Speeding, mental health and activities for young people are among the main issues concerning Knaresborough residents, according to a new survey platform.
Multiple town groups set up Knaresborough Voice this year to give local people the opportunity to discuss what matters to them. With devolution looming, the groups wanted a platform for people to discuss where investment in the town should go.
Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, Knaresborough Connectors and North Yorkshire County Council are among those supporting the venture.
The platform uses technology called Polis – an artificial intelligence-driven software designed to find communities’ complex views.
People offer anonymous responses or agree and disagree with other people’s statements on certain topics.
Three conversations so far
So far, the platform has been used to start three conversations:
- What’s most important in making Knaresborough an even better place to live and work?
- Should there be a default speed limit of 20mph – rather than 30mph – in the town and in residential areas?
- The state of mental health in the area after the two years of covid.
The conversation about what’s most important in Knaresborough is the first to be completed.
It generated 116 responses, which received almost 5,700 votes.
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Over 80% of respondents agreed there needed to be more opportunities for young people; that the town should welcome diversity; that there is a need to fill the gaps in the town centre offer; that pavements needed to be kept tidy and safe and that more needed to be made of York Road car park.
The groups behind Knaresborough Voice hope it will become a well-used platform for debate that can impact decisions made by local councillors.
Peter Lacey, a chamber committee member, said:
“The platform was set up in the light of devolution to collect views and connect community groups. A conversation starts by a someone suggesting a topic and we work to shape the statements and post the survey.”
The findings will be taken to Knaresborough Town Council next month in the hope they will be used to shape its decisions.
