Mayoral Column 6 July 2015
Published on 06 July 2015
Community satisfied with Council’s performance
Loddon Shire Council has received its results from the annual Community Satisfaction Survey, which has seen residents report that Council is performing above average compared with all other councils.
The survey provides Council with important information about how the community judges Council’s performance in the current year, as well as giving Council staff the ability to assess the trends in results.
The survey questions refer to the broad areas of governance and service delivery.
Loddon Shire Council’s overall performance was measured at 65, six points higher than the average for small rural councils and five points higher than the state-wide average for local governments.
Residents had the opportunity to provide feedback on what was most important to them. Maintenance of sealed roads, the condition of local streets and footpaths and consultation and engagement were high on their list.
Despite being above average, when looking at Council’s performance compared to the 2014 results, we have seen a slight dip in our reported overall performance. Council will utilise the feedback to make improvements to its key business areas.
Digital strategy seeks your help
Following on from Council’s recent digital community workshop, Loddon Shire is asking residents to participate in a survey to help shape a strategic digital strategy.
The survey asks residents for their opinion on how digital ready our community is. The results will be used to develop a strategy for the NBN as it arrives in the Loddon Mallee region.
This is an opportunity for residents to take part in the conversation, providing their ideas on what the region should work towards. The conversation will be around how to use digital technologies to support the long-term growth of the region’s economy.
To complete the survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/82PKWFK.
Mobile black spot program
Council has welcomed an Australian government announcement that will see the installation of a mobile base station at Korong Vale to address a current mobile phone black spot.
Korong Vale will be one of 499 mobile base stations that will provide new or upgraded handheld coverage to 68,600 square kilometres of regional Australia.
Loddon Shire welcomes the announcement, which will see an increase in mobile phone coverage within our Council boundaries.
Community Grants Scheme
Loddon Shire has allocated $199,124.23 towards recreation, sporting and service organisations to deliver projects that improve the quality of life for residents.
Since the scheme was initiated, Council has invested almost $2 million dollars towards 650 community-based projects worth a total of $5.5 million.
Council received 49 applications for projects from communities throughout the shire requesting in total $248,000 in funding for the 2015/2016 financial year.
Of these, 42 applications were approved for funding by Council and these will amount to projects worth in excess of $385,000.
Key projects Council will contribute to under the grants scheme include: the purchase of kitchen equipment and a patio setting for the Calivil United Football Netball Club, the purchase of a shade structure at the Bridgewater Recreation Reserve playground, the installation of a netball coaches and spectator box at the Wedderburn Netball Club and the purchase of a portable stage for the Boort Community Centre.
The Loddon Shire Community Grants program has been a success story since its inception over a decade ago.
Organisations will be advised of the outcome of their application this week.