Survey to find out if residents feel safe in Eastwood and Kimberley

Broxtowe Council said it will ask residents for feedback on how safe people feel in Eastwood and Kimberley, as well as Beeston, Stapleford and Broxtowe duirng the day and night-time and using different modes of transport.

Ruth Hyde, council chief executive, said it was a “very important issue”, especially for women and girls.

Residents will also be asked whether CCTV and street lighting makes them feel safer, and any suggestions of what would make them feel safer in the area.

Ms Hyde told a council cabinet meeting: “What this proposes is that we do a survey and ask people what their perceptions are in different places, times and settings.

“We will collect information on people’s backgrounds and gender to see if there are any differences.

“Earlier in the year, cabinet approved a strategy in relation to violence against women and girls.

“This is a very important issue, that women and girls feel safe when they are out and about in Broxtowe.

“I think we’ll get a lot of useful information from a survey like this.”

Coun Steve Carr, council deputy leader, said: “I think the more information we get, the more ammunition we have [to implement changes].

“I’ve complained a couple of times about a road in my patch where people feel unsafe and it’s a major route.

“When you go to highways at Nottinghamshire Council, they treat it as anecdotal, rather than evidence that people feel unsafe. This way, we’ve got the evidence there.

“We could go to the county council and say we’ve got an issue on this road and help the council to identify areas that don’t feel safe.”

Coun Helen Skinner said: “Will we do something about it when we’ve got the information?

“The obvious thing is lighting in parks.”

Ms Hyde replied: “We’ll have to wait and see what the results are.

“Some things might be quite easy to fix. People are quite practical, they know we can’t do impossible things.

“I think we will get a lot of information and we will absorb it and see what we can do about it.”

Councillors unanimously approved the plans for the survey.