Survey mixed for South Wairarapa council

South Wairarapa residents are happy to contact council staff to raise an issue or a problem and are satisfied with council decisions, but feel the mayor and councillors lack some ability to give a fair hearing to their views.
According to the 2010 Residents' Survey of 301 people by the South Wairarapa District Council, 75 per cent of residents feel they can contact a council member with an issue or a problem, compared with 52 per cent in 2005 when the last survey was carried out.
Seventy-three per cent are satisfied with the council's decisions and actions, compared with 39 per cent in 2005.
Residents who feel the mayor and councillors give a fair hearing to their views was slightly down on 2005 at 55 per cent, compared with 63 per cent.
South Wairarapa Mayor Adrienne Staples said she was pleased with the overall results of the survey.
"It's something we do on a regular basis to compare the council's overall performance and I'm very pleased with it. I'm happy with the trend to improvement, which is what we were looking for."
Residents' satisfaction with public services such as libraries, public toilets and water has improved since 2005.
The survey found 88 per cent were satisfied with the libraries compared with 83 per cent in 2005, and 60 per cent with public toilets compared with 47 per cent in 2005.
Satisfaction with the quality of water was 47 per cent, and supply of water was 61 per cent, compared with 46 per cent in 2005.
Mrs Staples said there were "a couple of areas not showing improvement but, of course, the council will do anything it can to improve on those".
"We have to say no to people from time to time and we're working in a human environment, so we can't get everything perfect."
Residents satisfied with the roads were at 77 per cent, down from 81 per cent in 2005.
Residents satisfied with the district as a "better" place to live dropped significantly from 54 per cent in 2005 to 34 per cent.
Nine new questions were introduced in the survey last year, including satisfaction with town hall use, scoring 75 per cent; swimming pools, 59 per cent; playgrounds, 70 per cent; footpaths, 61 per cent; and stormwater drains, 54 per cent.
About half of ratepayers know how to contact a community board member and are satisfied with the way the council involves the public in the decisions it makes.
The survey provides feedback from people who may not otherwise get involved in community consultation for the annual plan process or other project-specific consultation.
The survey has now been reduced to every three years from every five years.
Quality of life survey
75 per cent
feel I can contact the council
73 per cent
satisfied with council decisions
55 per cent
they listen to my views
34 per cent
district 'better' place to live