Related documents

• Residents’ Panel newsletters

The East Sussex Residents' Panel

The East Sussex Residents' Panel is made up from a representative cross-section of 1,900 residents. The current members were recruited in Spring 2008.

Joining the residents’ panel

Anyone who is an East Sussex resident can become a member of the panel and have your say on Council matters. We are looking for a good cross-section of local people and that includes anyone who:

• lives in a rural area
• belongs to a minority ethnic group (including travellers)
• is a child of school age
• is aged 18–30
• is over pensionable age
• is living with a disability
• works full time or part-time, is self employed or is unemployed.

Membership is balanced in proportion to the size of each district and by age and gender.

Apply to become a panel member by contacting the residents' panel.

What the panel does

We consult the panel in person and by other methods about issues agreed by the County Council. Members take part in workshops and focus groups, telephone interviews, paper-based and online surveys.

The panel tells us about residents’ needs, experiences, ideas and opinions on our policies and services. Information given by members of the panel is treated in the strictest confidence.

This knowledge helps us improve the way we make decisions and understand more about the views of people who do not normally contact us.

The panel forms an important part of our commitment to work more closely with communities in the county. It is managed by Sue Buxton, our consultation officer.

Views of the residents’ panel

Read about the views given by the panel and what happened as a result of your feedback in our consultation pages and newsletters.

• Survey 1 – July-August 2008
  What you think about your community and the services where you live.
• Recruitment survey – September 2007-March 2008
  As we recruited the current panel, we asked them how they used libraries and the Internet.

News about consultations and results

• Expressions newsletters
  Read about the topics discussed by the panel, from volunteering to house building to customer service. Includes updates about what has happened as a result of your comments.

Earlier consultations

• Council priorities workshops – September 2004
  Every year the County Council discusses its priorities and budget plans with residents in a series of discussion workshops.
• Priorities, communication and feedback – December 2004
  Covers priorities about services, council tax, communications and using the Internet and County Council website.