Good decision making is achieved by seeking information and evidence to inform choices. For Council the information that comes directly from our community is vital in providing the right level of service.
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This information is gathered in multiple ways including the annual Community Satisfaction Survey, formal community engagement and more informal interaction within community networks.
Councillors were recently briefed on the results of the 2017 Community Satisfaction Survey and were pleased to learn that overall satisfaction with the work of Council has improved over the last year.
Some 57% of residents indicated they had noticed an improvement in local roads over the last 12 months, which was a sizable increase on the previous two years.
The random telephone survey of just over 400 adult residents living in the Shire is conducted by an independent research company. It is statistically valid across locations and age groups and provides a fantastic basis to guide us in where we should direct resources.
Over the last year satisfaction has increased significantly across a number of areas including community safety initiatives; bridges, footpaths and cycleways; unsealed roads and flood management. These are all areas where additional funding has been specifically directed and it’s great to see that having an impact.
The survey also measures the gaps in what the community expects of Council against the perception of what we are delivering, for 21 of our most common services. Significant improvements in meeting expectations have been recorded for parks, reserves and playgrounds; quality of the Kempsey Town Centre and public spaces; sporting facilities and; garbage and recyclables.
Customer contact, ability to handle enquiries and resolve issues as well as involve the community in sharing their opinion ahead of decision making, have been identified through the survey as areas for improvement.
All staff have recently undertaken customer service training.