Survey shows residents are more satisfied with council performance

Results from a recent survey of residents show Kāpiti Coast residents are more satisfied with the council’s performance than last year.

The independent survey, which sought the views of a sample of Kāpiti residents, took place in June 2015.

The results of the survey showed a significant increase in residents’ overall satisfaction with council and in how residents’ rated council’s responsiveness:

• 74 percent of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with council’s performance. This compares with 64 percent last year
• 66 percent of respondents were satisfied with council’s responsiveness. This compares with 58 percent last year.

The most notable improvements in residents’ satisfaction across council’s services and activities included council’s road safety programmes, the cleanliness and safety of our public toilets, the council-monitored kerbside collection services, the quality of public spaces and facilities in our town centres, and the availability of council sportsgrounds and associated facilities.

Mayor Ross Church says council is encouraged by the results.

“We’ve been working hard to lift our performance and we’d like to think the results of the survey show our residents are having better experiences with us.

“However, we appreciate the job’s not done yet - we’ve still got plenty of room for improvement and the survey shows us some areas of our business which we need to take a closer look at.”

Residents are concerned about the district’s stormwater system and its capacity to safeguard the public during major storm events.  Satisfaction with the degree to which the stormwater system safeguards public safety during major storm events fell from 83 per cent last year to 73 per cent this year. 

“It’s natural people are questioning whether we’re doing enough to manage stormwater”, says Mayor Church.

“We’ve had two significant floods this year that affected homes and businesses in many parts of our district – one of them a 1 in 50 year event and the second slightly less.

“We’re currently assessing the capacity of our drainage network and will be using this information to reprioritise the stormwater work programme”

The quality of council’s water supply is also an area of concern. Satisfaction with the quality of council’s water supply fell from 56 per cent last year to 51 per cent this year.

Mayor Church says the reduction in people satisfied with water quality was largely about the taste of bore water which was used to supplement river water during a total of 29 days earlier this year.

“Bore water in drinking water will largely become a thing of the past once the River Recharge Scheme is fully operating.

"The scheme will allow bore water to be added to Waikanae River below the treatment plant when levels are low, so more water can be taken from the river.  Because the bore water will top up the river below the plant, it won’t enter the supply under normal circumstances. Only under exceptional circumstances, such as a toxic algal bloom in the river, will we need to add bore water to our supply.”