Four in five people give South West Hertfordshire the thumbs-up

Four in five people are happy living in South West Hertfordshire, which includes Dacorum, according to an online poll exploring people’s views on the area.

Working with five other councils (which included Hertsmere Borough Council, St Albans City and District Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council) the poll was conducted between February and May last year, in order to find out what is important to the people of South West Hertfordshire.

The findings will be used to inform work by all six local authorities to create great places to live, work and enjoy, supported by the right infrastructure at the right time.

The SW Herts - Your Future poll achieved more than 10,000 visits, with over 600 people indicating that they would like to be involved in any future discussions about the area.

By largely using social media, the poll also managed to reach a large proportion of 18 to 25 year olds, as well as achieving an even spread of responses across all age groups.

Key findings from the polls were:

> 86% of those who took part felt positive about living and working in South West Hertfordshire

> Nearly 70% of all respondents said that parks and open spaces were their favourite thing, with closeness to London appealing to more than 60%. However, this wasn’t the case for the younger age groups - with 70% of the under 25s liking the proximity to London more.

> In terms of priorities for improving South West Herts, better health facilities (65%), being able to get around easier (46%) and climate change (36%) were the most popular responses, with better housing choice also appealing to the under 25s.

Further details of the polling can be viewed on the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan page.

These results will be used to inform the emerging SW Herts Strategic Plan, which will be looking at the long-term future of South West Hertfordshire.

The councils will also be contacting those who expressed an interest in being involved in future work.

Cllr Graham Sutton, portfolio holder for planning and infrastructure at Dacorum Borough Council, said: “This consultation has provided us with a clearer understanding of what matters to people living and working in South West Hertfordshire, across a wide range of ages.

“My thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. Your views will help shape future work around planning for the long-term future of South West Hertfordshire, of which Dacorum is a very important part.”

Cllr Chris White, Chair of the SW Herts Member Group, said: “It is really encouraging that so many people have responded to this poll and told us what they like about living in SW Herts.

"It is also important that they have told us what they would like to improve.

“We will now consider these responses as we move forward as a group of authorities and work towards making the future of SW Herts a great place to live, work and play.”