Community Satisfaction Survey Results Released

Published on 18 July 2022

Council has received its results from the Community Satisfaction Survey, an independent survey that measures how Council is perceived by the community. The survey also helps Council to gain insight into the community’s satisfaction with Council’s leadership and its delivery of key services.

Council’s overall performance score of 56 is significantly lower than 2021, and more similar to its performance in previous years, as well as the ‘large rural group average’ score of 55.

The survey report produced by JWS Research states that “despite the decline in perceptions of Council direction in 2022, Colac Otway Shire residents have significantly more positive views on Council direction than residents in the Large Rural group overall”.

“Our Council has continued to work with partners and the community in responding to Covid-19 and it was pleasing to see this work positively recognised through the survey,” Mayor Kate Hanson said.

“We have also continued to perform significantly higher than our peers in elderly support services, family support services and locals streets/footpaths,” says Mayor Hanson. “It’s important that we perform well in these services, which are essential to the everyday lives of many people in our shire.”

For the second year in a row, Council has also maintained its highest recorded rating for performance on appearance of public areas.

The survey results show that almost a third of residents (31%) rate the value for money they receive from Council in infrastructure and services provided to their community as ‘very good’ or ‘good’, however residents from ‘Apollo Bay and Surrounds’ consistently rated Council’s performance lower than other residents.

“We can see that the Apollo Bay and Surrounds are less satisfied with our services, including those that are delivered to the same level and at the same cost,” says Mayor Hanson. “Council is keen to understand what is influencing their perception and will be engaging with the community in coming months to explore this further.”

The Community Satisfaction Survey was a phone survey of 400 residents from across the Shire conducted by an independent market research agency from 27 January to 24 March 2022.

The state-wide average comparisons highlighted planning and building permits, sealed local roads and unsealed roads as areas for improvement.

Council requested that further information be sought from the 270 survey respondents that rated the performance of sealed local roads as ‘average’, ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ to gain more in depth understanding of this area. Of the top 20 roads of concern, only two are managed by Council.

Of the 248 survey respondents that rated the performance of Council’s planning and building permits as ‘average’, ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, 204 did not have a planning or building permit application in the previous year, but thought that permits took too long and the processes were too complicated.

“We’re doing many things well, but our community would like us to do better and we hear that message clearly,” says chief executive officer Anne Howard. “Our organisation knows the services we deliver are important and we are committed to making meaningful improvements in the way we go about our work.”