From the Mayor's Desk

Hornsby Shire Council is working on a new Community Strategic Plan and to assist with this we conducted an independent community survey in March. Its results are very revealing and well worth sharing. Much of it is pleasing, including that 92 per cent of people are satisfied with Council overall (an increase from 87 per cent in 2017) and that 80 per cent of residents rate their overall quality of life as very good or excellent (stable from 2017). Other good results are that 91 per cent have access to bushland areas, parks and green spaces; 78 per cent are able to access a range of community facilities to meet their needs; and 95 per cent feel safe walking around their local area during the day. While the pat on the back is nice, the real purpose of the survey is to find the areas where residents feel we could be doing better. There were a number of issues identified as needing further improvement. Of those surveyed, 27 per cent felt the road network provides for efficient traffic flows; 37 per cent felt there are adequate parking facilities in public areas; and 31 per cent felt the community is encouraged to participate in Council’s decisionmaking.The results will also inform an ‘End of Term’ report which will be produced at the end of the political term (September 2021) to show our progress towards the community outcomes and overall vision identified in the current Community Strategic Plan. For more information and to view all the results please visit: hornsby.nsw.gov.au/csp2020

Philip Ruddock AO Mayor Hornsby Shire Council