Greater Shepparton City Council’s Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey 2019/20 has shown the joint-highest Overall Satisfaction rating since records began in 2012, with 72 per cent of residents satisfied with the performance of Council, resulting in an index score of 62.
Residents were offered a chance to provide their feedback and opinions on the performance of Council via the survey, which was conducted quarterly in September 2019, December 2019, March 2020 and June 2020.
In Community Consultation, Council registered a satisfaction index score of 55, giving Council a higher score than the regional centre average (54) for the second consecutive year.
Council also scored well in Advocacy with an index score of 54, which was two points higher than the regional centre average and one point higher than the state-wide average. Greater Shepparton residents are also happy with the Customer Service provided by Council, with a higher index score of 72.
Sealed Local Roads, with an index score of 57, was the joint-highest score Council has received since this section of the survey was introduced in 2016. This result is two points higher than regional centres and three points higher than the state-wide average.
The overall direction of Council received an index rating of 57, which was down three points on last year, but six points above the state-wide average. Making Community Decisions was also down from 2019, with an index score of 52. Events and Festivals (73) and Playgrounds (76) registered the same index score as 2019.
The highest index scores received on services and facilities were weekly household rubbish collection (83), sports fields (82), recycling collection (80), immunisations (80), maternal and child health (77) and the library (77).
Council continued to engage Thinkfield to conduct the Community Satisfaction Survey. Thinkfield used Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) as a random probability survey of residents aged 18+ years in Greater Shepparton.
Thinkfield conducted 200 interviews each quarter, resulting in 800 residents providing feedback throughout the 12-month period.
The same survey conducted 800 interviews in 2018-19, 500 in 2017-18 and 400 interviews in the years prior, with additional interviews enabling more accurate results.
Greater Shepparton City Council Director Corporate Services, Chris Teitzel, said the survey is an important measure for Council to understand whether it is meeting community expectations of the services it provides.
“The survey aims to gather impressions on a number of services, facilities and activities the Council provides,” Mr Teitzel said.
“It provides insight into ways Council can improve service delivery, and all information gathered will be used to provide ongoing improvements for Greater Shepparton.”
“Council thanks everyone who took part in the survey, your feedback is extremely important in the future of our region.”
The next survey will commence on Monday 14 September 2020.
Compared to previous years
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Performance | 62 | 62 | 62 | 52 | 49 | 57 | 58 | 51 | 55 |
| Community Consultation | 54 | 55 | 57 | 53 | 51 | 58 | 59 | 55 | 56 |
| Advocacy | 54 | 57 | 59 | 51 | 49 | 56 | 62 | 54 | 55 |
| Making Community Decisions | 52 | 53 | 54 | 49 | 46 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 0 |
| Customer Service | 72 | 71 | 71 | 66 | 60 | 69 | 72 | 70 | 68 |
| Sealed Local Roads | 57 | 57 | 55 | 40 | 48 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall Council Direction | 57 | 60 | 64 | 53 | 44 | 54 | 59 | 51 | 51 |
Compared to other councils
| GSCC | Regional Centres | State-Wide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Performance | 62 | 56 | 58 |
| Community Consultation | 54 | 51 | 55 |
| Advocacy | 54 | 52 | 53 |
| Making Community Decisions | 52 | 50 | 53 |
| Customer Service | 72 | 70 | 70 |
| Sealed Local Roads | 57 | 55 | 54 |
| Overall Council Direction | 57 | 50 | 51 |
