Public satisfaction with Queensland’s local councils is on the increase according to a comprehensive survey of attitudes towards local government.
The findings suggest that people are rating the performance of their council better than they did when the last survey was taken two years ago, and is the best result in six years.
The survey, commissioned by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), found that people were generally more satisfied with their council’s performance in delivering services they rated as very important, such as roads, garbage collection and water and sewerage services.
LGAQ President Margaret de Wit said the survey results showed the performance of local councils demonstrated they had a closer understanding of what their community expected from local service delivery.
“This is one of the best results for councils since the LGAQ began this survey 17 years ago,’’ she said.
“It shows community satisfaction ratings for some local councils are at their highest since 2003.’’
Conducted by research company Market Facts, the survey is the ninth in a series establishing community satisfaction benchmarking of council performance. The first survey was conducted in 1997.
The survey results suggested councils whose performance has been most improved in the eyes of their community were those based in regional coastal centres and on the fringes of Queensland’s metropolitan southeast.
Brisbane recorded a slight overall decline in community satisfaction from a very high base, according to the survey, but ranked highest in the state when it came to handling disaster events and recovery.
The survey suggests that public satisfaction with a range of council activities, including basic services and infrastructure and community lifestyle services, has improved markedly since the last of these surveys in 2011.
Councillor de Wit urged councils to take note of the survey results and work to further improve their performance on activities the community regarded as important, such as financial management and community engagement.
“These are good results but no council can afford to rest on its laurels. Meeting community expectations is a constant challenge for all governments but no more so than for local government.”
