By Laura Michell
Traffic management, road maintenance and repair and crime are among the key issues impacting Melton residents’ satisfaction with the council’s performance.
The results from council’s 2024 community satisfaction survey revealed that while satisfaction with the overall performance of council remained similar to last year (rated 7 out 10, up from 6.9 out of 10), there were a number of key areas negatively impacting the community’s perception of council.
The survey was conducted by independent research company Metropolis Research in May and June, with 801 randomly selected residents contacted for a face-to-face interview.
The survey results were tabled at council’s October 21 meeting.
A report to the council meeting stated that the key issues for respondents were traffic management (nominated by 18 per cent of those surveyed), street trees (9 per cent), road maintenance and repair (8 per cent), parks, gardens and open space (7 per cent) and safety, policing and crime (6 per cent).
“The importance of traffic and roads remains clear in the results again this year, with particular concerns around traffic management in Fraser Rise, Burnside, Caroline Springs and Melton South/Brookfield,“ the Metropolis Research report stated.
“These transport-related issues remain among the most importance negative influences on overall satisfaction with council.“
Metropolis Research said concern about traffic management was higher in Melton than in most other municipalities it had conducted surveys.
The results also revealed that perception of safety in Melton during the day and at night were down on last year. Residents rated daytime safety as 7.7 out of 10, down from 8 out of 10, while night-time safety fell from 6.6 out of 10 to 6 out of 10.
“The perception of safety in the City of Melton remains measurably lower than the metropolitan Melbourne, western region and growth areas’ councils’ averages,“ Metropolis stated.
“The most common reasons for feeling unsafe were related to fear or experience of crime … concerns around people ,,, and drug and alcohol related issues.“
The survey found that Kurunjang, Cobblebank, Strathtulloh and Caroline Springs residents, young adults aged 18-34, senior citizens, multilingual households, renters, two parent families whose youngest child is aged 5-12 years old and people who have lived in municipality for less than 10 years were “somewhat more satisfied than average“ with the council’s performance.
Hillside, Harkness, Melton West and Taylors Hill residents, adults aged 45-59 years, mortgagor households and those who have lived in the municipality for more than 10 years were “somewhat less satisfied than average“.
