South Ayrshire 1000 Citizens' Panel

Information on what the SA1000 citizens panel is and how to join

The citizens' panel allows the Council and partners to get the views of South Ayrshire residents — feedback helps improve and develop public services.

Beth - "This is a great way of letting the council and others know how we feel about issues"

Brian - "SA1000 helps give young people a voice....it's great."

Colin - "Join us....the more the merrier"

Alasdair - "The surveys are quick, simple and cover lots of topical issues"

Are you a resident of South Ayrshire?
Do you want to have your say on issues which affect you?

South Ayrshire 1000 - Citizens' Panel

South Ayrshire Council with its partners in the public and voluntary sectors, wants to survey attitudes and views on public services and policy issues.

Citizens' Panels are a way for local people to provide feedback on a range of issues and influence decision makers. The South Ayrshire Citizens' Panel is called 'South Ayrshire 1000' as it is the intention to have 1,000 members on the Panel.

We have managed to recruit 930 people who live in South Ayrshire who volunteered to be consulted regularly on matters of local concern. The Panel seeks to be as representative as possible of the population of South Ayrshire. However, at the moment we still need more people under the age of 45, and we also need more people who live in private or social rented accommodation.

Join the Citizens' Panel

You can apply to become a new member or update your record if you're already a member by completing the following application form https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SA1000CitizensPanelApplicationForm/

Citizens' Panel News

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, gain new skills and use your spare time to help others. There are a range of Volunteering Opportunities in South Ayrshire. You can find out more from the Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA) website.

Frequently asked questions

Can I be on the Panel?

If you live in South Ayrshire and are over the age of 16 then YES you can join the Panel. Anyone can volunteer to become a member at any time but because we need to have a panel that is representative of the people of South Ayrshire in terms of age, gender etc, they might not be chosen straight away. At the moment we still need more people under 45 and we also need more people who live in private or social rented accommodation.

As a member of South Ayrshire 1000, what will I be asked to do?

We intend to survey the full Panel about the quality of life in South Ayrshire every two years. Between full surveys, we will undertake smaller surveys with sub groups of the Panel on certain issues. We anticipate two or three of these a year. Surveys can be conducted by post or online. Occasionally, some members also volunteer to take part in telephone or face-to-face interviews or attend focus groups.

It's really up to you! Your participation will be entirely voluntary and your views will be used anonymously.

Will it cost me anything to participate?

No. Panel members that receive their questionnaire in hardcopy receive a freepost envelope to return the survey - so there is no financial cost to the panellist.

Why do we have a Citizens' Panel?

The South Ayrshire Citizens' Panel allows the Council with its partners to regularly consult with South Ayrshire residents on a wide range of issues and to use the feedback obtained to improve and develop services.

What will surveys be about?

Panel members are asked for their views on a wide variety of issues such as satisfaction with Council and partner services, education, health, economy, environment, transport, community regeneration, community safety and rural areas.

Who is on the Panel?

The Panel is currently made up of around 930 people who live in South Ayrshire who volunteered to be consulted regularly on matters of local concern.

Why do you need personal details about me?

We ask for data regarding your gender, age and housing status. We will also ask your employment status when carrying out surveys. We need to make sure that the people on the Panel match those living in our area. This information also helps when selecting a sample of the Panel members for focus groups to ensure we get the right people to discuss issues that may be relevant to them. We also ask for this data so that we can analyse the results based on these factors.

We will treat all your information confidentially and keep it secure in line with the Data Protection Act. All survey responses are completely confidential. You as an individual will never be identified in any survey findings or reports.

What happens with information provided?

The feedback obtained from Panel members is used to improve and develop services to meet the needs and priorities of South Ayrshire residents.

A full report is produced for each questionnaire. We also produce a newsletter which provides a summary of the results from the surveys and provides information on what we are doing to tackle the issues. A copy of the newsletter is posted to our paper panellists and a link to the newsletter is emailed to our online panellists.

All the information you provide, including personal details and views about services, will be protected and treated in confidence in accordance with the Data Protection Act. All survey responses are completely confidential and any reports we produce only include anonymous data.

How can I find out the results of a questionnaire?

Will the Citizens' Panel be the only method of public consultation?

No. It will not replace other forms of public consultation. A Citizens' Panel is not always the best way to gather views on specific issues, but it is a good way of gaining community views.

How long will I have to stay a member of the Panel?

Again, it is up to you. You can opt out at any time. Membership of the Citizens' Panel is entirely voluntary. If you decide that you no longer wish to be a member or you move out of the South Ayrshire area, just let us know. You can email, write to us or telephone, providing us with your name and address, and your details will be removed from the current membership.

We will refresh the Panel periodically.

If I no longer wish to be a Panel member, what should I do?

Membership of the Citizens' Panel is entirely voluntary. If you decide that you no longer wish to be a member or you move out of the South Ayrshire area, just let us know. You can email, write to us or telephone, providing us with your name and address, and your details will be removed from the current membership.

What happens if I move away?

The Panel is for residents of South Ayrshire. Should a Panel member move out of the South Ayrshire area, we ask that they let us know in order that we can offer their place to someone else.

Contact

South Ayrshire 1000

Policy and Performance
South Ayrshire Council
County Buildings
Wellington Square
Ayr
KA7 1DR

Tel: 01292 612769
Email: sa1000@south-ayrshire.gov.uk