The council's research team is the first point of contact for anyone with an enquiry about opinion surveys, other research, and public consultation being carried out by the council.

The council undertakes a combination of statutory research, annual surveys and a variety of one-off pieces of research throughout the year. We use a wide range of methods to gather opinion, including telephone, face-to-face, postal and web-based surveys as well as undertaking focus groups and in-depth interviews.

The council's annual Residents' Opinion Survey has been replaced by the bi-annual 'Place Survey' in 2008.  The statutory Place Survey is carried out by local authorities across the country to find out how well they, and their partners, are doing at providing services that local people want and need.

The council also runs a citizens' panel, talkabout and a separate business panel.

The views from talkabout and other pieces of research are detailed on page three of the council's publication Your City.

Have your say

Current consultations are featured on the homepage of the council website and online consultations can be accessed using our online surveys.