Greater Shepparton City Council’s Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey for 2021/2022 has shown positive results, with the highest Overall Performance rating since records began in 2012.
It comes after Council experienced a tough year with staff shortages and having to operate its Customer Service Counter at reduced hours, which has been a challenge for both the organisation and the wider community.
The 2021/2022 results place Council at the top end of the scale across the state, however Council’s Director Corporate Services, Chris Teitzel, acknowledged that there was still a lot of work needed to be done.
“The Community Satisfaction Survey results this year were positive which is fantastic to see however we know how challenging the past 12 months have been,” he said.
“Unfortunately we have had to operate our Customer Service Counter at reduced opening hours due to staff shortages and the ongoing effects of the pandemic, so we thank the community for being so understanding during this time.”
Of this year’s Community Satisfaction Survey results, 44 of the 50 results were higher than those from 2020/2021, while three remained the same. The indicators with the largest increase over the past 12 months included financial management, payment arrangements, events and festivals, the transfer station and annual property rates.
A total of 76 per cent of residents said they were satisfied with the performance of Council, while nearly three in 10 residents thought that Council’s performance had improved.
Overall Council services and facilities recorded an index score of 67 making it the top performing area for 2021/2022. Reputation also improved by four points with an index score of 60.
Residents were given a chance to provide their feedback and opinions on the performance of Council via the survey, which was conducted quarterly by Thinkfield.
Thinkfield used Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) as a random probability survey of residents aged 18+ years in Greater Shepparton. They also utilised face-to-face consultation throughout the Shepparton CBD. Thinkfield conducted 200 interviews each quarter, resulting in 800 residents providing feedback throughout the 12-month period.
Based on the data, the three indicators which received lower scores in 2021/2022 compared to the previous 12 months were the condition of sealed local roads, customer service and building control. Mr Teitzel said these results were the most important as they allow Council to better understand whether it is meeting community expectations of the services it provides.
“The survey aims to gather impressions on all of the services, facilities and activities Council provides. It provides insight into ways Council can improve service delivery, and all information gathered is used to provide ongoing improvements for Greater Shepparton,” he said.
“It is good for us to see where the community would like to see improvements, as this helps shape our future direction. Council thanks everyone who took part in the survey, your feedback is extremely important.”
