Perceptions of current situation

• 55% of respondents feel Portsmouth City Council does not engage very much or at all with them. Conversely, 45% think Portsmouth City Council engages with them a moderate or great amount
• In terms of community engagement, there is more positive sentiment with 55% of respondents feeling Portsmouth City Council does engage a great or moderate amount with their communities, and 45% not

This chart shows that in the online survey sample:
8% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with them ‘a great deal’
37% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with them ‘a moderate amount’
37% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with them ‘not very much’
18% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with them ‘not at all’

This chart shows that in the online survey sample:
8% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with their community ‘a great deal’
47% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with their community ‘a moderate amount’
35% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with their community ‘not very much’
10% of respondents think Portsmouth City Council engages with their community ‘not at all’

How well does Portsmouth City Council engage with you and your community?

Negatives

• Geographic disparity. Participants from some areas of the city feel ignored or ghettoised, such as Paulsgrove
• Participants comment that they don’t see people from the council physically out and about very much
• Flagship magazine is not always delivered reliably so they don’t always have the information they need
• There is not much perceived engagement with businesses, either small businesses run by people from different ethnic backgrounds, or with business groups engaging elsewhere within Portsmouth e.g. Shaping Portsmouth and Business Week initiatives
• Engagement with the adult LGTBQ+ community is surface level. Only the annual Pride event is supported, nothing else during the year and no support groups run by the council for the over 25s

Positives

• The Southsea coastal sea defences scheme is cited as a good example of clear, simple engagement using everyday language, not jargon. Displayed in the relevant location, accessible to all
• Positive comments also made on mental health provision, support for migrant communities and the Live Well events