Geordies have called for more big events and investment in cleaner, safer and tidier public spaces as part of one of Newcastle’s biggest ever conversations.
Newcastle City Council have this week published the findings of Newcastle’s Big Conversation with more than 10,000 people taking part.
In January, the engagement exercise was launched with an online survey, on street interviews, focus groups and a public campaign posing a series of questions to the city.
People living, working in, and visiting the city were asked what made them most proud, what they wanted to see more of and what could be improved.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Colin Ferguson, will present the findings of the Big Conversation at a meeting of full council on Wednesday (July 15). He said the findings will be used to inform priorities to be presented in a new Council Plan to make sure the voice of residents is informing policy development and decision making.
The Liberal Democrat Leader and Gosforth councillor said: “What comes through loud and clear in this Big Conversation is the pride that people have in Newcastle. This wasn’t about council services, it was a conversation about our great city.
“What struck me is that the source of this pride in our city was mainly the people, the Geordie nation. We have a reputation here as being one of the friendliest cities in the world and as someone warmly welcomed here when I made my Newcastle my home, I know first-hand how true that is.
“There are clear asks of the council that come through in the responses and valuable insight that can help the collaborative work that will take place across the council chamber to develop our next council plan, not least from thousands of our city's young people.
“The council plan will outline our strategic vision for the future of the city and the message from Newcastle is clear. You want a city we can be proud of and a city that competes on the global stage, but you also want a city that will not lose sight of the values that make this such a special place to call home.”
In total 10,111 people took part in the Big Conversation and a real focus on engaging young people saw an incredible 5,865 school-aged children have their say.
There was a further 2,221 participants in on-street interviews across all 26 council wards, 967 participants in the online survey and 793 people involved in a series of focus groups.
Five key findings were identified by the campaign, including:
- Newcastle's defining strength is its people
- There is strong ambition for greater global recognition
- The top requirement is clear: cleaner, safer and tidier public spaces
- The full range of Newcastle City Council services are important
- There is appetite for community involvement but the expectation is the council lead
Newcastle City Council Chief Executive, Pam Smith, added: “I am so grateful to every single person who took part in the campaign and who will help shape the future of this city. The Big Conversation was launched after conversations with all political parties in the council chamber because there is a shared ambition to put residents at the heart of what we do.
“Our officers will continue to support elected members by carrying out engagement with residents, businesses and community groups. This is not a one-off exercise, our conversation with the city remains open and ongoing.”
Findings from the Big Conversation will help to shape council decision making and will be considered alongside engagement activity taking place throughout the year.
That includes insight from the Council’s Getting to Know You programme that has seen council officers carrying out face-to-face visits with tenants in their 24,000 council homes.
You can review the full report from Newcastle’s Big Conversation on the Newcastle City Council website here: https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s217829/Appendix%201%20-%20Newcastles%20Big%20Conversation%202026%20-%20Report%20of%20Findings.pdf
