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Section 4 Supporting Document 4.1 Residents’ Attitude to Lake Macquarie

Council and Council Services May 2011

- EMC Online Survey

LMCC Residents’ Attitudes to Council Services Report – May 2011 © Essential Research �1

Prepared by:

Essential Research Suite 10, Level 8, 377 Sussex Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Quan?ta?ve Research

Report

Residents' A3tudes to Lake Macquarie Council and Council Services

May 2011


Contents 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 Survey Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 3 3.0 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 4 4.0 Demographics ........................................................................................................................................ 7 5.0 Detailed findings .................................................................................................................................. 10

1.Top of mind recall of services and views on local government .......................................................... 10 2. Living in the Lake Macquarie area ..................................................................................................... 12 3. Attitudes to LMCC .............................................................................................................................. 13 4. Attitudes to the provision of Council services ................................................................................... 14

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................ 36 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................................. 42


1.0 Introduction

This report summarizes the results of an online poll of residents of Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC). The Council commissioned Essential Research to conduct the survey as part of a wider project that involved stakeholder interviews and the development of a communication strategy. The objectives of the research part of the project were to:

• Explore residents knowledge of services and the cost of services provided by the Council • Identify resident attitudes to the Council • Identify and seed an online community

The results from the poll will inform a campaign strategy to be prepared by EMC, which will raise awareness among residents of Council services.

2.0 Survey Methodology

The survey was constructed by Essential Research in consultation with LMCC. The final survey instrument was approved by the Council. A copy of the questionnaire can be found in Appendix A. The survey was hosted on surveyanalytics.com. It was in field from April 28th to May 16th 2011. A link to the survey was placed on the council website, a flyer on the survey was included in rate notices and the survey was publicized in communications to various community groups. Respondents who completed the survey were offered the chance to win an iPad. The poll was open to people aged over 18 who have resided in Lake Macquarie City for at least one year or who own property in the area but live elsewhere. Questions were placed at the beginning of the survey to ensure only applicable respondents could complete the survey. 2121 respondents completed the survey. Appendix B provides details on the reliability of results from surveys. Overall the confidence level for this survey was set as 95%. In this report where variation in sub-‐samples is statistically significant a comment has been made. For the purposes of simplicity we have rounded percentages to the nearest whole number. This may result in some percentage totals being 99% or 101%.


3.0 Executive Summary

Residents love the life People love life in Lake Macquarie and recognise LMCC as playing a key role in providing the services and facilities they need to enjoy the area. Residents have limited awareness of Council services and are concerned about the maintenance of some key services. The most commonly recalled services were waste/garbage collection or recycling services (n=1835), Roads (n=1146), Libraries (n=1001) and Parks/Gardens (n=937). There is some dissatisfaction with maintenance of key infrastructure. Over half (52%) of the respondents think that roads have not been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years. Nearly half of these respondents (48%) attribute this to lack of funds, another third attribute the lack of road maintenance to poor planning. Just over one third of respondents (34%) believe drains have not been sufficiently maintained over the same period. Over half (52%) of these respondents attribute this to poor planning. On the other hand, the majority of respondents believe that most of the other services and facilities prompted for have been well maintained over the past five years. Three quarters or more state that they are satisfied with the maintenance of: foreshores and the natural environment (81%), the lake and environment (76%), and parks, playgrounds and sports facilities (74%). Just over a half (51%) believe libraries are well maintained. Users are satisfied with many of the services they use frequently From a list of selected services and facilities, respondents had used the following in the past six months:

• Natural areas 80% • Cycle ways and walking paths 79% • Parks, playgrounds and sports fields 75% • Libraries 52% • Swimming centres 27%

The services on the list that respondents were least likely to have used are: community services (67% never used), Tourist Information Centre (61%) and halls and community centres (32%). Satisfaction levels with the commonly used services vary. 72% rate cycle ways and walking paths as satisfactory or highly satisfactory, 61% are highly satisfied with natural areas. The figures for parks, playgrounds, sports fields and libraries are 57% and 54% respectively. Just over a third (37%) of users rate swimming centres as satisfactory.


