Whittlesea residents believe waste management, local streets and footpaths, and the appearance of public areas are issues that council should be focusing on, the latest Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey has revealed.
The survey, which is carried out by the state government on behalf of 68 participating councils, reveals community satisfaction levels with the performance of councils in areas such as community consultation, customer service and council direction.
More than 400 Whittlesea residents were surveyed during February and March last year.
Hume council does not take part in the survey.
The survey revealed that Whittlesea council was performing better than its city neighbours, with its scores all above the state and interface averages.
Residents scored the council 63 for overall performance, which is higher than the average interface council score of 60 and the state average of 59.
The council’s top performing area was customer service (72). The state and interface average is 69.
It’s second highest performing area was sealed local roads (62), although its score was two points lower than in 2016.
According to the results, south-west ward residents aged between 35-49 years old are the least happy with the council’s management of sealed local roads.
The survey also revealed improvements in residents’ perception of the council’s advocacy work and how it makes decisions on behalf of the community.
Mayor Ricky Kirkham said while the council was pleased with the overall results, it would not be resting on its laurels.
“We know we still have work to do and can always make improvements,” he said.
“We will continue to listen and to refine our processes to ensure we are working with our community to provide what they need.”
