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Residents’ Survey 2025

Sutton Council have commissioned a residents’ survey. This will be carried out from 8 July 2025 until 18 August 2025.

Why we are doing a survey

The survey is to ask residents for their views of their local area, local services, and the Council overall.  This will help us to understand more about how residents feel about their local area, and to help us make decisions and plans for local services.  We have run a resident survey every few years since 1987. 

The research company

The survey is being conducted by a Market Research Company called Lake on our behalf. They are an independent market research agency. Trained interviewers will carry out the survey at your door. They will aim to interview 1,000 people selected at random. 

Using an independent research company means people may feel more comfortable being honest about their views of the council. Using an experienced research company will help us collect the survey responses and make sure we are following best practices.

Taking part in the survey

Lake selects a random sample of addresses to invite to take part. If you are asked to take part, this means your address was selected at random from a list of residential addresses held by Royal Mail.

If you are selected to take part, an interviewer from Lake Market Research will knock on your door at some point in July or August.

Taking part in the survey is entirely voluntary. You do not have to take part if you do not want to, and you can decide to stop taking part in the survey at any time. However, taking the time to complete the survey will help the Council to better understand the views of its residents and what improvements might be needed in the future.

During the survey

Interviewers will go around houses on different days of the week and at different times of the day. The interviewer will identify themselves, have Photo ID badges and will have a letter from the us to prove their identity. 

They will never ask to enter your home or ask you for any money to take part. 

The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes. It may take slightly longer if residents wish to provide more detail in their answers.

Field workers may call between up to 9pm on a weekday and 7pm on a Sunday.

If you are not available when the interviewer knocks on your door, they may be able to arrange a different day or time to return if the time they arrive is not convenient for you.

If you have any concerns, you can call the contact centre on 020 8770 5000 to verify. Interviewers will understand and be happy for you to take as much time as you need to verify their identity before you agree to take part. All interviewers will be carrying photographic identification and a Letter of Authority as evidence of who they are and the purpose of their visit.

Providing contact details is optional. This is only requested at the end of the survey for Lake Market Research’s quality purposes so they can follow up to check interviews are conducted correctly. Any information gathered will be processed in line with the latest data protection legislation. They will not be passed back to the Council with your survey answers.

After the survey

Our Policy, Insight and Communities Team will analyse survey responses and provide a report to key service areas and Elected Members. Your answers will be combined with those of others who take part in the survey for reporting purposes so that responses cannot be linked to any one person

Providing feedback outside of the survey

If you would like to share your views and experiences of the Council and your local area, but you haven’t been selected to take part in the Resident Survey, there are many other ways to share your views by: 

Thank you for your help and support.