Other less commonly used services and facilities that more than one third of users are satisfied with are: cultural facilities (46%), Awaba landfill (40%) and the Tourist Information Centre (36%). However, as noted above 61% of respondents had never used the Tourist Information Centre. By and large residents support increased spending on services they use more frequently and decreased spending on services they use less often. When we compare respondents’ usage and satisfaction levels with their choices about where Council could decrease or increase spending we see a close correlation between the usage/satisfaction patterns. The three areas from a selected list of services that respondents most commonly nominated as those where spending could be reduced are: cultural facilities (66%), the Tourist Information Centre (58%) and halls and community centres (43%). The three areas most commonly nominated from the given list of services as those where spending should be increased if the Council has the opportunity are: cycle ways and walking paths (52%), parks, playgrounds, sports fields (51%) and natural areas (46%). The exception to the pattern is respondents’ attitudes to Community Services. While relatively few people had used the service, more than a third nominated it as an area where Council could increase spending if the funds were available and only 14% nominated it as one of three areas where spending could be decreased if necessary. City Planning and Development is another area that respondents are prepared to support more spending even though they do not commonly use the service Roads and drains are regarded as the most important areas where Council spends public funds. Given a list of ten areas LMCC provides services and facilities respondents rated the following as the most important areas of spending:

• Roads 92% rate this as important or very important • Drains 85% • Parks, playgrounds, sports facilities 75% • Environmental protection and

Enhancement programs 67% • City planning and development 66%

The areas least likely to be rated as important areas of spending are:

• Halls and community centres 27% rate this as important or very important • Swimming centres 40% • Economic development and tourism 51% • Libraries 57%


As noted above, more than half (52%) of respondents believe roads, seen as the most important area of spending, have not been sufficiently maintained in the past 5 years and 48% of these people attribute this to lack of funds. Drains, seen as the second most important area of spending, are regarded as having been insufficiently maintained by 34% of respondents. Over a half (52%) of these respondents attribute the maintenance problems to poor planning and 28% to lack of funds.


4.0 Demographics

The following tables provide demographic details of the survey respondents.

Gender Male 50% Female 50%

Age Under 18 -‐ 18-‐25 3% 26-‐35 12% 36-‐45 18% 46-‐55 22% 56-‐65 27% 66+ 18%

3%

12%

18%

22%

27%

18%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

18-‐25 26-‐35 36-‐45 46-‐55 56-‐65 66+

Male 50%

Female 50%


Dependent Children

Yes 38% No 62%

Employment I am in full time work 45% I work part time 22% I am not in paid work 34%

Place of work I work in Lake Macquarie 46%

I work outside the city 54%

Yes 38%

No 62%

45%

22%

34%

0% 5%

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

I am in full ?me work

I work part ?me I am not in paid work

In Lake Macquarie

46%

Outside the city 54%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

1


* Does not include the 84 respondents who own property in Lake Macquarie but who live outside the area

Residence

I own, or am paying off, my own home

96%

I am renting 2%

I do not pay rent and live with family/friends

2%

Residency Less than one year -‐ Between one year and five years

14%

Over five years 82%

I don’t live in the Lake Macquarie area (but own property there)

4%

None of the above -‐

Home location of respondent* Western suburbs 35%

Eastern suburbs 42% Northern suburbs 42% Incomplete

2%

96%

2% 2%

I own, or am paying off, my own home I am ren?ng

I do not pay rent and live with family/friends

0%

14%

82%

4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Less than one year

Between one year and five years

Over five years

I don't live in the Lake Macquarie area (but own

property there)

Western suburbs, 35%

Eastern suburbs, 42%

Northern suburbs, 42%

Incomplete, 2%


5.0 Detailed findings

1.Top of mind recall of services and views on local government Respondents began the survey by responding to two open ended questions, which provided unprompted feedback.

1.1 Services provided by Lake Macquarie City Council Question Please list the main services that Lake Macquarie City Council provides residents. N=2038 Respondents were asked to list the main services that LMCC provides residents. This was an open-‐ended question to avoid prompting the responses. The following are the ten most frequently recalled services:

• Waste and garbage collection (n=1835) • Roads (n=1146) • Libraries (n=1001) • Parks/Gardens (n=937) • Maintenance (n=627) • Planning (n=411) • Development (n=214) • Community services & event (n=208) • Care Services (aged care, child care) (n=145) • Cycle-‐ways (n=137)

The image below is a word cloud which represents the words most commonly used in response to this question.


