Independent company Research Resource has been tasked with gathering the views of a wide range of people and will be carrying out interviews with local residents. Properties will be selected at random and, if a resident is selected, an interviewer will call at their home to conduct a short interview that will take around 30 minutes.

In addition, the team from Research Resource are holding a drop-in event at New Cumnock town hall between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday 6 August, where residents can complete the survey with an interviewer. Residents can also fill out the survey online.

Councillor Jim McMahon, spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities, said: “I believe very strongly in our house building programme and the importance of ensuring that all of our communities have access to homes that are appropriate for their needs. I therefore proposed at full council that a housing need and demand survey be carried out in New Cumnock, which was supported by all elected members.

“I am really pleased that this survey is getting underway soon. The results will help to inform decisions that will be taken at cabinet later this year on the house building programme so I ask that the community of New Cumnock take a few minutes of their time to give us their views. The survey is completely anonymous and no individual feedback will be provided to the council.”