74% say job chancesin CoC13 must improve

THREE quarters of Londonderry residents asked by regeneration company Ilex about the number of jobs in the city said there was a need to improve employment opportunities.
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt has asked if OFMDFM believes there is a risk the One Plan will be a catastrophic failure.UUP leader Mike Nesbitt has asked if OFMDFM believes there is a risk the One Plan will be a catastrophic failure.
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt has asked if OFMDFM believes there is a risk the One Plan will be a catastrophic failure.

That’s according to the results of a new survey conducted by the firm, which also found a high degree of recognition there was a need to improve activities for young people (64 per cent), housing (59 per cent), and cross community relations (52 per cent).

Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has already indicated that wages must rise, jobs must be created in poorer areas, the city must be more equal, there must be better relations between Protestants and Catholics and people must be happier to live here otherwise Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 will have been a failure.

Despite the new findings by Ilex over 90 per cent of people in poorer areas of Londonderry were either “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied” with the city compared with 84 per cent generally.

The research also found that relations between Protestants and Catholics in the city are better than they were when the last such survey was carried out in 2009.

Over 6 in 10 people said relationships between communities had improved over the past five years compared to just under 4 in 10 people four years ago.

Ilex newly published the results of the Citi-Scope survey on Sunday (April 14).

It reveals the attitudes of people in neighbourhoods across the city to issues including healthcare, education, employment, and physical security. The research follows the Citi-Scope Baseline survey which was conducted in 2009.

Some 84 per cent of the 445 respondents surveyed were “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied” with their city, the highest level of satisfaction being 91 per cent in the most deprived areas.

There was strong support for cross community festivals as a means of enhancing community relations with respondents (71 per cent) viewing UK City of Culture as “an event that will enhance community relations”.

It also underlined that access to affordable childcare and public transport were barriers for many people seeking suitable employment or training.

Results also show that rural dwellers were more satisfied with their immediate living environment and were almost five times more likely to express an interest in starting their own business.

Ilex’s Director of Strategy and Regeneration Gerard McCleave, said: “These survey results, alongside the Peace Bridge survey, which examined lifestyle patterns, support the view that the significant investment in public realm space including Ebrington, Peace Bridge and Queen’s Quay, is contributing to increasing numbers of residents utilizing new city spaces.

“Research also reveals that almost half of the people living in the city would prefer to live in a mixed religion neighbourhood and 1 out of every 2 have indicated that they would prefer to work in a mixed religion workplace.

“It also highlights that access to affordable childcare and public transport are major obstacles for people looking to get suitable employment and training.

“Interestingly, the responses from those surveyed in rural areas differed quite significantly from their urban counterparts with rural dwellers stating that they were more satisfied with their immediate living environment, resulting in a strong sense of belonging.

“They were also more optimistic about the future and were more interested in studying a part time course and/or starting their own business.

“However, access to services including transport and education still remain constraints to regeneration in these areas. “These surveys play an integral role in examining the impact of the One Plan on all areas of life within the Derry City Council area and are important in helping us to plan the provision of services for the future.”