Survey shows ratepayers are satisfied

Ratepayers are getting happier with public services in Marlborough, despite concerns about issues such as pest control and the council’s closed door meetings, a new survey shows.

The Annual Residents’ Satisfaction Survey was presented to the Marlborough District Council’s community and finance committee on Tuesday.

Eight hundred residents from around the district were surveyed in June.

Biosecurity, democratic process and regional development received the lowest ratings, while emergency manage- ment, sewerage and community facilities ranked in the top three.

Survey co-ordinator Dr Virgil Troy said the project was a good indicator of what was happening in the community.

None of the services surveyed received less than six out of 10, and Troy said there seemed to be a ‘‘slow and gradual improvement in people’s perception of their interactions with the council’’.

The district’s overall rating was 7.2 out of 10, up from 7 last year. Satisfaction levels had climbed gradually since 2008.

Emergency management services, including rural firefighting, received a satisfaction rating of 8.2. Biosecurity rated last in terms of resident satisfac- tion with 6.2. However, 75 per cent of respondents reported they were satisfied with the council’s control of dogs and wandering livestock in the district.

Democratic process came second last, with some respondents saying the council did too much behind closed doors and needed to let locals know what was going on.

Under regional development, the council’s score dropped from 2015, with complaints including a narrow focus on tourism and wine, insufficient parking, and parking meters being too expensive.

However, Marlborough had done ‘‘very well’’ in its overall performance, Troy said.