Just over 40% of people in England trust their local councillors to work in the best interests of people in local areas, a new survey has revealed.
New Ipsos research commissioned by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) found that 57% of respondents consider local councils to have the most impact on the quality of life in local areas.
However, it also found that only 43% trust their local councillors to look after their best interests. Non-political players, such as the police (55%), local community groups (68%) and local businesses (61%), enjoyed far higher levels of trust.
Nearly half (48%) of all respondents say local services have got worse over the last five years. Among those respondents, more than half blamed the Government (53%), with just over a third (37%) holding local councils ‘a great deal’ responsible.
The polling also found that only a quarter of adults trust the Government (25%) to act in the best interests of people in their local area.
