How to carry out a Community Profile

What is a community profile?

A community profile provides an overview of the community at a certain point
of time. It is a really useful way to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a
local area. There are many different types of community profiles that can be
prepared using a variety of techniques. This guide focuses on collecting
information that could be useful in preparing a Neighbourhood Plan or
Community Led Plan.

Basic Tools and Methods

It is most helpful if the profile can be carried out by community members.
There are two key data sources – statistics /formal data, and consultation i.e.
asking people for their opinions

Statistics
The Census provides the basic skeleton for any community profile.
Information on a range of key statistics such as population, age and gender
can be obtained. Census figures are available from
www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Although the Census is from 2001 it is
still a valuable starting point and it is regarded as the highest quality data
albeit somewhat out of date.

Other official statistics produced by the Government are available and

increasingly so at the neighbourhood level. One of the most useful is The
Indices of Multiple Deprivation data on deprivation which is available at
different levels, the smallest being a super output area. A super output area is
a group of output areas covering a few hundred people. This data can be
obtained from
http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/living/social_care_and_health/training_and_inf
ormation_for_p/health_and_social_care_needs/data_maps_and_research/ind
ex_of_multiple_deprivation.aspx

The Place Survey (2008) may also provide useful insights into how
communities feel about their area. This information is available only at Ward
level via
http://www.arun.gov.uk/main.cfm?type=SURVEYRESULTS&objectid=3774

The Wavelength Survey is another important survey that Arun carries out
twice a year. The information gained from this survey helps to inform the
service provision Arun gives. The most recent was carried out Spring 2011.
Data for this survey is also only available at Ward Level and not Parish Level.
It can be viewed via the link above.

Maps
Using maps is an invaluable tool to gather information. Maps can be hand
drawn, traced from large scale maps available in libraries or can be obtained
from online ordnance survey maps. Arun District Council may be able to
provide electronic maps as well. It is useful to annotate these maps with

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relevant information eg key buildings or demographic concentrations so a
picture of physical aspects of the local area can be drawn up.

Surveys / Questionnaires
Building on the picture you start to create from the statistics and annotated
maps a general idea of what some of the key issues may be for the
community may start to emerge. The identification of strengths and
weaknesses can be complemented by carrying out surveys or questionnaires
to ask people what they think. The design of the questionnaire will need to be
carefully considered and try to ensure that the number of questionnaires used
is limited to only those which are essential, and also give consideration to how
the responses can be collated – for more details, see the Quick Guide on
Questionnaires.

Talking to people
Talking to people is a great way to find out what they think about their
community and what they think the strengths and weaknesses are. It is
important to keep a record of who was interviewed and when, and to try and
interview a balanced cross-section of people representative of the whole area.

Other methods
There are a number of other methods which encourage a more active
participation such as asking people to identify on a map, using post-it-notes or
coloured pencils which parts of their locality they are happy with and which
areas could do with improvement. It is always useful to ask why areas could
do with improvement to build a deeper understanding.

In terms of gathering information for a Neighbourhood Plan or Community Led

Plan the following sorts of questions could be asked. These are intended to
be a guide only and could be expanded upon or not used at all. The questions
appropriate for your community will depend on the issues you are tackling and
whether you are able to collect data for that question. The questions are
intended to guide only and do not need to be asked but may be a useful
starting point to be able to collect relevant data to build a profile of your
community.

Question
Topic: Brief summary of history and description of the area (covered by the
plan)
Is your local area a village, town or city?
Is your local area urban or rural or a combination?
Is your community population growing or declining in general?
What is the physical character of your local area? Eg lots of green spaces,
large houses, rural lanes
Population
What is the total population of your local area?
What is the gender break down? Eg 50 / 50
What is the average age of your community? Creating a chart showing the
age structure of your community could be very useful as it may help to show if
there may be a future demand for particular housing types eg if there is a high

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proportion of elderly people there may be a demand for appropriate housing
to cater for older people’s needs
What is the generate state of health of your community? This need only be a
rough indication eg generally good or poor
What proportion of your community has a disability?
What proportion of the community is working?
What is the ethnic breakdown of the community?
Are there changes taking place to may affect the size or makeup of the
population? Eg has significant development taken place since the Census?
Service provision
Which of the following services are provided within your local area? If not
available within your local area how far is it to the nearest:

Police station

Fire Station

Post Office

Library
Which of the following health facilities are provided within your local area? If
not available within your local area how far is it to the nearest:

Doctor (or health centre)

Nurse

Dentist

Hospital
*Education
*Which of the following education facilities are available within your local
area? If available in your local area please indicate how many. If not available
within your local area how far is it to the nearest:

Pre-school facility

Primary school

Secondary school

Further education college
*Is provision made for pre-school and after school childcare?
*Is childcare provision before and afterschool adequate for its purpose?
*Is there a library service available in your local area? If yes please indicate
opening times, and the type of facility (eg mobile library)
*When the schools and colleges identified above are not in use are you aware
of their use for other community activities eg fitness classes?
Work and economy
Where are the main concentrations of employment located within your local
area?
Who are the major employers? Eg they employ more than 10 people
Where do most people who work in your local area live? Eg proportion of
people who commute in or out of your local area everyday to work
What is the level of unemployment in your local area?
Is the community’s economy generally vibrant or are many shops closing?
Would you be able to complete your weekly shop within the local area?
*Is out of town shopping available?
Do you have a means to obtain cash or pay bills? Please indicate which
facility is available in your local area?

banks

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building society

post office

ATM
Please indicate which of the following facilities are available:

Shop(s)

Pub(s)
Transport
What public transport services are available in your local area?

Bus

Train
Is the frequency of service adequate?
Do the public transport services serve all parts of community?
*Is there community transport available eg dial-a-ride
*Where are the nearest train stations?
Do you have a designed cycle route?
*Leisure / recreation
*Do you have a leisure centre?
*Which of the following leisure / recreation facilities are available

children’s play area

skate park

community / village hall
*Crime and Nuisance
*What is the perceived level of non violent crime in your area eg vandalism,
burglary?
Lots of incidents
A few incidents
Very occasional incidents
Not at all
Don’t know
*Are there perceived issues relating to Anti Social Behaviour in your area?
*Are there specific areas where crime levels are perceived to be
concentrated?
*Are you aware of what the police or community safety teams are doing to
tackle crime issues in your area?

All questions highlighted with an star (*) are issues that may not be
appropriate to focus on within a Neighbourhood Plan due to its narrow scope
on planning issues and land use. However, an understanding of these issues
is valuable and would be useful to document within a Community Led Plan.

Making a Profile work for your community

Doing a community profile can be hard work so it is always worth thinking
about how to make the most of it and making sure it gives you useful and
relevant information. Below are a few pointers:

Be clear about why the community is being profiled

Be clear about the area being profiled – clearly indicate boundaries on
a map if necessary

Don’t do more than you have to; only look at topics/issues relevant to
your plan being produced

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Distribute the survey information as widely as possible; the internet is a
useful tool for this

Make the most of contacts gained through doing the profile – give them
feedback when it’s finished

Try and get as many people involved as possible. The best profiles are
those which involve a wide representation of the community

Think about how the profile will be written up and presented; consider
who needs to read the information and cut out any unnecessary data