HEALTH services, improving town centres and flytipping were voted the top priorities for Malvern Hills residents as part of an annual survey.

Organised by Malvern Hills District Council, the Residents’ Survey asked residents for their comments on their local area, what is important to them and how satisfied they are with the council and its services.

The survey, which ran from September 8 to October 6, received more than 1,000 responses overall and the answers will be used to help the council decide where to focus its resources as it updates its Five Year Plan - to be published in March 2020.

The plan will set out priority projects designed to tackle key issues facing the district.

It will include such topics as homelessness support, crime, safety, improving local transport options, reducing carbon emissions, keeping the district clean and transforming town centres.

The results of the survey are similar, or have shown some improvement, to those of previous years.

However, there has been a decline in how safe people feel in the dark in their local area and people feel that some types of crimes and anti-social behaviour are more of a problem than previously.

When asked where the council should focus most on in the next five years, as well as health services, improving town centres and flytipping, residents also chose social isolation, investment in green infrastructure and traffic congestion.

The results also showed that 85 per cent of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live, 62 per cent are satisfied with how the council runs things and 43 per cent agree that we provide value for money.

Up to 51 per cent of people rated the council as good or very good and 66 per cent felt well informed about the work of the council.

Cllr Sarah Rouse, leader of Malvern Hills District Council, said: "We are very pleased with the response rate of this year’s Residents’ Survey.

"This is the first year we have delivered it ourselves, compared to previous years where it has been carried our on our behalf by Worcestershire County Council.

"This has given us more control over what is included in the survey and how it is managed.

"The results reflect what is most important to our residents and we will ensure they are used to influence the council’s future priorities."