Council satisfaction survey release imminent

Rob Kent. Photo/File

An annual council satisfaction survey that was at the centre of controversy last year should soon be available to the public.

Rotorua Lakes Council's annual Community Satisfaction Survey, conducted by the National Research Bureau, is expected to be received by the council this month or next month.

Last year's survey, which cost the council $31,000, asked 400 Rotorua residents about their satisfaction with the council and its services.

Council acting chief executive Craig Tiriana said this year's survey questions had been "refined for current purposes" and will cost $18,500.

Last year, the council came under fire over the delayed release of the report that some said should have been made public before October's local body elections.

Last year's survey showed a drop in community satisfaction with the council's performance. In previous years it was released in July or August, but it was not released to the public until after October's election because staff were "working on issues highlighted by the report".

Accusations of deliberate delays were "simply not true", said council chief executive Geoff Williams at the time.

Mr Tiriana said when the council received this year's report it would be made public "at the appropriate time".

"The purpose of the survey is to provide information that relates to some of the organisation's performance indicators.

"Last year we asked for additional analysis to be done to better understand some of the responses and the report was released at the same time as the annual report was adopted, in late October.

"It was made public the same day as it was reported to the council," he said.

Councillor Rob Kent, who said last year's survey results should have been made public as soon as they had been received, wanted to see the full report as soon as it arrived.

"If it's not released by August I'll be asking some questions.

"It's not a council election year so I'd expect to see it as soon as we get it.

"The whole purpose of the survey is to find out what the public think about what we are doing, not how we think we are doing."

Mr Tiriana said when the report was received "we will analyse it for our reporting purposes and determine if we want further analysis done".