This is Eastling’s very first Parish Appraisal.

So, what’s the purpose and what will it achieve?

Some people will say that “it’s obvious” what villagers want, and that “everyone knows” what local residents think. However, without a properly conducted survey of local opinion establishing what the majority would really like can easily be little more than guesswork.

So that is why, shortly after the elections in May 2000, members of Eastling Parish Council decided to carry out a detailed Survey of all households in the parish.

With the generous help of a Swale Borough Council rural community grant, the Parish Council was able to prepare Survey forms which were distributed to 143 properties at the end of November.

Sound picture

Clearly many people considered it a sensible exercise and 82 families returned completed forms by early January. That (at 57.3%) is more than enough to build up a sound picture of what the Eastling community thinks and wants.

It’s probably worth repeating the old adage that you don’t have to drink a whole vat of soup to know what it tastes like. It’s the same with surveys. Given a representative sample of opinions, it is possible to gain a pretty accurate idea of how people feel.

Plenty of other parishes have carried out similar surveys, so it won’t be a surprise that many of the questions in the Eastling survey covered much the same ground as theirs. However, one set of questions - where people were asked to say how much they agreed or disagreed with various suggestions - was deliberately provocative.

In case anyone got the wrong idea, the statements were NOT the Parish Council’s policies or intentions; they were included to get everyone to say positively what they did or didn’t want! The results are on pages 17, 18 and 19.

Also in the pages that follow, you will find most of the other results from the Survey, together with short articles on some of the principal features, activities and services in our Parish.

We think you will find much that is interesting and, hopefully, useful.

So what happens now?

For Parish Councillors, the information will help add strength to any requests or comments they make to other organisations on behalf of the village. Also, when considering new local initiatives, it will be much clearer than ever before what is likely to have wide support and what needs a lot more discussion and consultation.

Worth the effort?

We hope you will agree that the Appraisal has been worth doing. Time will tell, but, meanwhile, please accept your Parish Council’s thanks for your interest and the contribution you made to building up a snapshot of Eastling Parish at the beginning of 2001.

Main Points from the Eastling Parish Appraisal

Summarising the Eastling Appraisal results, it seems that:

• Eastling residents put a lot of store on the attractive countryside around the village.

• Traffic speeds on roads in and around the village are a big concern.

• Half the village are against more street lighting - but nearly a third would like it.

• Opinion on whether main drainage would be a good thing found 50% in favour and 33% against.

• Almost nobody wants to see more housing in Eastling.

• Reliance on the car has become a way of life.

• The village postbox is very well used by most people.

• Some other services - like the bus, the library van and the phone box - are not used by the majority of villagers. But for those who do, they are regarded as vital.

• When it comes to finding out what’s happening locally, the “Good News” parish magazine is THE source people rely on.

• Half the village still use the milkman.

• Television is the top leisure activity and (apart from going to work or school) visiting friends and family is the major reason for journeys out of the village.

• Faversham remains the main shopping centre for most Eastling residents - with Canterbury more likely to be the destination for big purchases.

• Sixty-one percent of villagers are into recycling and 42% compost their garden waste.

• Cats are the top pet in Eastling.