Satisfaction with Council services and facilities remains steady in 2017 Community Survey

Released 13 November 2017

The community’s level of satisfaction with Council services and facilities has remained steady over the past two years.

Residents from across the Local Government Area took part in the 2017 Community Survey, with 77 per cent somewhat satisfied with Council’s performance, on par with the 2015 survey result of 80 per cent.

“Overall, there was at least a moderate level of satisfaction with most of Council’s services and facilities,” General Manager James Bolton said.

“Twenty of the 27 services and facilities tested received a mean score of three or more out of five.”

“The Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Museum of the Riverina, Civic Theatre and Wagga Wagga City Library were rated highly by the community, with a 97 per cent level of satisfaction.”

The community survey is undertaken about every two years by an independent research provider and measures Council’s performance against the priorities identified in the Community Strategic Plan (CSP). This year’s survey was the first since the new CSP Wagga View was adopted and included new or updated questions.

Mr Bolton said the results where there was a gap between the satisfaction and importance scores helped Council identify opportunities to improve.

“The survey results help us plan for the future by allowing us to understand how we can better allocate resources, and improve both service levels and strategic planning,” General Manager James Bolton said.

“The key areas for improvement are maintenance of local roads, financial management, long-term planning for Wagga Wagga, car parking and maintenance of footpaths.

“We are already starting to see a lot of changes in some of these areas. The Wagga Wagga Integrated Transport Strategy 2040 has been adopted and the implementation plan will roll out, while the Activation Strategy and Recreation and Open Space and Community Strategy will also ensure Wagga Wagga grows sustainably.”

The independent survey was conducted through a random phone sample of 500 residents that represent the community’s demographics based on the 2016 Census data. The survey was also offered online with no significant variation in the phone and online survey. Visit  www.wagga.nsw.gov.au/communitysurvey to view the full survey results.