Overall satisfaction with Council services increases

Overall satisfaction with the Christchurch City Council’s services is increasing, the Council’s biannual residents’ survey shows.

In the survey conducted in March this year, 79% of those surveyed indicated they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the performance of the Christchurch City Council in delivering its services. This is a 4% increase over the survey conducted in September 2007.

“Christchurch is still a fabulous place to live, and if that is thanks to the Council then so be it,” said one respondent, while another said: “They do a very good job. I’m happy with the way the Christchurch City Council looks after the city.” Others commented positively on a number of services provided by the Council including libraries, parks, festivals and events and cycleways.

The Council began surveying residents annually in 1991 to gauge customer satisfaction and residents’ perceptions of city issues. In 2007, the decision was made to switch to a biannual format so that the Council could better track and respond to emerging issues in the community.

The March 2008 survey was conducted among a representative sample of 770 residents aged 15 years and over

The residents surveyed identified parks and recreation areas as the service they felt the Council was doing best in delivering. Satisfaction with the Botanic Gardens increased by 6% to 92% with local parks at 88% satisfaction.

The satisfaction with Central library increased by 4% to 71% while 79% of respondents are satisfied with community libraries and 91% with events and festivals.

Christchurch’s water supply continues to rate highly with the city’s residents with 96% saying they were satisfied with the taste of the water and 89% with its pressure However the survey identified that the Council could do more to encourage residents to use less water during summer.

“The results are not surprising. As an organisation it is important we deliver services to the level expected by ratepayers. This survey highlights that we are very much on track in many areas,” Council Chief Executive Tony Marryatt says.

“Of course, we will keep a close eye on the areas our residents are most concerned about, such as road congestion and boy racers.”

The main concerns respondents want Council to prioritise include: traffic control and road congestion; rubbish collection; development of parks, waterways and recreation areas; road conditions, trees, and poor footpaths and street lighting; and boy racers

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