A recent example was the Council’s “Reporting Back to You” leaflet, where residents had the opportunity to tell us about the issues which are of most concern.

Among the topics highlighted in the responses were anti-social behaviour, traffic and parking, and the state of roads and pavements.

Litter, potholes, public toilets, the brown bin garden waste scheme and the Kirkby traffic system were also topics which arose from the ‘It matters what you think’ survey.

The majority of responses received were about anti-social behaviour, a matter which Interim Chief Executive, Mr. Philip Marshall said was “totally unacceptable.”

“Any form of anti-social behaviour is totally unacceptable and the Council is working with partner organisations through the Ashfield Partnership Against Crime to do all that it can to combat this problem.”

He added that he was encouraged by the number of people who took time to respond to the survey.

“We can only act on issues and try to improve things if people tell us what their frustrations are. All the respondents have received a letter of acknowledgement and wherever possible the Council has acted to resolve the matters of concern that have been brought to our attention.”

Residents can also discuss issues with their Councillors directly at weekly surgeries. Details of these can be found on the Ashfield District Council website.