The latest Community Satisfaction Survey for Swan Hill Rural City Council has been released, showing improved community confidence in Council's overall performance and direction, with positive gains recorded across several key service areas.
Overall Council performance increased to a score of 57, a 6% increase from the previous year, with community perceptions of Council's direction and the way public funds are managed also showing improvement.
Council's CEO, Scott Barber said the results reflected progress being made while also providing valuable insight into areas requiring ongoing focus. It is encouraging that our Council is also 7.5% higher than the average for large rural Councils.
"Community feedback is incredibly important to Council and this year's results show positive movement in several key areas, including overall performance, planning and building permits, waste management and how we keep our community informed.
"We are encouraged to see an improvement in overall performance and recognition of services residents rely on every day, particularly waste management, family support services and the appearance of public areas," Mr Barber said.
The survey identified waste management as Council's strongest-performing service area, followed by the appearance of public areas, community events & cultural activities, and family support services.
One of the strongest improvements was recorded in planning and building permits, which increased by 31% from the previous year. Streamlining process around housing construction will continue to be a key focus for Council.
The results also highlighted areas where Council will continue to focus attention, including road maintenance, opportunities for community feedback and ensuring decisions are seen to be in the best interests of the community.
Mr Barber said the survey found residents continued to place the highest importance on maintenance of unsealed roads, waste management, emergency and disaster management, and Council decision-making in the interest of the community.
"The way residents prefer to receive information is also shifting, with social media and newsletters via social media emerging as the most preferred communication channels.
"We're committed to improving how we engage with our community, listening to feedback and ensuring residents are informed about Council services, projects and opportunities to get involved," he said.
The Community Satisfaction Survey, initiated and managed by the State government, is an independently conducted telephone survey of 400 residents, providing an important snapshot of community sentiment and enabling Council to benchmark its performance against councils across Victoria.
Mr Barber said while Council welcomed the positive upward trend in results, noting that the survey was only one measure of performance.
"While we are pleased to see improvements in community confidence, Council also considers a range of other measures when assessing overall performance and community satisfaction," he said.
"This includes direct community engagement, service data, project delivery, customer feedback and ongoing conversations with our communities to ensure we are meeting local needs and expectations," he added.
Council's Mayor, Cr Stuart King thanked everyone who participated in the survey, noting that it provides an important opportunity for the community to have its voice heard.
"The Community Satisfaction Survey is the voice of our community, and we hear what our residents are telling us.
"It is great to understand that our community scored the current direction of our Council, more positively than results received by most of the Councils across Victoria.
"Each year the survey helps to guide Council's ongoing commitment to continuous improvement by identifying community priorities and areas for focus. The feedback we receive plays a vital role in shaping our decisions, services and future planning, ensuring we continue to deliver outcomes that matter most to our community," Cr King concluded.
Click here to find out more about the Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey
