Covid Survey Results

As you will have noticed I’ve been carrying out a number of surveys over the past month or so and I wanted to share the results of the latest survey. Like the last survey around 1,000 Ipswich residents took part and though I would hardly describe the survey as scientific, its still useful to get a bit of a snapshot of what my constituents are thinking regarding some of the key issues of the day. I shared the survey on my social media platforms and promoted to all those living in the Town and encouraged them to take part.

Here are the results:

1. Do you agree with the Prime Minister’s plan to start the phased reopening of schools on 8^th March?

• No, 8^th March is too early to start reopening: 42%
• Yes, I agree with the plan: 48%
• Schools should reopen now: 10%

2. Should all teaching staff be prioritised for the vaccine?

• Yes: 77%
• No: 23%

3. Do you believe that any other key workers should be prioritised for the vaccine?

• All key workers should be: 70%
• Police: 17%
• Retail workers: 3%

4. Do you believe University students should have to pay full tuition fees for the academic year 2020-2021?

• Partial refund: 70%
• Full refund: 21%
• Full fees: 9%

5. Have you been satisfied with the vaccine roll out?

• Yes: 77%
• No: 12%
• Don’t know: 11%

6. Do you believe that the temporary increase in Universal Credit should be extended beyond March?

• It should be extended for as long as the pandemic goes on for: 57%
• The increase should be made permanent: 21%
• No: 22%

I have to say that mostly these results correspond with my position on the key issues. I support the temporary extension of the Universal Credit increase beyond March but I’m wary about making it permanent. It’s clear at the moment many people are having to turn to the welfare state often for the first time in their lives due to the economic disruption caused by the pandemic and the support should be there for them. I also know that the effects of this pandemic will extend even beyond the current lockdowns and so I believe that adequate support should exist to keep everyone on their feet until the economy has fully recovered.  However I also think that it would be wrong to commit to making the uplift permanent at this stage when we are still assessing what the impact of the pandemic will be on our public finances in the medium to long term.

I have to say, I also largely agree with the majority on the plan to reopen schools. Most people believe that schools should reopen on the 8^th March. Any later than that, and I fear that our children will fall too far behind. Especially those with special educational needs who need in-person learning. Not only am I concerned for pupil’s level of attainment, but also their mental health. We need to get students back to school as soon as it is safe to do so.

The fact of the matter is that if all key workers are prioritised, I do fear that we would end up taking away vaccines from those most vulnerable to the virus, due to the sheer number of key workers that there are across the country. It is for this reason that I think we should keep the exception only for teachers. The huge societal importance of getting our schools fully open again asap as well as the exposure of teaching staff to the virus mean that there is a special case prioritisation, in my view.

In terms of university tuition fees, I have made the point before that I really do think students should not be paying full fees while they are unable to use the facilities and do not have access to the full university education that they would otherwise have had outside this pandemic. It is not fair on them at all. I am glad to see that the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed with this position.

Finally, I’m not surprised that the overwhelming majority of participants in the survey have been impressed with the vaccine roll out. Huge thank you to all those NHS workers and volunteers who have made this possible at the local level. We will never forget.