Brimbank council should focus on improving its performance and service, the latest Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey has found.
The result of 400 phone interviews with residents during February and March, the survey revealed the council’s overall performance and direction took a dive compared to last year’s results.
Co-ordinated by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the annual survey measures the council’s performance in seven core areas and 23 services.
Satisfaction declines were underpinned by a falling approval rating from the 18-34 age group, according to survey analysts JWS Research, which also found “younger residents are less likely to personally use many of council’s services”.
JWSR said the council should note there were “many service areas where importance exceeds performance” by more than 10 points, including the condition of streets and footpaths (its worst-performing area), making decisions in the interest of the community, elderly support services and planning for population growth. The council performed best in the areas of waste management and art centres and libraries.
Its overall performance was described as “generally stable” compared to last year’s results, with overall council direction the only core issue experiencing “a significant decline in performance”.
JWSR also found a mail-out newsletter “remains, by far, the preferred form of communication for residents, young and old”. However, the council stopped printing its quarterly newsletter in March.
The condition of sealed local roads also took a dive, according to residents surveyed, with JWSR finding feedback from Keilor people was “responsible for much of the decline”, while Sunshine residents gave the most glowing account of council in this area.
Brimbank administrators’ chairman John Watson was pleased that the council scored higher than the state average for overall performance, community consultation, sealed local roads, customer service and overall direction.
“Council notes that, compared to the Melbourne metro results, its 2015 performance was rated lower for overall performance, advocacy, making community decisions and sealed local roads, which needs to be monitored in future years,” he said.
Results: www.brimbank.vic.gov.au
