deemed the worse quality were access for the disabled (39% poor), street cleaning (37% poor) public toilets (35% poor) and Hotels (34% poor). (see Figures 7 and 8)

Figure 7

Figure 8

Almost two in five (38%) said that they were a member of a local community group. 9% of which said that they belonged to a Church, 6% belonged to a Youth club and 5% were in the Women’s Institute. (see Figure 9)

Membership of community groups was highest in Blaencwm (50%) and Blaenrhondda (45%).

Figure 9

When asked which issue concerned them the most about facilities and services in their area, over one in ten (12%) said that there was not enough for kids. (see Figure 10)

Figure 10

When asked to list the three main issues that concern them about their community, litter (9%), drugs (7%), crime (7%) and lack of police (7%) were most frequently mentioned. (see Figure 11)

Figure 11

4. COMMUNITY SAFETY .... Return to Top
Just over three in ten (39%) said that they consider the level of crime in the CwmNi area to be either very high or high, with a further 42% saying that they consider it to be average. (see Figure 12)

Residents in Penyrenglyn and Treherbert were most likely to consider the level of crime to be high or very high (51% and 47%) respectively. The majority of residents in Blaencwm thought crime to be low or very low (81%).

Figure 12

Just over one in five (22%) said that they had been a victim of crime in the last year. (see Figure 13)

Those living in Blaenrhondda and Blaen y Cwm were least likely to have been victims of crime (14% and 15% respectively). This is consistent with residents perceptions of the incidence of crime in these areas.

Figure 13

The main kind of crime respondents have been victims of was car theft/damage (49%) followed by burglary (18%) and theft (9%) (see Figure 14)

Figure 14

The majority of those respondents who said that they had been affected by crime in the last year (77%) said that they did report the incident to the police. (see Figure 15)

Figure 15

Respondents were then asked how safe they felt in their community. The majority of respondents felt very safe (55%) or fairly safe (36%) walking in their community in daylight. However, 39% of respondents felt fairly unsafe or very unsafe walking in the town centre after dark and walking in their neighbourhood after dark. (see Figure 16)

In terms of daytime safety, there was very little difference between residents of all areas. However, after dark, residents in Penyrenglyn, Treherbert and Tynewydd felt less safe in their neighbourhood that those living in Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm.

Figure 16

Just over one in ten (11%) said that the service provided by Police in the CwmNi area was either good or excellent. Over three in five (63%) however, felt that the service was either poor or very poor. (see Figure 17)

There were no major differences between the five areas in terms of police provision.

Figure 17

The majority (70%) said that drug and alcohol use was a big problem in their area. Over three in five also felt that car crime (62%) and drug dealing (60%) were big problems. (see Figure 18)

Perceptions of problems would appear to be highest in Penyrenglyn and Treherbert and lowest in Blaenycwm and Blaenrhondda.

Figure 18

When asked what the main issue was that concerned them about crime and community safety, over a quarter (27%) said that there was not enough police or the poor response of police. Drink and drug abuse/dealing concerned a further 16% of respondents.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES .... Return to Top
Respondents were also asked about problems regarding their local environment. The biggest problems, mentioned by over six in ten respondents were litter (68%), dogs (67%), drugs (66%) and speeding cars (66%). (see Figures 19 and 20)

Perceptions of problems was lowest in Blaenycwm, particularly with the biggest problems overall such as drugs (15% stating big problems compared to average of 66%) and litter (42% compared to average of 68%).

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21 demonstrates that the car was the most popular vehicle used by the respondents for most of the activities stated. The majority of those questioned used the car for shopping (71%), leisure (49%), and work (23%) and travelling to primary (8%) secondary school (9%). (see Figure 21)

Figure 21

Residents were then asked to rate the local bus and train services. While over two in five (45%) felt that the bus services were either excellent or good, 47% felt that bus shelters were either poor or very poor.

Residents from Blaen y Cwm were the most complimentary about the bus service in general.

