You Said, We Did

Here are just some examples of how residents' views make a difference in Staffordshire:

Helping in hard times

You said…

In January 2009 more than half of you told us that your personal finances had got worse over the previous 12 months and just under half of you felt that your personal finances would get worse over the coming 12 months.

We did…

Since June 2009 the Council has implemented a wide range of measures designed to assist business and individuals during the recession. Some of these include:

• An additional £30m investment in road schemes

• The establishment of a New Loans Scheme to help Staffordshire companies who are having difficulties accessing finance

• A successful partnership with Stoke City Council and other local partners to help create over 900 job opportunities through the "Future Jobs Fund"

In addition all our consultation has shown that you want as low a tax rise as possible, but value the essential services provided by the county council. In February 2010 the county council's cabinet approved a below inflation council tax rise to help families struggling with the recession. A 1.9 % council tax rise for 2010/11 has been agreed which represents the lowest ever council tax rise for the county council and the second lowest in the country.

Keeping You Informed

You said…

The method that you find most helpful in finding out information about Staffordshire County Council is the residents' magazine 'Your Staffordshire'. More of you are also using the internet to find out information about council services.

We did…

We will continue to communicate directly with you by focussing on key news stories in 'Your Staffordshire' residents' magazine. The number of copies we have printed has now increased to 382,000 making sure that every single household and business throughout Staffordshire has access to this information. View further information about Your Staffordshire Magazine|.

The council has also been looking at new ways to improve the way it communicates with you using new technology. The council has recently launched it own SCC TV channel which allows you to keep up to date with the latest live webcasts, local news and short films about Staffordshire services. Further information can be found at: /scctv/||

Community Safety and Facilities for Young People

You said…

Community safety, antisocial behaviour and facilities for young people are some of the most important issues for Staffordshire residents.

We did…

Staffordshire will be an even safer place to be following a joint venture between Staffordshire police and the county council to fund 38 new Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and sixteen new youth workers.

Improving Staffordshire roads

You said…

Traffic congestion and road maintenance are important issues for Staffordshire residents.

We did…

An extra £2 million funding this year is to be invested to hit localised community concerns across Staffordshire's network of over 3,500 miles of roads.

For more details of changes made as a result of residents' feedback you can download People's Panel newsletters below:

May 2010 Panel Newsletter|| (PDF, 2.2MB)