Pleasing Community Satisfaction Survey results for Council

Northern Grampians Shire Council noted the results of the 2024 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey at its Council meeting on 5 August. 

The survey, which was conducted by JWS Research, assessed the overall performance, value for money, community engagement, decision-making, customer service, infrastructure, and council direction.  

“This is very valuable data for us,” Councillor Haswell, Mayor of Northern Grampians Shire Council said. “We get a picture of our overall performance according to the 400 people in the shire who were surveyed, and we get a picture of how we are performing on a statewide basis and compared to other small rural councils, (Small Rural Group). 

“We were very pleased with the results, while noting some room for improvement. Our overall performance score improved from last year and exceeded the Small Rural Group average.  

“We had strong results in delivering value for money and overall direction compared to both the Small Rural Group and statewide averages; significant improvement in waste management and strong customer service with a score above the statewide average.”  

The lowest-performing area included in the survey is the condition of sealed local roads. 

There were differences in perception between Stawell and St Arnaud residents in some areas and the desire to continue and strive to do better was broadly acknowledged by council. 

"Council is continuously seeking to effectively engage with individual communities in ways that work for them, on issues that impact their lives. We're looking forward to continuing to work with the communities, including St Arnaud on projects such as integrated early years, the St Arnaud pool, and multicultural and youth action," Councillor Haswell added.