Similarly, whilst 46% felt that the train services were either excellent or good, over one in five (22%) felt that train shelters were either poor or very poor. (see Figures 22 and 23)

Contrary to the bus service, residents from Blaen y Cwm were most critical of the train service, and satisfaction was highest amongst those living in Treherbert and Pen yr Englyn.

Figure 22

Figure 23

When asked to comment on the main issue which concerns them about the local environment, almost one in five (18%) mentioned litter and street mess. Drugs was mentioned by 5% of respondents.

6. HEALTH AND WELL BEING .... Return to Top
Respondents were then asked to comment on the quality of health services and facilities in their local area.

Rated most highly was the quality of chemists (73% good), followed by the ambulance service (42% good) and the dentist (40% good).

Doctors’ surgeries had the lowest rating with 38% rating it as a poor service in their community. This was followed by hospitals where 21% thought them to be of a poor standard. (see Figure 24)

Residents of all areas, rated the health services very similarly, with no major differences emerging.

Figure 24

When asked what they thought were the main health and well being issues in their area, over four in five (81%) said GP surgery waiting times and drugs were very important issues. Indeed, all the health and well being issues were considered to be either very or fairly important by over seven in ten respondents. (see Figure 25)

Figure 25

More doctors, shorter waiting times and advice/encouragement were the main ideas suggested to address the main health issues within the CwmNi area (all 6%). (see Figure 26)

Figure 26

Most people (59%) did not have any suggestions about what extra help could be provided to improve the quality of life of people with health issues or disabilities. 6% suggested home help, while 5% suggested the provision of more information. (see Figure 27)

Figure 27

7. TRAINING AND LEARNING .... Return to Top
Respondents were then asked about training and learning opportunities in their community. Three quarters (75%) said that they had not attended, or were not attending, any training or learning opportunity in their local area. One in five (20%) stated that they do, or had done so, in the last twelve months. (see Figure 28)

Residents living in Treherbert were most likely to have done so (24%) and those in Tynewydd least likely (15%).

Figure 28

Almost one in five (19%) of those that had or were attending training said that it was in computers or IT. (see Figure 29)

Figure 29

When asked to rate the local training and learning opportunities, over three in five (62%) said that the schools were either excellent or good. 43% also stated that the local further education was either excellent or good. Over two in five however, felt that the local employment opportunities were either poor or very poor. (see Figure 30)

Figure 30

When asked to suggest training and learning opportunities they would like to see developed in the area, over half (54%) could not think of any. The most popular activities respondents wanted to see developed were sporting activities, mentioned by 8%. (see Figure 31)

Figure 31

The main reasons preventing respondents from participating in training or learning opportunities in the neighbourhood are the time of the learning activity (23%), money (21%) and transport/access (15%) (see Figure 32)

Figure 32

Financial resources, mentioned by over a third of respondents (36%), was considered to be the main barrier for unemployed people who wish to start up their own business. (see Figure 33)

Figure 33

8. INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD .... Return to Top
Over half of respondents (58%) were female and around half (48%) were aged between 46 and 75 years. (see Figures 34 and 35)

Figure 34

Figure 35

The highest proportion of respondents lived in the Treherbert area, and also a small proportion resided in the Blaen y Cwm area. (see Figure 36)

Figure 36

The vast majority (82%) described themselves as Welsh. (see Figure 37)

Figure 37

Three quarters (75%) of respondents said that they privately owned their house. (see Figure 38)

Figure 38

A third (33%) of respondents said that their household consisted of a couple with no dependent children and just under a quarter (23%) said they were a couple with dependent children. Just over one in five (21%) were single with no dependent children. (see Figure 39)

Figure 39

A fairly high proportion (37%) said they were retired. Almost one in five (18%) were in school and 13% were in full time employment. (see Figure 40)

Figure 40

Just over two in five (42%) said that they could understand Welsh. Over a third said that they could read Welsh (35%) and speak Welsh (34%). (see Figure 41)

Figure 41

When a asked which services they would like to see in Welsh or in both English and Welsh, the majority (63%) had no view. 15% simply said no, while 11% said that they wanted all services in both languages. (see Figure 42)

Figure 42

9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .... Return to Top

YOUR COMMUNITY
Generally, residents were happy with their area as a place to live. Over three quarters said that their community was either excellent, good or acceptable. A significant minority (22%), however, felt that it was either very or fairly poor.

