Not so satisfactory
Council ran an expensive media blitz from December to March telling residents what a great job it was doing to try and boost its 2020 Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS). It failed.
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Council's overall performance plunged back to 2011's score of 58 out of 100. Council budgets show since 2011 council has spent around $1.5 Billion of everyday residents money, yet performance fades.
Council direction scored a fail, down five points to 48 - it was 54 when this Council was elected.
Contrary to CEO Craig Niemann's claims (17 June), Council has never taken the CSS results seriously. He fails to provide public reports to Councillors and residents or propose how performance can be improved, and buries analysis of present performance against past performance.
The CEO deflects attention and says the results confirm Greater Bendigo is in line with other councils. Not something to brag about, comparing one monopoly supplier of services with another with our council going backwards.
Recommendation 51 of the 2013 Independent Review called for setting realistic CSS improvement targets. Officers ducked not wanting residents to judge their performance.
In March 2019 I presented a residents' petition calling for Council to set measurable CSS targets. Negative officers again opposed, and compliant Councillors nodded.
Residents have spoken. Council must improve. The CEO needs to set CSS targets for 2021 and publicly present his plans for improvement to ratepayers.
Michael McKenzie, Strathdale
What's in a number?
What's in a name is an oft quoted line from a Shakespeare play.
In 2020 we might pose the question, what's in a number? In the present Covid 19 pandemic, numbers are extremely relevant.
Record numbers tested, decreasing numbers testing positive, encouragingly low number of deaths. The numbers have dictated Government actions.
Covid 19 numbers will cease to be an issue in the foreseeable future, but we could again pose the question.
What's in a number, when other long running national pandemic numbers receive either token recognition or even encouragement from Governments.
The number of alcohol related deaths in Australia is approximately 6000 per year, while deaths relating to tobacco use number 20,000 annually.
It's clear that politicly, numbers are either extremely relevant, or nothing more than an uncomfortable unwanted distraction.
Frank Salmon, Eaglehawk
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