Increasing satisfaction with Council services and facilities

Published on 21 March 2023

Maribyrnong residents have expressed increasing satisfaction with 39 services and facilities Council delivers on behalf of its community – with an average satisfaction rating of 7.30, or ‘very good’, in the 2022 Annual Community Survey.

Eight services and facilities, also identified as most important to the community, scored measurably higher than this average. They are: library services (8.59), fortnightly recycling collection (8.53), weekly garbage collection (8.43), fortnightly green waste collection (8.33), annual hard rubbish collection (8.22), Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre (7.94), the provision and maintenance of playgrounds (7.99), and community centres/neighbourhood houses (7.94).

Services that received scores lower than the average included: public toilets (6.57), maintenance and repair of sealed local roads (6.63), and footpath maintenance and repairs (6.72).

While acknowledging improvements can still be made, Mayor Councillor Sarah Carter welcomed the shift in sentiment, with this Survey also notably recording the lowest number of dissatisfied residents (7.6%) on record.

“It is pleasing to see a greater understanding and appreciation from our community generally around the work we are doing. That’s not to say we don’t recognise there is still room for improvement, or other areas where the community would like to see us up our game,” she said.

Consistent with the top three issues identified in previous years, traffic management, road maintenance and repairs, and car parking remain the three top issues “at the moment” for Council to address. They were also the areas more than half the respondents (58.4%) indicated they would support Council spending more, or much more, funding on.

“It is heartening to see a level of understanding and acceptance of the need for Council to be funded appropriately to deliver the services the community is asking of us, at a level that meets their needs – recognising also the challenges we face balancing revenue against expenses,” Mayor Carter added.

54.2% of respondents also supported increased funding for “sustainability and the environment”.

Overall satisfaction recorded in the 2022 Survey dipped slightly for the second year in a row to 6.76 (out of 10). This is below the previous high three years ago of 6.93 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), but still well above the previous low of 6.11 recorded in 2014, and a 10.6% increase in overall performance since surveying began in 2004.

Negative comments relating to rates or financial management also decreased significantly from 12.3% in 2020 to 4.6%.

Other findings of note included:

• An increase in satisfaction with the appearance and quality of new developments at 6.78, which is the second highest rating in over a decade, reversing the decline recorded in 2021 and notably above the long-term average satisfaction of 6.39;
• A statistically significant increase to historic highs around the community perception of safety in public areas during the day (8.60), travelling or waiting for public transport (7.77), and around Highpoint (8.36) and Braybrook shopping centres (7.76), and in around the Footscray CBD during the day (7.70);
• On average households generally feel they are now coping financially, physically and mentally post the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with last year. A small proportion (6.2%) are still not coping well. Consistent with results from the last two surveys, the main area respondents felt Council could continue to provide assistance to help the community rebuild and reconnect focused on community activities such as fetes, concerts and BBQ’s (10.1% up from 9.8% in 2021, which was also a doubling in support from 5% in 2020).

800 randomly selected households took part in the Annual Survey which was undertaken in October through to December 2020, with a return to face to face for the first time in two years since COVID-19 forced a shift to a phone survey.

The Survey is a requirement of all local governments in Victoria, providing opportunity for councils and communities to view the overall findings and trends for service areas covered. Overall satisfaction dipped slightly for the second year in a row to 6.76 (out of 10), below the previous high three years ago of 6.93 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). Though this is still well above the previous low of 6.11 recorded in 2014 and a 10.6% increase in overall performance since surveying began in 2004.

For more information and to read a copy of the Survey, visit Maribyrnong.vic.gov.au

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