The 2023 Community Barometer, looks at how people value the services in their area, what they would like more of, and how they would prioritise investment in their community. The report looks at a total of 16 different local services, including everything from petrol stations and pubs to takeaways and charity shops.
This year’s report shows that the top three services that have the most positive impact locally are Post Offices (1), pharmacies (2) and convenience stores (3). The same three services were also rated highest among local people as the most essential, with pharmacies considered the number one most essential local service, followed by Post Offices and convenience stores.
This year’s report has also revealed that two thirds of people (67%) would prefer to see investment in their immediate local area, compared to one third (33%) who want investment in their nearest town or city centre.
The top three areas of investment are public spaces, e.g. parks (1), community projects, e.g. youth centres (2) and better community policing (3). Among different age groups, the importance of community policing gets higher as people get older, with investment in that area the top priority for 55-64s and 65+ groups.
The full report is available on our Member Portal here.
