That was the year that was – 1980

Following on from yesterdays story about public satisfaction with Council services, it seems that little changes. 

According to one of our Focus newsletters published in 1980,  local residents were most satisfied with refuse collection and least happy about highway maintenance. 

That’s much the same story today although the relative ranking of some other public services has changed. 

The two local Councils (York District and North Yorkshire County) were both Conservative controlled in those days. York was to become a Labour run authority in 1983, something which pretty much continued unchanged until 2001 when the Liberal Democrats gained ground in local by-elections. 

Focus newsletters have improved from being hand written to using a computer design with full colour printing. So some things do change.

NB. The 1980 editor was Peggy Barker who lived in Stuart Road. She was a Liberal Councillor in the Westfield Ward for 5 years. 

1980 Focus survey result