Kingston Council receives a tick of approval from the community in the latest annual satisfaction survey
Residents across Kingston have given Council a high rating for overall performance in this year’s independent Community Satisfaction Survey.
Four hundred randomly selected Kingston households took part in the annual survey, co-ordinated by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions and conducted by independent group JWS Research in February and March this year.
Council’s overall performance score was 66, above the state-wide council average of 61.
“The new Council, which has been in place since November 2020, care passionately about supporting our community, working collaboratively, delivering high-quality services and providing value for ratepayers’ money,” Cr Staikos said. “This survey shows our residents recognise this focus, with our overall score five points higher than the state average.”
“It is particularly great to see that residents believe the decisions we make as a Council are in the best interests of the community, scoring us 65 – which is 10 points higher than last year.”
The Community Satisfaction Survey found Kingston performs significantly higher than the state-wide average on all service metrics, performing particularly strongly in the key areas of maintaining our local roads, value for money, and waste management – council is focused on improving our services on roads, rates and rubbish.
Most residents (52%) also rate the value for money they receive from Council in infrastructure and services provided to their community as ‘very good’ or ‘good’. Kingston rated significantly higher than the state-wide average in community consultation and engagement too.
Almost two thirds of the community believe Council is heading in the right direction, with residents aged 18 to 34-years-old the most satisfied with Council’s performance. Residents in the same age bracket also gave Council the highest rating for customer service – with the overall rating in this area remaining stable with just a one-point change from last year.
Mayor Staikos said Kingston believed it was important for all Councils to take part in the survey, to check-in with residents and take on board their feedback. “We at Kingston always want to learn which areas we can improve on and it’s vital that we hear from our community to ensure we can make changes where necessary,” said Cr Staikos.
“I am pleased to see that since the last survey we have also seen a four-point increase in Council’s performance rating in consultation and engagement.”
“Consultation is an area we have committed to building on, this year we have worked very closely with the community to develop our new Community Vision. For the first time, a representative community panel was given the power to develop their own vision, with Council committing to adopt it with no changes. This is something as Councillors we are all really proud of.”
The panel’s recommendations will also help Council draft the four-year Council Plan, Public Health and Wellbeing Plan and 10-year plans for how we manage the city’s finances and assets.
