Local communities are being invited to find out more about the local area with a new online service run by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Thousands of stats are available at the click of a button to raise awareness and understanding on a wide range of issues. It is the single most comprehensive source of research, facts and figures about Bath and North East Somerset available.
- Residents of Bath and North East Somerset are some of the happiest in the country?
- 15% of residents rent their homes privately, 5% more than in 2001?
- Rates of teenage pregnancy are the lowest in the South West?
This new process is called Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and is a new requirement placed on Council’s by the government.
Councillor Simon Allen (Lib-Dem, Radstock), Cabinet Member for Wellbeing said, “Good evidence should be at the heart of our decision making and we want to share what we know about the local area. We hope it will be a useful resource for people applying for funding and trying to get things done in their local community.
“However, we don’t know everything and it is particularly important that the voluntary organisations and local community groups tell us what they know because they often have the best understanding of what their community needs.”
Dr Bruce Laurence, Director for Public Health, added, “This information is already being used by the Council, the local NHS and other agencies to understand local needs and design services that meet local challenges. By identifying priority groups or communities who are experiencing poor health and wellbeing we can design or re-design our services to reduce these inequalities.”
To access this information, visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/jsna and if you have information the council should know, contact the Research team on [email protected]
