Horsham District Councillor admits ‘surprise’ over anxiety findings

Following a report that listed Horsham as the ‘most anxious’ place in the country, Horsham District Council has offered support to those feeling anxious.
JPCT C5480707x Ollie McAteer looking anxious. Anxiety in Horsham. Shelley fountain. -photo by Steve CobbJPCT C5480707x Ollie McAteer looking anxious. Anxiety in Horsham. Shelley fountain. -photo by Steve Cobb
JPCT C5480707x Ollie McAteer looking anxious. Anxiety in Horsham. Shelley fountain. -photo by Steve Cobb

Cllr Sue Rogers, Horsham District Council’s cabinet member for a safer and healthier district, has been investigating the survey results.

Cllr Rogers said: “We were surprised at the results for the ‘anxiety’ question and it has prompted an investigation on the part of the council.

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“However the absence of the follow-up questions has made it impossible to make meaningful judgements about the data or determine if any actions that the council could undertake might help address this issue.

“There are a number of services and sources of advice available to people who are feeling anxious and I urge anyone feeling worried to speak to someone.”

The UK sample size for the personal wellbeing data set is around 165,000, and for Horsham it was 195, while the population is 131,301.

A council statement said that, although it treats mental health issues within the district very seriously, it is applying a degree of caution to this particular study.

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This is because where an individual lives is just one aspect that influences an individual’s response to the personal wellbeing questions.

Factors such as the individual’s health, relationships and employment will also influence their response.

In this particular survey no follow up questions were asked in order to determine the source of the respondents’ anxiety.

Triggers for feeling anxious can result from a wide range of factors including poor work-life balance, employment status, personal relationships, family life, finance issues and feeling lonely and isolated.