The City of Albany’s reputation in the community has improved significantly in the past 18 months, according to new research.
A Community Perception Survey commissioned by the City of Albany was conducted by consultant Catalyse in February
this year.
The purpose of the telephone survey was to gain an understanding of what the community wants from its local government, and also to measure community perception of key services and projects as laid out in the City’s Community Strategic Plan.
A previous benchmark survey was conducted by Catalyse about 18 months ago. The new survey shows community perception has improved in nearly
every category.
The City of Albany was ranked as an industry leader among participating local governments in several areas, including library services, promotion of history and heritage, economic development and tourism.
Generally, 93 percent of respondents were satisfied with Albany as a place to live, up from 90 percent in 2013.
73 percent of respondents were satisfied with the City of Albany as a governing organisation, a 15 percent point increase since 2013.
Perception of how the city centre was being developed jumped from 52 percent in 2013 to 80 percent in 2015.
City of Albany CEO Graham Foster said the results were gratifying and showed that the City of Albany was on the right path.
“It is fantastic to see that the City of Albany has made such great strides across so many areas.
“The results reflect the significant steps that the City has taken over the past several years towards improving our services.
“We have also tried hard to improve the way we communicate and engage with the community.
“However, the purpose of this research is not to pat ourselves on the back, it is to identify which areas are lacking so we can provide special focus to those areas. There is still a lot of room for improvement.
“While it is wonderful to receive acknowledgement, it is incumbent upon us as an organisation to now respond with deeds and demonstrate that we have listened.”
Mr Foster thanked the community for its support and promised staff and Councillors would continue to strive towards making further improvements.
