Local councils across Australia have received ratings from resident ratepayers, revealing the City of Mandurah in Western Australia as the top performer, scoring 67.4 per cent. This evaluation was carried out by Snap Send Solve, which used data from incident reports to assess satisfaction levels related to a variety of community issues, including roads, parking, waste management, and graffiti.
Following Mandurah, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield in South Australia closely trailed with a score of 67 per cent, while the Whitehorse council in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs earned the third spot with a score of 66.8 per cent. Unfortunately, several councils in New South Wales fared poorly, achieving ratings around 60 per cent, which is below the national average of 61 per cent. Notably, Melbourne City Council was the only metropolitan council to feature in the top 20 list.
The community satisfaction report compiled by Snap Send Solve included insights gleaned from about 13,700 survey responses and ratings from approximately 70,000 app users. This app, designed for users to report municipal issues, facilitates real-time submissions by allowing residents to take photos of problems like potholes, overhanging trees, and overflowing rubbish bins, delivering them directly to local councils.
An added advantage of the app is its ability to mitigate duplicate reports, which has significant financial implications. For instance, Glen Eira City Council in Victoria reported a savings of $88,000 by preventing redundant submissions, helping them avoid unnecessary operational and contractor costs.
Overall, the report highlights varying levels of satisfaction among local councils, with Mandurah leading the way in responsiveness and engagement with its residents, setting a benchmark for other councils throughout the country.