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Community Views - What do our residents think?
Mosman Council aims to conduct a major community survey every two years, at the middle and end of each Council term. With changes to Council terms in recent years there has been some deviation from this program, with surveys conducted in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021. The purpose of the survey is to seek information on the needs and aspirations of the local community, social connectedness and quality of life, and community satisfaction with Council performance. The latest Mosman Community Survey, for which results are currently available, was conducted in June 2021. Undertaken by independent market research consultants, the survey involved 400 randomly selected Mosman residents participating in telephone interviews, sharing their views on local issues and Council performance. The topline results from the 2021 survey are provided below, with comparisons where possible to earlier surveys and external benchmarks.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF COUNCIL, STAFF AND COUNCILLORS
Results of the 2021 survey are overwhelmingly positive, particularly when compared to 2018 survey results and also when looking at trends from at least 2012. The results do, however, identify areas that require ongoing attention and these will be factored in to Council’s planning processes when developing the next Community Strategic Plan.
Some of the more interesting results from the 2021 survey are:
Ongoing improvements in community satisfaction have been recorded across key result areas including core
Council functions, overall Council performance and satisfaction with Councillors. Community satisfaction with Mosman Council’s overall performance has improved with every survey since 2012 and has also remained above the NSW benchmark throughout the same period. When expressed as a percentage of residents at least moderately satisfied with Council’s performance, the community satisfaction rate with overall Council performance in 2021 is 95%.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Residents’ perception of the ‘value for money’ delivered by Council services has remained constant (with a mean score, on a scale of 0-10, of 6.74 in 2021 compared to 6.84 in 2016, 6.65 in 2017 and 6.77 in 2018). Interestingly, residents aged 65 years+ continue to be the age group most satisfied with the value of services and facilities provided by Council.
COUNCILLOR AND STAFF PERFORMANCE
For 2021 survey respondents who could recall contact with Council sta during the previous 12 months (approximately 60% of respondents), satisfaction with sta remains strong, with a mean score of 7.58 compared to a score of 7.73 in 2018 and 7.10 in 2017. Satisfaction scores for Councillor responsiveness have trended upwards since 2018, for survey respondents who could recall dealing with a Councillor in the past twelve months (approximately 12% of respondents).
Between 2018 and 2021, this satisfaction rose from a mean score of 7.14 to 8.12. Overall satisfaction with
Councillors (irrespective of recent contact) remained steady, falling marginally from 6.70 to 6.50 since 2018, with satisfaction generally higher amongst those who had contact with Councillors during the past 12 months.
SERVICES AND FACILITIES
Of the 33 services and facilities for which comparable satisfaction data is available from other NSW Councils through Council’s independent market researcher,
Mosman rates above the benchmark for 23 of these services. Highest satisfaction scores in 2021 were recorded for : y Keeping food premises safe y Overall cleanliness, appearance and management of public spaces y Provision and maintenance of parklands including local parks, bushland, harbour foreshores and bushland trails y Cleaning of streets y Library services The greatest ‘performance gaps’ identified in 2021 between the importance of and satisfaction with local services relate to : y Development approvals process y Tra c management y Providing and maintaining footpaths y Provision of car parking y Managing development (land use planning) Compared to the 2018 survey results, the following services recorded the most significant increases in community satisfaction in 2021: y Condition of public toilets y Management of street trees y Cleaning of streets y Waste and recycling collection services y Local festivals and events
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE
Community pride and connectedness results are healthy, with feelings of safety particularly high in the 2021 survey (a mean score of 9.17 out of 10 for neighbourhood safety, compared to 9.00 in the 2018 survey). For other social capital indicators such as friendly neighbourhoods, socialising in the local area and feelings of community belonging, all 2021 scores were up on 2018 results.
Compared to 2017, when a further comparable range of questions was asked on quality of life in Mosman, 2021 survey respondents also answered more positively in relation to matters such as community tolerance and harmony, opportunities for a healthy lifestyle, and the balance between natural and built environments in
Mosman. The aspects of living in Mosman most valued by residents are: y Natural environment, parks and open spaces, beauty of the area 30% y Location – proximity to city, beaches and public transport 24% y Sense of community – friendly people and family connections 13% y Ambience – lifestyle, peaceful village atmosphere 7% y Beaches and harbour foreshore 5% The aspect of living in Mosman that residents most commonly quoted as in need of change is ‘Tra c
Management’ (38%)
LOCAL ISSUES
The most commonly quoted issues for Mosman over the next 5-10 years, as o ered by survey respondents in 2021, are: 31% - Tra c congestion and management 16% - Development – control, overdevelopment and overcrowding 6% - Housing availability and a ordability 5 % - Parking - availability and a ordability 5% - Protection of the natural environment and addressing climate change 5% 37% - Other
