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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Environmental services are important to Marldon - 870 residents completed this section.
There was a high degree of satisfaction with the utility services and council services. Over 80% of respondents ticked the 'Good' or 'Reasonable' boxes for Electricity, Gas, Telephone and Water. 77% of respondents thought that Refuse Collection was good or reasonable, but a significant percentage - 17% - described the service as poor
. An explanation for this may be that at the time the Appraisals were being completed household waste was being collected every two weeks. Since then, South Hams Council has re-introduced a weekly collection service of household waste.Over a third of those who replied described the Winter Weather Service as poor, and over a quarter thought that roadside care and street cleaning was poor. There was a split opinion about street lighting - 38% thought that the lighting was reasonable, a quarter of respondents considered the lighting as poor, whilst conversely, just over a quarter thought that it was good.
SEPARATE REFUSE FOR RECYCLING
919 residents completed this section. 98% of respondents separated their refuse.
RETAIL SERVICES AND OTHER FACILITIES
867 people say they shop in Marldon - a high percentage (74%, 639) used the local shops for last-minute items; 60%, 514, expressed a wish to support the village shops; 30%, 253, shop locally to save time; and 24%, 204, appreciated the social contact.
Two categories emerged as the main reasons for 854 people to shop outside Marldon. They were 'Choice of Goods' (88%) and 'Cheaper Goods' (74%). A small percentage (17%) shopped outside Marldon as it was more convenient to shop near their place of work.
COMMENTS FROM THE
APPRAISAL‘I would hope that Marldon would remain a village and keep its present friendly atmosphere. I hope it will never be swallowed by Torbay.’
‘In an ideal world I think it would be reassuring for elderly people who had a village background to have some form of sheltered/warden controlled housing which enabled them to remain among friends/family but supported. It would be beneficial to the community if this was also supported practically by local school students, both village and KEVICS and other locals to maintain a balanced community where an environment of mutual respect was nurtured.’
‘Marldon is a nice village and above all, it must not become a part of Torbay Unitary Authority. Many years ago, the Parish Council fought off a take-over: by the then Torbay Borough Council. Later, it was very evident that what was done saved Marldon village. It kept its own identity and has always had a strong Parish Council'
‘Marldon is in great need of a local Police Officer. There have been a lot of break-ins in the area lately and the presence of a ‘local bobby’ would be a deterrent. There are also an increasing number of children in Marldon and the safety and peace of mind for parents is a must.’
OFFICE ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES
Asked if they need to use office facilities, the replies were:
171 people said they would use a village office if one were to be created, 83 said they would be interested in hiring it, and 30 people said they would be prepared to help run it, so it is a potentially viable proposition.
Conclusion
Perhaps provision of a Doctor's surgery (which is being explored) could be linked with that of a Village office, provided it did not conflict with the Post Office and Bungalow Stores where they now offer photocopying and charge 5p per copy. It is not clear what will happen in the long term at the Vicarage as the Church's printing machine and photocopier is used sometimes by other organisations!
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
When asked if they would be prepared to pay more Parish Council Tax, of the 895 people who responded nearly 40% were in favour, 43% against, and 17% stated that they had no opinion. This shows a fairly even split and should the village identify a real project in the future there is a possibility of substantial support.
Opinion about the Parish Council's publicity of decisions is generally good with 734 (79%) people considering the service reasonable or good. However, 197 (21%) people think that the service is poor or have no opinion.
COMMENTS FROM THE
APPRAISAL‘Where are the police ever in evidence? Seemingly only at the Apple Pie Fair! Horse owners should be held responsible for ‘messing’ roads as are dog owners.’
‘The Village Hall is available and I feel strongly that if groups wish to form clubs and societies it is ‘up to them’ to organise themselves.’
The Parish Council may need to look into this matter. It may be worth noting that the Parish Council meets on the last Monday of the month and copies of the minutes are available in the Post Office. The Parish Magazine also provides good coverage of Parish Council business
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Page Created: February 2000
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