For the people of Darlington, the four most pressing issues are:

• Health
• Environment
• Law and order
• Pensions

Interestingly, the earlier tranche of the survey (sent out late last year) ranked security as Darlington’s top priority, whilst environment was fourth.

See the results question by question.

Our Health

Darlington residents’ top priority according to the survey. 

Three quarters of those responding think that local NHS services have improved in the last 5 years.

Almost 9 in 10 people feel that Darlington NHS services are on a par with, or better than, NHS services across the country.

39% would like to have more involvement in decisions about their own healthcare, while 45% feel they already have enough say. 

Our Security

The safety and security of Darlington’s residents was voted the second most important issue by respondents.

7 out of 10 respondents feel Darlington is a safe place to live.

However, only 10% believe the level of crime in the area to be low and, more specifically, 45% would like to see more targeted efforts to reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

8 out of 10 support the idea of the community having more say in the justice process for local crimes. 

56% are in favour of the introduction of ID cards with 25% against and a surprisingly large 16% are uncertain either way.

Our Environment 

The third most important policy area, with significantly more votes than issues such as education, immigration or employment.

Nearly 90% are satisfied with the local environment and find recycling easy to do locally. 

On the broader issue of climate change, 55% believe that we should do more to reduce our impact on climate change even if it costs more, and three quarters feel we should do so, even if requires more time and effort.
 
Our Economy and Employment 

Interestingly, the economy was not identified as one of the top areas of policy. Pensions ranked 4th with the economy coming a close 5th. This may have something to do with the high proportion of surveys returned by those aged 60 and over compared to other age groups.

In response to the current economic situation, the vast majority of respondents would like to see a combined approach, rather than any one single option, including taking action to:

• increase spending to stimulate the economy
• cut taxes to try to encourage people to spend more
• help people with their energy and petrol bills 

90% would like to see the Government introduce a points system for migrant workers, similar to the one used in Australia, to make certain they contribute to our economy.  

The Government raised the national minimum wage to £5.73 this past October, a move supported by 96% of respondents, with 55% saying it should be increased further.

Our Education

70% believe the standard of education in Darlington has improved in the last 5 years.

Only 7% of respondents are dissatisfied with the quality of education in Darlington. 

6 out of 10 support efforts to create a university in Darlington.

Our Community

The overall perception of Darlington is positive, with over 8 in 10 agreeing that Darlington is a good place to live.  

Nearly 7 in 10 believe Darlington has improved in the last 5 years and over 80% believe the town has a positive future. 

Over 80% want to give a higher priority to providing more help for senior citizens and better facilities for teenagers locally.

Almost two thirds would like to see Darlington Town Hall fly the Union Jack flag every day.