‘Help shape Hull’s future’: Survey launched to create ten-year Community Strategy

CHANGING CITY: An aerial view of Hull looking towards the Humber. Picture by Neil Holmes Commercial Photography

By Simon Bristow

People in Hull are being invited to help shape the city’s future over the next ten years by contributing to a new Community Strategy.

A questionnaire, which is now open, invites residents to say what life is like in the city now and what their hopes are for the next decade.

The strategy will replace Hull’s ten-year City Plan, which comes to an end this year.

An online survey has been launched and support is available to complete it in libraries and Hull City Council Customer Service Centres.

There will also be opportunities to collect paper questionnaires from locations around the city in the coming weeks, and a temporary drop-in centre will be based in Princes Quay in March.

The questionnaire focuses on three key themes – My Life, My Street, My City – and people will be asked how they feel about Hull, what is most important to them, what works well, what needs to improve and what they would like the city to be known for.

The launch marks the second phase of the development of Hull’s Community Strategy. The first phase, undertaken in advance of the questionnaire’s launch, involved the running of more than 30 workshops around the city which were attended by more than 500 people. These helped to develop themes, questions and suggested priorities to be included in the wider survey.

Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “On my first day in the job as leader of the council, I said I wanted to make Hull a listening council and now we’re taking action to do just that.

“It’s important for us that plans for Hull’s future reflect the hopes and priorities of Hull people, so this is a direct invitation to tell the council what you like and what you don’t and what you hope for over the next ten years, both for you as an individual and for the city.

“The time is now for everyone to get involved. The Community Strategy is the plan for the next decade of the city, but it cannot be pulled together without the voices of the people of Hull – and we want to hear from as many people as possible.

“We want everyone to take part, particularly those who may feel they don’t usually have the opportunity to have their say, so they can be part of helping us determine what the council does and how it does it. We have said from the start that we want to be a listening council and, with the Community Strategy, we’re conducting the biggest listening exercise we can.

“The answers are anonymous and we’re taking steps to provide a variety of ways for people to contribute, like making the questionnaire available in alternative formats, and we’re also organising specific engagement opportunities because we want everyone to be able to have their say.”

Council chief executive Matt Jukes said: “Hull’s ‘City Plan’, launched in 2013, comes to an end this year so we now need to set our priorities, ambitions and vision for the next ten years and beyond.

“In addition to asking our residents to let us have their thoughts, we’ll also be engaging with stakeholders, partners and businesses to ensure the new Community Strategy is developed on the feedback received from everyone who lives and works in our great city.

“This will help the council determine our future policies and priorities and, because it covers all aspects of life in Hull, which extend beyond the council, we hope it will also assist other organisations in Hull, in both the public and the private sectors, to develop and inform their own plans and priorities.”

• The survey can be completed here.