1.2 Local Government Question Do you believe there are any important differences regarding how local governments operate in NSW compared to other parts of Australia? N=1887 The second question asked of respondents was also an open-‐ended question. They were asked whether they believed that there are important differences regarding how local governments operate in NSW compared to other parts of Australia. Although there were 1887 responses to this question, there were just 139 useable comments. This was due to a large number of people simply writing ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’. The results from this question have been coded. Analysis of the useable 139 responses shows that:

• 30 believe that LMCC is less efficient/effective than other local governments. • 14 believe that LMCC overall performance is better than other local governments. • 10 believe that there is more accountability and/or better consulting with community in

NSW.


2. Living in the Lake Macquarie area Eighty percent of respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives in the Lake Macquarie area. Over one third believe that life is getting better while half perceive that life is staying about the same.

2.1 Satisfaction levels with life in the Lake Macquarie area

Nearly half of all respondents are ‘very satisfied’ with their life in the Lake Macquarie area, while only 1% are ‘not at all satisfied’. Table: Level of satisfaction with life in Lake Macquarie

1 – very satisfied 42% 2 38% 3 16% 4 4% 5 – not at all satisfied 1%

Question Overall, how satisfied are you with life in Lake Macquarie area? N = all respondents

Table: Changing levels of satisfaction with life in Lake Macquarie

Staying the same 50% Better 37% Worse 13%

Question Is life in the area getting better worse or staying about the same? N = all respondents

Analysis by sub group shows:

• People aged over 56 are more likely than younger people to say they are very satisfied • People not in paid work are more likely than others to say they are very satisfied • Men are more likely than women to say they are very satisfied • People aged over 36 are more likely to say life has got worse.


3. Attitudes to LMCC There is a very positive attitude to the Council among the residents that completed the survey.

3.1 The role of LMCC

Respondents were asked to state their level of agreement with two statements concerning the importance of the role of LMCC to their lives in the area. More than two thirds (68%) agreed or strongly agreed that the Council plays a key role in making the area a place they liked to be. Nearly four fifths (79%) disagreed with the statement that Council is not important to their lives. Table: Views on the role of LMCC

1 = strongly agree 2

3= neither agree nor disagree

4 5 = strongly disagree

Lake Macquarie City Council plays a key role in making Lake Macquarie a place that I like to work and/or live.

37% 31% 17% 8% 6%

The type of services and facilities provided by Lake Macquarie City Council are not important to me. 7% 7% 6% 23% 56%

Question Do you strongly agree or disagree with the following statements. Use a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=strongly agree and 5=strongly disagree N = all respondents Analysis by sub group shows:

• People aged over 46 are more likely than younger respondents to strongly agree with the first statement

• People in full time paid work are less likely than others to strongly agree with the first statement

• People aged over 36 are more likely to strongly disagree with the second statement.


4. Attitudes to the provision of Council services

In this section analysis is provided on questions asked about respondents’ attitudes to selected services provided by LMCC. These questions covered:

• Estimated relative costs of services • Attitudes to the maintenance of selected services • Respondents use of selected services • Satisfaction levels with selected Council services • Attitudes to increased and decreased spending on selected services • The relative importance of spending on selected services

The analysis includes a comparison of respondents’ use of services with their attitudes to changes in spending levels and a correlation of the feedback on the various services and facilities that are prompted for in the questions.

4.1 Estimated relative costs of services Respondents were asked which services and facilities provided by the Council cost the most to deliver. The results to this open-‐ended question have been coded. The results are displayed in the table below.

Table: Satisfaction levels with selected services and facilities

Type of Service N=1995 Roads/ Transport 954 Waste/ Recycling 931 Parks/ environment 323 Library 183 Public Art/ Galleries 86 Aged Care 65 General Infrastructure/ Maintenance 64 Children’s Services 59 Planning and Administration 12 Pools/ Sporting Facilities 8 Council Staff/Council Buildings 3

Question Of the services and facilities provided by Council, which ones do you think cost the most to provide? N = 1995


The image below is a word cloud that represents the words most commonly used is response to this question

