A survey conducted on behalf of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) has shown that public trust in higher for local councils than it is for Central Government.
The survey, which featured 1693 UK residents Aged 18+, asked members of the public about their views on local and central government relating to handling of coronavirus as well as other public services.
The survey showed that 79% of people were happy with the way their local council’s key workers kept essential services going during the Covid-19 lockdown earlier this year, with only 12% saying they were dissatisfied.
It was also revealed in the survey that public trust is nine times higher in local authorities than it is in central Government, with 56% of people saying they trust local authorities to make decisions for their local area, with only 6% saying the same about government ministers.
Speaking about the poll results APSE Chief Executive Paul O’Brien said:
“Many in local government will be cheered by the high level of trust placed in local councils, delivering the services the public want and need, especially during the pandemic. The results demonstrate the value with which the public regard neighbourhood level public services.”
However, acknowledging some of the challenges presented by the results he went on to say:
“What is also clear is that we have a job to do in convincing Government that local investment through councils is not only popular but a sensible route to delivering visible improvements at a community level. This means delivering on public priorities in partnership with councils, especially in areas like climate change, where councils can make a real difference in greening local transport, and investing in making homes more energy efficient”.
