Thumbs up in Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey

Following a year like no other, this year’s community satisfaction survey results are in and reveal some positive news for Maroondah.

According to the latest independent survey results, Maroondah is rated higher compared to the average rating for councils statewide, outperforming in six key performance areas:

The Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey is one of the many engagement methods used by Council to track its performance and community perceptions of its service delivery.

The survey was conducted by phone throughout February and March 2021 and involved a total of 400 Maroondah residents being randomly selected to provide their feedback. Indexed scores are measured out of 100.

It is important to note that part of the survey period coincided with Victoria entering its third COVID-19 lockdown on 12 February.

When it comes to ‘value for money’, Council rated six points higher (60) than the state average (54), while ‘overall performance’ was four points higher (65) compared with the average rating for councils statewide (61).

The ‘condition of sealed roads’ is where Maroondah outperformed, rating 10 points higher (67) than the state average (57).

Council’s performance on a range of indicators has also improved over the past 12 months.

Gains were significant in the areas of recreational facilities, emergency and disaster management, family support services, and disadvantaged support services. This is a positive result for Council.

Recreational facilities (index score of 79) is the area where Council performed best in 2021, improving by a significant 3 index points from 2020. This is significantly higher than the metropolitan group and state averages for councils in this service area (index scores of 75 and 71 respectively).

Waste management and art centres and libraries are Council’s next highest rated service areas, each with an index score of 74.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Kylie Spears, said she was pleased with results, with most core measures either consistent with or surpassing the average scores for similar-sized councils.

“These latest results provide important and invaluable insight as to how well residents feel Council is performing in areas such as community consultation and engagement, customer service, lobbying on behalf of the community, overall direction and performance,” Cr Spears said.

“We appreciate everyone who took the time to contribute to the survey. These results provide strong evidence that Council’s service delivery is highly valued, and we will continue strive towards improving our services and reaching even higher standards,” she said.

The Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey is an initiative of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and was conducted via telephone by independent agency JWS Research.

To view the latest results, visit