Research commissioned by the Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales has revealed that people have more trust in Councillors than in State or Federal politicians. Results of the survey of people across the State were officially released in August at the launch of Local Government Week.
The research revealed people believe Local Government to be the most trustworthy, followed by Federal and then State politicians. Only 20 percent of survey participants thought State Government politicians were most trustworthy.
Local Government Association President, Councillor Doctor Sara Murray, said the results were not surprising, given that Local Government works so closely with its communities.
“Councillors dedicate an awful lot of time to their communities,” Councillor Murray said. “They actually know what the local issues are and they know what their communities want to achieve. Not only that, they do a good job of delivering what their community wants and that leads to a high level of trust. That degree of trust was especially pronounced among groups that have traditionally felt overlooked by government. Councillors were nominated as the most trustworthy politicians by 67 per cent of young people, 53 per cent of women and half of those in blue collar occupations.”
Shires Association President, Councillor Phyllis Miller, said Councillors’ good trust rating was well deserved.
“People know that Councillors have their interests at heart and that they really do work hard for their communities,” she said. “Regional and rural councils are doing it tough. They have tight budgets and vast areas to take care of, but the community trusts them because they get the job done. Councils have a way of making sure a community’s needs are met, and people respect that.”
The community perceptions survey also found that people think councils perform well and offer good value for money.
The final section of the survey assessed whether residents wanted to be notified of development in their neighbourhood. People were overwhelmingly in favour of being notified about nearby developments, and the closer the development was to their homes, the more adamant they were that they should be notified.
