How did Knox City Council fare in this year’s Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey?

Knox City Council's Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey results are in. PICTURE: ON FILE

Knox City Council asks the community each year how it thinks the council is performing in a number of areas as part of the statewide Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey.

Survey provider JWS contacted 400 residents to ask for their perceptions of Council’s performance, with about 60 per cent of respondents having had contact with the council over the past 12 months.

The results showed the perception of the council’s overall performance is significantly higher than the statewide average and on par with the metropolitan council average (scores of 56 and 62, respectively).

Art centres and libraries, recreational facilities and waste management are the areas where the council performed best.

The lowest perceptions of performance are in the areas of lobbying, consultation and engagement, and community decisions.

66 of 79 Victorian councils participated in the annual statewide survey.

When compared to other councils, Knox performed significantly higher than the statewide average in six of the 15 service areas measured.

There was a decline in perceptions of performance for sealed roads, waste management, value for money, appearance of public areas and local streets and footpaths. This trend was reflected in both metropolitan and statewide averages.

Factors influencing this trend include cost of living increases, statewide changes to waste services, and the condition of roads (including statewide arterial roads) due to significant bad weather over the last year and disruptions to maintenance and renewal over the last few years because of Covid-19.

This survey is one of the many ways the council gathers feedback about how customers are feeling about its services. A key component of the council’s customer strategy is to engage directly with our customers who use our services for readily actionable feedback.

The survey results will be used to inform the council’s plans and provide insight into ways to provide better service to residents.