The opportunity to get involved comes in the shape of this year’s residents’ survey `Your Council Your Voice’ which is launched today (1 June 2026) and runs for 7 weeks until midnight on Sunday 19 July 2026.
Your Council Your Voice gives Derbyshire residents the opportunity to tell us what they think about a number of issues including how they feel about the services we run, what they think about where they live and whether they’d like to see changes or improvements and if so, in which areas.
The survey is made up of 30 main questions, and all answers given will be closely analysed and used to feed into shaping the next Council Plan and ensuring budgets are targeted where they are most needed.
You can take part in the survey online. Paper copies are also available at libraries or on request.
The survey is run each year so that we can monitor changes in residents’ priorities and opinions, what is working and which areas may need to improve.
Those taking part will be able to say whether they think we provide value for money, if we involve people in decision-making and keep residents informed about our work.
They will also be able to select their 3 priority services we provided, ranging from a list including keeping children safe, welfare rights, roads and transport to waste and recycling, special educational needs, libraries and adult care.
As we continue to closely monitor our budget to ensure we maintain balanced books and achieve savings and efficiencies, there is also the opportunity for those taking the survey to make suggestions as to how money could be saved or revenue could be raised.
Council Leader Councillor Alan Graves said:
“The annual residents’ survey is one of the most important features of our annual calendar as it’s a great way to connect with our residents and really get to the heart of what they think about the council and how we’re doing.
“We know that many households continue to face financial pressures, and the council is also affected by rising costs. With our limited resources it is more important than ever that decisions are guided by what our residents tell us.
“We want as many people as possible, of all ages, to fill out the questionnaire and be open and honest with their views, and we will take them on board and use them to shape our future direction.’’
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and results will be reported later this year.
Online focus groups to discuss topics in more detail will be run in July and August, and the survey gives people an opportunity to say if they are interested in taking part in any of the sessions.