07 October 2008Welcome
Thank you for joining the Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel. The Panel is an important way for the District Council to understand the views and needs of local people. The results of consultation with local people are used by the District Council to help us make major decisions and to improve the quality of the services that we provide.
What are Panel members asked to do?
What is the Panel consulted about?
How is the Panel consulted?
How can Panel members find out the results from consultation?
Will the Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel really be listened to?
How long will I be a member of Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel?
What happens to the information I provide?
How will I know that surveys or telephone calls are genuine?
How do I update my personal details?
What if I don't want to be a member of the Panel anymore?
What are Panel members asked to do?
Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel members are asked to participate in surveys and research conducted by Sevenoaks District Council and its partners. Most commonly this means responding to postal questionnaires. You might also be invited to attend focus groups or answer a telephone survey. You can expect to be asked to do something about two or three times a year. We actively try to avoid asking you to respond to any consultation over the busy summer (August) or Christmas holidays.
What is the Panel consulted about?
Consultation with the Panel covers a wide variety of issues about the services that the District Council provides. We also consult the Panel on behalf of our partners, for example, the Sevenoaks District Community Planning Partnership.
Surveys (postal)
Members of the Panel are usually asked to share their views and ideas with the District Council by completing postal surveys. We provide freepost envelopes for returning completed questionnaires.
Focus groups
Focus groups are meetings with Panel members that provide the opportunity to discuss issues in more detail. A typical group will involve around six to 10 Panel members, and last approximately two hours. Focus groups are used when researchers want to find out why people feel or think the way they do rather than just what they think. Refreshments are provided together with a payment to cover expenses.
We choose Panel members at random to invite to focus groups so that each Panel member has the chance of being involved in this way.
How can Panel members find out the results from consultation?
We share the results from consultation with the Panel in several ways:
Will the Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel really be listened to?
The Panel surveys and research work carried out by Sevenoaks District Council will be used to inform the decisions they make. Sevenoaks District Council is committed to listening to your views but they always take responsibility for making the final decisions. You will get feedback on the results of the surveys and we will try to show how your views have made a difference to local services and priorities. However, it often seems to take a long time to make changes and the information you provide is often part of a wider consultation and all views have to be considered.
How long will I be a member of Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel?
The Panel is regularly refreshed as it is important there is a regular intake of new members to make sure that the views of the Panel don't get out of step with the views of the rest of the District's population. If they were to get out of step it would mean that the findings of the Panel surveys and other research would not provide a broadly representative view of the District's adult population as a whole.
What happens to the information I provide?
With all of our surveys and research the information collected from our Panel members is kept entirely confidential. No personal information will be passed onto any other organisation, as required by the Data Protection Act. Summary findings will be produced but no individual's name will be included.
How will I know that surveys or telephone calls are genuine?
Anything you receive through the post will be clearly marked with the District Council's logo and anyone calling you will always identify themselves as calling on behalf of Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of a survey, contact the Panel Co-ordinator.
How do I update my personal details?
Contact the Panel Co-ordinator.
What if I don't want to be a member of the Panel anymore?
If at any time you no longer want to be a member of the Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel please tell us. It will help keep our records up to date and you will avoid getting unwanted correspondence or telephone calls. Contact the Panel Co-ordinator.
These pages should answer any questions you might have about the Panel. The Sevenoaks District Residents' Panel is not currently a self selecting panel, however if you would like further information please contact the Panel Co-ordinator.
