In August 2011, we sent a survey to some of you who live in the West of England and Somerset (our new heartland). We received 62 responses.

The results have been encouraging. Just fewer than 67% of you who replied are happy with the gardening and grounds maintenance service from Countrywide.

68% of you said you're satisfied that the specification meets your expectations. Producing a gardening and grounds maintenance specification was a key part of the new contract. The specification tells the gardening contractor what tasks they need to complete when they are on site. This means that Countrywide will perform the same tasks on all estates.

Over 80% of you are happy with the number of times that Countrywide visit the estates. Most estates are visited every fortnight in the summer months. During the winter, the visits are every month.

It's really encouraging that 67% of you are satisfied overall with the service received from Countrywide. This is a similar score to other organisations in 2010: Salford Homes 66% and Hounslow Homes 52%.

Over the next 12 months, we'll work hard with Countrywide to achieve even greater satisfaction levels. We'll also ask how you think we can continue to improve the gardening and grounds maintenance service.

If you have any questions or comments about gardening, please talk to your Housing Officer.