Citizens Panel

Islington's citizens panel is just over 1,000 residents, aged 16 and above, who have agreed to be consulted by the council about local issues and services.

The panel was set up in June 2008 following an invitation by post to a random sample of residents. This was supplemented by further recruitment to the panel by street interviews in and around the borough.

The 2008 panel replaced the previous panel which had operated for about four years. But it was felt that a new panel was needed providing an opportunity for a new group of residents to take part.

Panel members have agreed to find the time to complete and return three or four questionnaires each year. The surveys are on a range of topics and subjects of local relevance.

About half the panel have asked to complete their surveys on-line while the other half receive a paper copy of the questionnaire and they respond by post. This means that residents can use the method that suits them best, and it keeps the costs to the council to a minimum.

The panel can also be used to invite people to take part in focus groups to discuss, and to help the council and its partners to understand, residents’ views on specific issues in more detail.

To ensure that it is an effective research method, the panel was recruited so that it is representative of the residents of Islington in terms of its population by things like gender, age, ethnicity, tenure and whether they work. Depending on who responds to each survey the results can be ‘weighted’ to ensure that the overall view is as representative as possible of the wider community in Islington.

The first survey was completed in July/August 2008 and the second survey was sent out in October 2008. The questions asked range over subjects such as:

• satisfaction with a range of local services from housing to hospitals
• where and when people do their shopping
• where people obtain information about local services - and where they like to get their information from
• the ‘core strategy’ planning vision for Islington
• awareness of services offered by the London Fire Brigade in Islington

Over the coming months and years the list of topics is expected to grow and grow.

The results are used to assist council officers to improve and shape services to better meet residents’ needs. It is also useful for measuring and tracking satisfaction with different services, or testing whether residents are aware of new services (such as the Green Living Centre on Upper Street).

In order to ensure the panel is as representative of the local population as possible, residents can only join during recruitment drives if they are randomly invited to sign up.

For more information about the panel contact Alistair Smith, Corporate Consultation and Research Manager at consultation@islingtion.gov.uk.