22 July 2011

Residents Continue To Rate Council Services Highly

This is the 16th year the Council has conducted the NRB survey and again Porirua residents say they are happy with most Council services, facilities and performance.

"Services that consistently rank very highly include water supply; the sewage system and parks, public gardens and reserves which all ranked above 90% satisfaction," says Mayor Nick Leggett.

"What's interesting is seeing how a new facility like Te Rauparaha Arena has grown significantly in use and in satisfaction by the community since its opening in 2009. The community has also made it clear that swimming pools are increasingly more important to them and this is especially noticeable in the last two years."

He says it was pleasing to see that the majority of residents are satisfied with the way rates were spent (76%), an increase that continues an upward trend that started in 2007.

Mayor Leggett says the aggregate results from all 16 surveys will be important as the Council begins discussions for the next Long Term Plan.

"This year we included a new question in the survey asking if people were satisfied with the Cobham Court and Canopies area of the city centre. This was because the Council wants to establish a baseline as we move through the steps of our City Centre Revitalisation Plan to see whether residents are satisfied with the results of this work."

He says he is relaxed that a third of respondents said they were not satisfied with this area.

"That's what we expected to find and that's why we are committed to revitalising the heart of our city. This is just the first survey and we are fully confident this perception will change as we progress improvements to the city centre in the next few years."

The survey also included positive comments about central Porirua, including improved litter control, appreciation for the flower beds, the revamp of the Porirua Railway Station and usage of the skate park, Arena and Pataka.

Mayor Leggett says it was good to see that the NRB results match those of the biennial Quality of Life survey

"Of particular note is the results on safety perception and these are supported by police statistics that show Porirua is a safe place to live."

In the NRB survey 92% of residents agree that Porirua is a safe place and the 2010 Quality of Life survey found that 95% felt safe in their homes after dark while 72% felt safe walking alone after dark.

Those areas where people were not satisfied will also be taken into account.

"Every Council has its challenges and we have ours too. We know from the survey that people want more attention given to stormwater management, footpath maintenance, roads and the household rubbish collection and these things will also form part of out ongoing discussions as we prepare the Long Term Plan."

The full report can be found on the Council's website at www.pcc.govt.nz and search "Residents Survey".

ENDS

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