City of Greater Geelong has released the results of the annual Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey, which it says shows positive results for the city along with areas for improvement.
The Council’s overall performance rating of 58 out of 100 dropped to 56 in the latest survey – bringing the city in line with the statewide average.
The survey results found the Council had performed as well as or significantly higher compared to the regional centre averages in 20 out of 25 service areas, and state-wide averages in 22 out of 25 service areas.
“The survey provides valuable insight into where the Council is doing well, and where attention is needed,” said Mayor, Trent Sullivan.
“Relative to scores for like councils and across Victoria, there are many aspects of these results that are positive, but we also note the overall drop from last year.
“We aim to be a high performing Council and organisation, so we will take these results very seriously and will aim to achieve improvements in the areas highlighted, in order to lift our overall performance rating next year,” he said.
A total of 600 respondents participated in the survey, conducted by Local Government Victoria on behalf of councils between 16 June 2022 and 19 March 2023. Respondents were asked to rate the City’s performance on core measures, and the importance and performance of service areas.
The survey found the council’s top-rated areas, largely unchanged from 2022, were arts centres and libraries (75), customer service (73), waste management (70), and recreational facilities (69).
Seven in 10 residents (70%) provided a positive customer service rating of ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
Tourism development represented the City’s highest rating increase, rising from 62 in 2022 to 67 this year.
Council’s Value for Money result was significantly higher than the regional and state-wide averages.
The unsealed roads category was the council’s lowest rating service but was still significantly higher than the state-wide average and in line with regional centres, Council said in a statement. In addition, 17% of Greater Geelong residents suggested sealed road maintenance needed improvement.
Other areas for improvement reflect the theme of growth – including town planning policy, and population growth.
The biggest influence on community perception of Council’s overall performance was found to be good communication and transparency with residents about decisions Council has made in the community’s interest.
Council’s Acting CEO, Kaarina Phyland said the results will be used to benchmark the organisation’s performance and will assist in strategic planning.
“With rising financial pressures affecting all levels of government, we are facing significant challenges in delivering the expected level of service across a number of areas,” she said.
“The survey provides important insight into the services and infrastructure that matter most to our ratepayers and helps us to continue refining what we do, in line with our aim to be a financially sustainable organisation that provides high quality service to the community in the most efficient way we can.”
The Council’s final report and a summary of results are available to view online here.
