Many thanks to everyone who completed my ‘Listening to Chesterfield’ survey this summer. And a particular thank you to the people who took the time to speak to me on their doorstep.

I visited all 17 wards within my constituency, in order to hear as wide a range of constituents’ views as possible on issues like mask wearing, vaccine passports and other matters which I may be asked to vote upon in Parliament. The survey, which was completed by over 850 people, has helped me better understand local people’s views on everything from the Government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic to people’s opinions on a variety of local services and amenities.

I promised I would publish the results after I had completed the survey, here they are:

The Government’s response to the pandemic produced some of the strongest opinions on the doors, and this is reflected in the survey results.

Of the 850 people completed the survey, the results showed that more than half felt that the Government was too lax in their response to the pandemic, and only 29% of residents felt they had got it right.

Specifically, 79% of people felt that the Government were too slow in restricting travel from India, which allowed the Delta variant to spread, and 64% believed that the Government were wrong to make mask-wearing on public transport optional. Due to the significant rise in the infection rate, the Government is now once again, advising everyone to wear masks on public transport and in shops and other enclosed spaces. It appears the people of Chesterfield understood that message before the government did!

Vaccine passports proved to be more divisive, though there was still a majority in favour of passports for entry to sports stadia, theatres, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. The majority of people did not feel passports were necessary for people taking public transport, but almost 75% agreed they should be mandatory for anyone travelling abroad.

The survey results show that many Chesterfield residents had a far better awareness of the balance of risk and restriction than the government themselves did, according to the critical parliamentary report which was recently released. You can read more about the report on my website at https://www.tobyperkins.org.uk/2021/10/15/damning-report-exposes-government-failures-in-covid-response/

There was a lot of anger amongst respondents about the NHS pay rise, with 62% saying a 3% rise was too low and only just over 5% saying it was too high. Most people I spoke to were appreciative of the immense work put in by NHS workers to help us through the pandemic and felt that they should get the recognition and remuneration they deserve.

A massive 77% of people were against the police pay freeze, with most people unaware and genuinely shocked that this was happening. I recently met with the Derbyshire Police Federation to discuss the pay freeze and they were delighted that Chesterfield residents were backing them. You can read more about this at https://www.tobyperkins.org.uk/2021/09/14/chesterfield-residents-back-police-in-pay-freeze-row/

The results for Chesterfield Borough Council services were predominantly very positive and there was a genuine feeling from the people I spoke to that they feel the Council is doing a good job in difficult circumstances, not only due to the pandemic but because of years of austerity and cuts from central government.

Over 60% of respondents said that local parks were either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. The Council and local councillors, put a lot of effort into improving parks and work closely with local community groups and residents. Chesterfield recently won Gold in the small city category at the East Midlands in Bloom Awards.

Elsewhere, 74% of people said the council bin service was either ‘excellent’ or ‘good, almost 60% agreed that Chesterfield Pomegranate and Winding Wheel theatres are also ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Disappointingly, almost half of Chesterfield residents had never been to Chesterfield Museum and so could not provide an opinion. Though of the ones who had been, 73% described it as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. So I would encourage anyone who hasn’t been before to visit and see what is on offer. I will be going there soon to visit the ‘Chesterfield Black Stories’ exhibition, which runs from October until January.

Meanwhile on Council housing, understandably many non- Council house tenants replied that they didn’t know about Council house services, but of the 14% that rated the service as poor, the biggest issue was availability of Council houses.

The response regarding Derbyshire County Council services was less positive, with particular ire aimed at the state of our local roads – with 44% describing them as ‘poor’ and 38% as ‘average’. The number of potholes and broken surfaces on our roads is very noticeable and can cause damage to vehicles. I recently met with Chris Henning, the new Director of Place at Derbyshire County Council, to discuss my concerns with the state of our roads. There has been resurfacing occurring on many roads in Chesterfield and a programme of pothole repairs, but much more is needed before winter.

There were also concerning results for adult social care services. 46% of people had no dealing with adult care and so had no opinion, but of the remaining 54% there was 22% who said services were poor, 21% who felt they were average and only 8% who said they were good. I know from the complaints I receive from constituents that there are major problems with adult social care, many of which are the fault of central government and the lack of funding but there are clearly improvements that need making on a local level.

Another positive from the survey was the support for local infrastructure projects. There is strong support for the Staveley-Brimington Bypass, with only 5.6% opposing the plans. There was also strong support for the Chesterfield Canal extension with a whopping 81% being in favour, and only 2% saying they opposed it.

Unsurprisingly, support for HS2 was more mixed, with 50% saying they opposed the project, and the new Innovation centre on the Donut was a mystery to many people with 31% saying they weren’t sure as they did not know enough about it, and 31% of people opposed.

Many thanks again to everyone who completed the survey. You can see the full summary of results below.

If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at toby.perkins.mp@parliament.uk