South Gloucestershire's citizens panel called Viewpoint was set up in 1999. Viewpoint is a statistically representative panel of around 1,600 residents who are randomly selected to broadly represent the population of South Gloucestershire. If you are interested in becoming a member please contact us using the contact information in the box to the right.
The panel is consulted 3 times a year, usually by postal survey, and we currently achieve a response rate of nearly 80%. Viewpoint provides a real opportunity for residents to be involved in and influence the decisions the council and its partners make. Over recent years it has provided the council and its partners with residents' opinions about a range of issues, including:
- setting levels of council tax
- perceptions of community safety and the fear of crime
- satisfaction with the library service
- expectations around service standards
The council uses Viewpoint each year to gain feedback on budget proposals and understand residents' preferred budget option. This feedback is then taken into consideration during the finalisation of the budget.
The council has commissioned an independent market research company called BMG Research to run the Viewpoint panel and report back the results to the council.
The results of the survey are made available on-line (see Read More); these results are used to help identify community needs and provide services requested.