4.2 Maintenance of council assets Respondents were provided with a list of Council services and facilities and asked if they had been sufficiently well maintained over the past five years. If the respondent said they were dissatisfied with the level of maintenance of a particular service or facility they were asked to select the major reason for the lack of maintenance from a list of possible factors. Over half (52%) of the respondents believe that roads have not been sufficiently maintained by Council over the period. Nearly half of these respondents (48%) attribute this to lack of funds, another third attribute the lack of maintenance to poor planning. Just over one third of respondents (34%) believe drains have not been sufficiently maintained over the same period. Over half (52%) of these respondents attribute this to poor planning, 28% attribute the problem to lack of funds. The other listed service and facility respondents perceive has not been sufficiently well maintained over the past five years are halls and community centres. Just over a third of respondents (36%) were not satisfied with maintenance in this area; over half (56%) of these respondents attribute the problem to lack of funds.


On the other hand, the following services and facilities are said to have been sufficiently maintained by the majority of respondents:

• Foreshores and the natural environment 81% • The Lake and environment 76% • Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities 74% • Libraries 70% • Swimming centres 51%

Yes No Don’t

Know Foreshores and the natural environment 81% 13% 5% The Lake and the environment 76% 14% 9% Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities 74% 16% 10% Libraries 70% 10% 19% Swimming centres 51% 12% 37% Roads 43% 52% 5% Drains 43% 34% 24% Halls and community centres 36% 18% 46%

Question Do you think the following have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years? N = all respondents


• People from the Western area of Lake Macquarie are less likely than others to say the roads are sufficiently maintained

• People aged over 46 are more likely than younger people to say drains are have not been sufficiently maintained

• People aged between 36 and 55 are more likely to say swimming centres have not been sufficiently maintained

• People from the Northern area of Lake Macquarie are less likely than others to say libraries have been sufficiently maintained

• People aged over 56 are more likely to say that libraries have been sufficiently maintained

• People aged 36 to 45 are more likely to say that parks, playgrounds and sports facilities are not sufficiently maintained

• People from the Northern area of the Lake Macquarie area are more likely to say that the foreshores and the natural environment have been sufficiently maintained.

When asked about major reasons for insufficient maintenance, relatively few of the respondents who said a selected service had not been maintained attributed the problem to the growing population. The greatest impact on the selected services of the growth in population is said to be on drains (16%), roads (15%) and parks, playgrounds and sports facilities (15%).


Lack of funds is said to be the major reason for insufficient maintenance of libraries (61%), swimming centres (59%) and halls and community centres (56%). (These are the views of less than 400 respondents who believe that any of these facilities have not been well maintained.) As noted above, lack of funds is seen as the major reason (48%) for insufficient maintenance of roads by 52% of respondents dissatisfied with the level of maintenance. As also noted above, poor planning is seen as the major reason for insufficient maintenance of drains (52%); it is also given as a major reason for insufficient maintenance of roads (by 33% of respondents who are dissatisfied with road maintenance). Table: Perceived reasons for problems with maintenance of selected services

N= Lack of

funds Poor

planning Growing

population Other

Drains 715 28% 52% 16% 4% Foreshores and the natural environment 247 33% 47% 13% 7% Halls and community centres 386 56% 27% 10% 7% Libraries 222 61% 20% 13% 5% Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities 304 40% 38% 15% 7% Roads 1103 48% 33% 15% 4% Swimming centres 261 59% 23% 11% 7% The Lake and the environment 273 30% 52% 12% 6%

Question What do you think is the major reason that these facilities have not been sufficiently maintained? N=respondents who answered ‘No’ that a specific service has been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years. Analysis by sub group shows:

• People from the Northern area of Lake Macquarie are more likely to attribute insufficient maintenance of libraries to lack of funds

• People aged between 26 and 45 are more likely attribute insufficient maintenance of swimming centres to lack of funds than other groups.

