Richmond’s deputy leader has blamed misinformation about the Gloriana for a loss of trust in the council.

An independent survey, carried out by BMG Research in October and November 2014, showed more residents felt the council’s services represented value for money than in previous years, and 83 per cent were happy with the way Richmond Council run the borough.

The results also showed 75 per cent of residents trusted the council either a great deal or a fair amount, which was higher than the Local Government Association benchmark of 59 per cent but down 4 per cent on 2013.

Councillor Geoffrey Samuel said the reason for a slight dip in trust was most likely down to what he called misinformation regarding the royal barge Gloriana, which was due to be housed in the borough before proposals were scrapped in September 2014.

He said: “I think it is mostly the riverside wards in which we have seen a dip in trust, and the survey was taken shortly after there was an enormous amount of vicious stirring up about the Gloriana.

“The view expressed - that we weren’t consulting about the project - was not true, there was in fact a general consultation. If enough people give out leaflets saying we don’t listen to people then it’s inevitable that some may lose their trust.”

Coun Samuel said if another survey was taken in the same areas now, the result would be different and there would be a higher level of trust.

The survey showed 62 per cent of the 1,403 randomly selected residents who took part in the survey, conducted by phone, felt the council represented value for money, up five percentage points from 2013 and from 48 per cent in 2012.

Coun Samuel said: “The general increase in most satisfaction areas is quite remarkable, and the value for money category is what pleases me most.”

Roads and pavements most pressing concerns

Road and pavement maintenance are the most pressing areas for improvement in the borough, followed by parking services, according to the recent survey.

Of the 1,403 people surveyed, 31 per cent said road maintenance was the most important area for the council to improve in the next 12 months, while 30 per cent pointed at pavement improvements.

Hampton, Ham and Petersham and Whitton led the calls for road maintenance to be prioritised.

Cabinet member for highways, Councillor Stephen Speak, said the satisfaction figures had improved greatly since 2012, but there was much still to do.

He said: “We have just started on the new round of the road and pavement fund. The residents themselves determine which areas in the village need work carried out.

“We are also about to progress with the uplift in Hampton Hill High Street, and there will be improvements to that town centre carried out soon.”