Latrobe City Council has received its 2022/23 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey results.
The Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey is conducted annually and asks the opinions of local people about the place they live, work and play, and provides confidence for councils in their efforts and abilities.
The survey includes eight core measures which are, overall performance, value for money, community consultation, making community decisions, sealed local roads, waste management, customer service and overall council direction.
Latrobe City Council scored 59 from a possible score of 100 in overall council performance. This is above the state-wide average of 56 and above the average for regional centres of 56. It is also on par with the 2021/22 results.
Compared to the group average, Council performed significantly higher by the widest margin in Arts centres and Libraries, Recreational Facilities and Waste Management. Art centres and libraries (index score of 79) continues to be Council's top-rated service area, maintaining the strong improvements made in previous years. Customer service received an exceptional score (72) which is also an improvement on last year's results. (66).
Latrobe City Council Mayor Cr Kellie O'Callaghan said the survey provides incredible insights about Council's performance and community sentiment towards different divisions.
"Council's services have achieved above state-wide average in several core measure groups. The survey results reflected Council's motivation towards the 2021-2025 Council Plan, where the community vision is to create a smart, creative, healthy, sustainable, and connected region," said the Mayor.
"It's wonderful to see such a high standard being delivered across various disciplines, especially in customer service. We value our Latrobe City residents and would like to those who were contacted for taking the time to participated in this survey."
Areas of improvement included parking facilities, the condition of local streets and footpaths and consultation and engagement. The 2023 results show community satisfaction across all eight core measures has decreased over the past year, highlighting the challenges facing the local government sector as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and downturns in the economy.
"While results are mostly positive, we will also be looking at how we can improve. Council officers will develop an Action Plan to ensure we are concentrating our efforts in areas that will make the biggest impact to our community," said the Mayor.
The Community Satisfaction Survey was conducted by the Victorian Government's provider JWS Research. The survey sample involved 400 residents with a demographic profile that matched the local community.
A summary of the 2022/23 Community Satisfaction Results is available at https://www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/communitysatisfaction