4.3 Use of Services Respondents were asked about their use of selected Council services and facilities and their levels of satisfaction with the service/facility. The services most commonly used by respondents in the past 6 months are:

• Natural areas 80% • Cycle ways and walking paths 79% • Parks, playgrounds and sports fields 75% • Libraries 52% • Swimming centres 27%


The services that respondents are most likely never to have used are: • Community services 67% • Tourist Information Centre 61% • Halls and community centres 32%

Table: Use of selected services

Question Thinking about the delivery of the following Council facilities/services, in the first part please indicate how recently you used the facility/service, and in the second part, indicate your level of satisfaction with the service/facility. N = all respondents Analysis by sub group shows:

Tourist Information Centre

• People from the Eastern area of Lake Macquarie are more likely than others to have visited the Tourist Information Centre more than 12 months ago

Awaba Landfill

• People from the Western area of Lake Macquarie are more likely than others to have

been to the Awaba Landfill in the previous 3 months and previous 6 months • People aged over 66 are less likely than younger people to have visited the Awaba

Landfill in the past 3 months • People aged under 36 were less likely than older people to have visited the Awaba

Landfill more than 12 months ago • Women are more likely than men never to have used the Awaba landfill

3

months 3-‐6

months 6-‐12

months

More than 12 months ago

Never

Awaba Landfill 16% 9% 12% 28% 34% City planning and development 8% 4% 7% 36% 44% Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs) 7% 3% 5% 18% 67%

Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) 11% 8% 13% 25% 43%

Cycleway and walking paths 69% 10% 7% 7% 6% Halls and community centres 15% 8% 11% 34% 32% Libraries 41% 11% 10% 23% 14% Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 67% 13% 9% 8% 4%

Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 63% 12% 9% 11% 6% Swimming Centres 18% 9% 9% 34% 31% Tourism Information Centre 5% 4% 7% 24% 61%


Cycle ways and walking paths

• People aged over 56 were less likely than younger people to have used the cycle ways and walking paths in the past 3 months and more likely to have used them more than 12 months ago, or never

• Women are more likely than men to have used the cycle ways and walking paths in the past 3 months

• People not in paid work are less likely than others to have used the cycle ways and walking paths in the past 3 months, whereas people in full time paid work are more likely to have used them in the past 6 months

Halls and Community Centres

• People from the Western area of Lake Macquarie are more likely than others to have

used halls and community centres in the past 3 months • People without dependent children are more likely to have never used the halls and

community centres than others. They are also more likely to have used them more than 12 months ago, 12 months ago and 6 months ago

• People with dependent children are more likely to have used the halls and community centres in the past 3 months

• People who work outside of the Lake Macquarie area are more likely never to have used the halls and community centres

• People not in paid work are more likely never to used the halls and community centres • People in full time paid work are least likely to have used the halls and community

centres in the past 3 months

Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities

• People aged over 66 are less likely than others to have used the parks, playgrounds and sports facilities in the past 3 months than other respondents

• People aged over 46 are more likely to have used the parks, playgrounds and sports facilities 12 months ago and more than 12 months ago

Natural areas

• People aged over 66 are less likely to have used the natural areas in past 3 months • People without dependent children are more likely never to have used the natural areas

and to have used them more than 12 months ago whereas people with dependent children are more likely to have used these areas in the past 3 months


Swimming centres

• People aged between 36 and 45 are more likely than other age groups to have used the swimming centres in the past 3 months

• People not in paid work are less likely than others to have used the swimming centres in the past 3 months, the past 6 months and the past 12 months

• People aged between 18 and 25 and 46 and 66 are more likely to have used the swimming centres more than 12 months ago

• People aged over 56 are more likely to have never used the swimming centres • People who do not have dependent children are more likely to have never used the

swimming centres

Libraries

• People from the Western and Eastern areas of Lake Macquarie are more likely than others to have used a library in the past 3 months

• People aged over 66 are more likely than other groups to have used a library in the past 3 months

• People aged under 35 are more likely than older age groups to have never used a library • People who work in the Lake Macquarie area are more likely than those who work

elsewhere to have used a library in the past 3 or 6 months • Women are more likely than men to have used a library in the past 3 months • People not in paid work or in part time paid work are more likely than those in full time

work to have used a library in the past 3 months whereas those in full time work are more likely never to have visited a library or to have visited one more than 12 months ago

Community services • Those aged between 36 and 55 are more likely than other age groups to have used

community services more than 12 months ago or not at all • Those with dependent children are more likely to have used community services in the

last 3 months and to have used them more than 12 months ago • Those without dependent children are more likely to never have used community

services. • Those who are in paid work are less likely to have used community services than others. • Those who work in the Lake Macquarie area are more likely to have used community

services in the past 3 months, 6 months and more than 12 months ago than those who work outside the area

• Women are more likely than men to have used community services in all the time periods


