- What if I find a mistake in the survey or it’s not working?
- How long does the survey take?
- Can I report on the work of partners organisations in my area?
- Can I submit the survey as a word document?
- Can I include embedded hyperlinks like this?
- How do I share questions with colleagues?
- Can I upload a PDF document as part of my evidence?
- How do I keep the results private?
- How is the survey scored?
- My authority is in London – do I need to do this survey?
- My authority is in Wales or Scotland – do I need to do this survey?
What if I find a mistake in the survey or it’s not working?
Please email goodfoodlocal@sustainweb.org including any error messages.
How long does the survey take?
We suggest you allow two hours for filling in and submitting the actual survey, but the bigger part is speaking to colleagues and partners to get the information you will need. We recommend 1-2 hours per section on this, depending on whether you already have contacts and conversations under way or if this will be the starting point.
Can I report on the work of partners organisations in my area?
We recognise that sometimes the best work is done when authorities fund or enable your community partners. We ask about your council’s activity - but you can include delivery by others, provided this is directly related to council support e.g. staff time, resources and/or funding.
Can I submit the survey as a word document?
No, you need to use the online platform for submission, but if you prefer to fill it in off-line you can download a word version then cut and paste the answers.
To download the survey in word format first login and create your survey, then look for the ‘Export as Word document’ button on your platform homescreen.
Can I include embedded hyperlinks like this?
No, please make sure links are include in full. E.g. https://www.sustainweb.org/ not Sustain website.
For very long links, consider using a link shortener such as bit.ly
How do I share questions with colleagues?
You can give up to two fellow colleagues access to your survey. They will have the ability to add and edit responses and submit the completed survey.
- Add them when creating your survey.
- Or look for the blue ‘people with cog icon’ on your platform homepage and follow the prompts.
You can also email text from individual questions and the ‘Help answering this question’ to yourself by clicking on the envelope icon next to each question.
Additionalty download a word export of the whole survey if you find that easier to share. To download the survey in word format first login and create your survey, then look for the ‘Export as Word document’ button on your platform homescreen.
Can I upload a PDF document as part of my evidence?
For security reasons this is not possible - we recommend you upload the PDF to your own website and include a link.
How do I keep the results private?
You can choose to ‘publish’ the survey or not when you submit it. However we’d strongly encourage you to make your answers public by joining our Good Food Local results map to give you – and Sustain - the chance to celebrate areas you are doing well. You are in control of publishing and unpublishing at anytime
The survey has 5 sections. The ‘score’ at the end is just an average based on how you self-assessed your progress in each of the 5 sections, i.e. It reflects your own answers. There isn’t a numerical score added publicly, just a sliding scale as the emphasis is on allowing you to shout about what you are doing, not judging you on what you haven’t (yet) done. However authorities do report that it’s useful to understand where they are scoring lower as this generates ideas about where to focus, and when you download your report you will have this information to use internally.
My authority is in London – do I need to do this survey?
This is a shorter, streamlined national version of the London-specific survey which has run for a number of years. If you are from London you don’t need to do this survey.
My authority is in Wales or Scotland – do I need to do this survey?
Authorities in Wales or Scotland should hold off for now pending further conversation with food leads in your nations.
Good Food Local: Supporting local authorities to create more healthy and sustainable food systems in their local areas.