Almost two in five (38%) also said that their neighbourhood had deteriorated in the last year. The main reason given for this was because of litter.

Community spirit, meanwhile, was generally considered to be good. Again however, just over one in five (21%) felt that it was either poor or very poor.

Whilst residents considered the Post Office, Library and Refuse collection services to be of good quality, access for the disabled, street cleaning, public toilets and hotels were considered to be of poor quality. Improving these services and facilities could increase satisfaction with the area as a place to live.

When asked which issue caused residents most concern, litter was identified. Similarly, litter was what the residents liked least about their area.

COMMUNITY SAFETY .... Return to Top
Almost two in five (39%) residents felt that the level of crime in their area was either high or very high. Just over one in five, meanwhile, said they had been a victim of crime in the last year. Around half of those who said they had been a victim of crime said that it was car theft or car damage.

A fairly high proportion (39%) said that they did not feel safe walking in the town centre or walking in their neighbourhood after dark.

The above could be linked to the fact that over three in five (63%) of residents feel that the police service in the area is either poor or very poor. Not enough police/poor response of police was also the main issue which concerned residents about crime and community safety in the area. Improving the police service in the CwmNi area could increase feelings of safety amongst residents.

When prompted, the main problems identified by residents were drug and alcohol use (70% big problem), car crime (62% big problem) and drug dealing (60% big problem).

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES .... Return to Top
Reinforcing much of what has already been stated, the main problems regarding the local environment were considered to be litter (68% big problem), dogs (67% big problem), drugs (66% big problem) and speeding cars (66% big problem).

When asked, the main issue that concerned residents about the local environment most was the litter and street mess, mentioned by 18% of residents. This is clearly an issue CwmNi should try to address.

In general the train services were felt to be better than the bus services. Bus shelters, for instance, were considered to be either poor or very poor by 47% of residents.

HEALTH AND WELL BEING .... Return to Top
Residents rated the quality of the chemists, ambulance service and dentist highest when prompted with a list of health services and facilities. Doctors surgeries, however was rated a poor service by 38% of residents. Just over one in five (21%) rated the hospital as a poor service.

Whilst rating the doctors surgery as the poorest service, the majority of residents (81%) felt that GP surgery waiting times were the main health and well being issue in their area. Improving the doctors surgery service could be something which CwmNi may wish to consider.

Indeed, all the health and well being issues were considered to be either very or fairly important by over seven in ten respondents

TRAINING AND LEARNING .... Return to Top
Only one in five residents stated that they do, or have attended any training and learning in their area in the last year. Of those that had done so, around one in five (19%) had or were attending an IT course.

When asked to rate the local training and learning opportunities over two in five (42%) felt that the local employment opportunities were either poor or very poor. 37% also felt that the local training opportunities were either poor or very poor.

The main reasons preventing respondents from participating in training or learning opportunities in the neighbourhood are the time of the learning activity (23%), money (21%) and transport/access (15%). CwmNi may wish to address the timing of training and learning courses available.
Financial resources, mentioned by over a third of respondents (36%), was considered to be the main barrier for unemployed people who wish to start up their own business.

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HOUSEHOLD .... Return to Top
Most residents (75%) in the CwmNi area own their own home.

A third (33%) of respondents said that their household consisted of a couple with no dependent children and just under a quarter (23%) said they were a couple with dependent children.

A fairly high proportion (37%) were retired. Almost one in five (18%) were in school and 13% were in full time employment.

Just over two in five (42%) said that they could understand Welsh. Over a third said that they could read Welsh (35%) and speak Welsh (34%).