Community satisfaction survey provides valuable insights for council

Ninety-three percent of residents enjoy living in the Central Highlands, according to council’s latest community satisfaction survey.

The bi-annual survey was administered by independent market research consultants Enhance Research and aimed to gather valuable feedback on local government services and facilities.

The consultants made 398 random telephone calls across the region between 5 and 22 February 2019, with the demographic spread across age, gender and location.

Mayor Kerry Hayes thanked those residents who participated in the survey.

‘We sincerely value the views and feedback of our community and are committed to continuously improving our services, infrastructure and facilities in line with community needs and expectations,’ he said.

‘I acknowledge those community members that took the time to be involved in this process and am very pleased to see that council has met all three of our key performance indicators.’

The key performance results were:

71% [target 70%] of residents are satisfied with the level of community facilities and services provided by council. 70% [target >50%] of residents are satisfied with the key characteristics of their community. 93% [target >50%] enjoy living in the Central Highlands region.

Some other major findings of the survey included:

Residents are most satisfied with education (66%), signs and road markings (71%), rubbish collection (78%), sewerage (74%) and libraries (76%). 3 in 4 residents who contacted council had their query or business adequately answered or resolved. Satisfaction with rates paid, value for money and the aesthetics of the region have remained stable.

Mayor Hayes said the survey also identified several priority areas for improvement, including some state government services to continue lobbying for.

These included:

Public/community transportation Maintenance of rural sealed and gravel roads Drainage Environmental protection and conservation Cultural and entertainment facilities Economic development/local employment

Mayor Hayes said the results would help guide council as they look to future projects and advocacy opportunities.