Accessibility Survey – Preliminary Results

Silloth-on-Solway Town Council – Town Plan Consultation 2022

Firstly, we would like to thank all those who filled in the Accessibility survey.  A key building block of a successful plan is community support, and your input is vital. Below is a brief summary of the preliminary results from the Accessibility survey.

86% of those completing the survey were local and 14% were visitors. When asked how accessible you thought Silloth is for locals and visitors with additional needs (with answers ranging from 1 – not accessible at all to 5 – very accessible), the weighted average was 3.1, with 51.25% of respondents choosing option 3.

When asked which of the following services would you support charging for, 38.67% of those who responded are in favour of charging for the toilets on Criffel Street, 10.67% for the Splash Pad, 40% to sustain the facilities in good order for local and visitors and 34.67% responding ‘None of the above’.

We asked what makes places or services difficult to access.  The biggest issue was stepped entrances with no ramp which was highlighted by 70% of respondents. Other issues include lack of toilet facilities for people with disabilities (45.71%), lack of blue badge parking spaces (37.14%), internal steps (37.14%), width of doorways (35.71%), cluttered shop displays (32.86%), poor signage (21.43%), lack of internal lifts (18.57%) and poor staff attitude (17.14%).

82.89% of respondents support the enforcement of clear pavements and street improvements for people with mobility challenges – like dropped kerbs and fines for pavement clutter like signs, A-boards, baskets etc, with 17.11% not in support of enforcement. This is something the Accessibility Committee will continue to work on.

96.10% of respondents support the plan for better parking for people with mobility issues and improved access to West Beach, with 3.90% not in support. 63.01% of respondents would buy a local trails map and 36.99% would not.

When asked how much more Council Tax you would be prepared to pay the Town Council to see these actions carried out – 44% of respondents would not want to pay more, with 12% willing to pay an additional 10p per week, 14.67% willing to pay 50p per week, 13.33% willing to pay £1 per week and 16% with other suggestions.

Of those who responded to the survey, 16% are willing to be involved in making these actions happen e.g., by joining the Accessibility Committee, helping with events and the development of a trail map. A big thank you to those who have provided their contact details.

The survey is still available online and if you’ve not already done so, please fill it in. We want to hear the views of a wide range of people and groups throughout this consultation. The survey can be completed using the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/N6HPH7N

If you would like a paper copy of the survey to complete, please get in touch with:

Wendy Jameson | Town Clerk | Silloth-on-Solway Town Council
5 Burnswark Terrace, Solway Street, Silloth, Cumbria, CA7 4EF
Tel: 016973 31128 | Mob: 0777 5686857 | Email: townclerk@silloth-on-solway.co.uk