"What’s the point?" Jaded Leighton Buzzard people react to town centre survey
A new town centre survey has been criticised online as a waste of time and ‘not addressing what people want’.
The survey ‘Have Your Say on the Future of Leighton Buzzard Town Centre’ was posted on Leighton-Linslade Town Council’s official Facebook page.
It asks residents to fill in a short two-minute survey to help shape regeneration projects, event and festival planning, investment and future improvements.
It states Central Bedfordshire Council, Leighton-Linslade Town Council and People and Places Insight are reviewing Leighton Buzzard’s town centre and want residents’ views.
But people who responded were sceptical that feedback would result in any action or improvements based on past surveys.
One stated: “Getting a sense of deja vu, I am sure I have completed several of these over the last few years, so here we go again…….”
Another agreed, saying: “Nothing ever seems to come out of it either. Think CBC just doing it until it agrees with whatever plan they have in mind so they can justify it.
One person suggested: “Poorly designed survey. If you live here, you use the town's facilities differently on each occasion. Also, sometimes we walk and sometimes we use the car.
“Yes you can't select multiple options for reasons to visit the town. What has this survey got to do with others? What’s the point? It won't address what people want.”
A spokesperson for the town council said: “Leighton Linslade Town Council have been asked to share the survey on behalf of CBC/People and Places Insight Ltd. All comments on social media have been fed back to People and Places and they have given the following response:
‘The same survey has been deployed in over 350 locations over the last 16 years so is extremely robust and was designed by professionals in collaboration with town centre managers. The core questions help us benchmark towns against a national average.
“The reason we want the main reason for a visit is that we found by providing multiple options people would just select a lot of them. We are trying to ascertain the key reasons for visits.
“The survey is replicated face to face and we ask them the reasons why they have visited on the day and how much they spend on the day hence we have to replicated this on the online version.
“We have been commissioned by CBC as it is essential town centre management data, allows officers to detach perception from reality as data is collected on other kpis such as commercial offer, vacancy rates, markets, car parking, footfall, business confidence and performance and shoppers origin. The data provides an evidence base for funding applications for town centre projects.’”
A spokesperson for Central Beds Council explained the survey is in relation to the UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity Fund) town centre improvements.
She said: “Five town councils in Central Bedfordshire, are developing investment plans to deliver circa £91,000 each of capital improvements in their town centres during 2024 and 2025. They will also receive circa £29,000 each to develop cultural activities in 2024 to 2025. They include Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
“We are also delivering carbon literacy training to these councils to support sustainable development of their town centres and local communities.
“Libraries are vital community hubs, bringing people together and giving them access to the services and support they need to live better lives.
“UKSPF is providing much needed resources to our libraries such as books and magazines to suit the needs of our community, from board books for babies, to manga for teens to large print for those with failing sight.
“The survey is for central government feedback on the programme and how each of the towns feel about the investments made.
“CBC manages the allocation of the UKSPF and we work side by side with the town councils to implement the improvements.”