Satisfaction with City of Melbourne's vital services has hit a five year high.
Local Government Victoria's latest community satisfaction survey shows City of Melbourne's overall performance has increased to its highest level since 2016.
Melbourne outperformed the state-wide average in six of the eight core performance measures, with customer service leading the charge. Among those residents who have had contact with Council, 73% provided a positive customer service rating of 'very good' or 'good'.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was encouraging to see hundreds of residents respond positively to Council's ambitious agenda to protect, improve and promote public health and wellbeing - but flagged there was plenty more work to be done to help the city bounce back from lockdown six.
"These results provide a valuable snapshot of what we're doing well and where we can improve, to continue delivering the best outcomes for local residents," the Lord Mayor said.
"We want to bring people with us every step of the way - that's why we're planning Council meetings in local neighbourhoods, and calling for community feedback as we move forward with bold, city shaping projects like Greenline.
"The City of Melbourne is lucky to have diverse neighbourhoods with incredible histories and passionate community members, and we're working hard to address their unique needs and aspirations."
The Lord Mayor said providing additional support for local business owners is a key priority, which is why Council has expanded the Business Concierge service. More than 23,500 inbound and outbound connections have been made with businesses since the service was introduced in 2020.
The latest community satisfaction results show a promising upward trend with performance perceptions among residents improving across all individual service areas.
City of Melbourne significantly outperformed the state-wide average on overall performance, value for money in services and infrastructure, overall council direction, sealed local roads, community decisions, consultation and engagement.
Waste management was the highest performing service area, providing further proof that Melburnians have embraced their new food and garden organics collection service.
Overall performance in 2021 was rated most favourably by 18 to 34 year olds and non-CBD residents. Perceptions of overall performance improved across most demographic groups since last year, especially women and non-CBD residents.
Almost half of all residents have had contact with Council in the last 12 months, with contact highest among residents aged over 50 years.
The survey, conducted by the Office of Local Government, compiles community feedback on councils and was based on interviews with 400 residents and ratepayers across the municipality between February and March.
The 2021 Community Satisfaction Survey can be found at Council community satisfaction survey (localgovernment.vic.gov.au).