City planning and development • Those aged under 46 are more likely than others to have used city planning and

development in the past 3 months; those under 36 are also more likely to have never used the service

• Men are more likely than women to have used city planning and development • Those without dependent children are less likely to have used city planning and

development whereas those with dependent children are more likely than others to have used the service in the past 3 months

Cultural facilities • Those aged under 35 are more likely to have never used the cultural facilities. Those

over 56 are more likely than younger groups to have used these facilities in the past 3 months

• People who work outside the area are more likely to have never used the cultural facilities

• People in full time paid work are less likely than others to have used the cultural facilities in the past 3 months

• Women are more likely than men to have used the cultural facilities in the past 3 and 6 months whereas men are more likely than women to have never used the facilities

• People from the Western area are more likely to have used the cultural facilities in the past 3 months and they are less likely than people from other areas to have never used the facilities.

4.4 Satisfaction levels with services used Satisfaction levels with the services most commonly used by respondents in the past 6 months are:

• Natural areas 61% of users rate this as satisfactory or highly satisfactory

• Cycle ways and walking paths 72% • Parks, playgrounds and sports fields 57% • Libraries 54% • Swimming centres 37%

Other services and facilities that more than one third of users are satisfied with are:

• Cultural facilities 46% of users rate this as satisfactory or highly satisfactory

• Awaba landfill 40% • Tourist Information Centre 36%


The service or facility that users most commonly expressed low satisfaction for is city planning and development. More than half (56%) of respondents had used this service in the past although only 19% had used the service in past 12 months. Nearly one quarter of users (23%) rated the services as providing less than average satisfaction.

[see table overpage]


Table: Levels of satisfaction by users with selected services

N= the respondents who have used the service Analysis by sub group shows:

• Female users of the Tourist Information Office are more likely to be highly satisfied than male users

• Users aged between 56 and 65 are more likely to be highly satisfied with the Awaba landfill than other age groups

• Users from the Western area of Lake Macquarie are more likely to be satisfied with the

service

• Male users are more likely to be satisfied than female users with the Awaba landfill

• Users aged 56 and over are less likely to be satisfied with the cycle ways and walking paths than other age groups

• Users from the Western area are less likely than other users to be highly satisfied with

the cycle ways and walking paths

• Users from the Eastern area are more likely than others to be highly satisfied with halls and community centres

N= 1 – low satisfaction

2 3 4

5 – high satisfaction

Awaba Landfill 1389 6% 8% 46% 29% 11% City planning and development 1191 11% 13% 56% 15% 5% Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs) 702 1% 5% 68% 16% 10%

Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) 1217 1% 3% 50% 26% 20%

Cycleway and walking paths 1986 3% 4% 22% 30% 42% Halls and community centres 1439 2% 9% 62% 20% 6% Libraries 1814 1% 5% 39% 27% 27% Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 2033 2% 4% 33% 35% 26%

Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 1998 2% 6% 35% 37% 20% Swimming Centres 1471 3% 8% 52% 26% 11% Tourism Information Centre 829 2% 4% 53% 26% 15%


• Users from the Western area are less likely than others to be highly satisfied with parks, playgrounds and sports facilities

• Users who are in full time work are less likely than others to be highly satisfied with

parks, playgrounds and sports facilities

• Users aged more than 56 are more likely to be highly satisfied with the library service than younger users

• Library users from the Northern area of Lake Macquarie are less likely to be highly

satisfied with the service than those from other areas

• Women users are more likely than male ones to be highly satisfied with the cultural facilities

4.5 Views on where spending on services could change Respondents were given a list of services and facilities and asked which three they would reduce spending on if the Council was forced to reduce spending and, in a second question, which they would increase spending on if the Council could increase spending. Reduced spending The three areas that respondents most commonly nominated as those where spending could be reduced are:

• Cultural facilities 66% • Tourist Information Centre 58% • Halls and community centres 43%

The three areas nominated least often as services or facilities where spending could be reduced if the Council had to reduce three services are:

• Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 6% • Cycle ways and walking paths 14% • Community Services 14%


Table: Areas where Council could reduce spending if necessary

% of respondents

Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) 66% Tourism Information Centre 58% Halls and community centres 43% Swimming Centres 25% Awaba Landfill 20% City planning and development 19% Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 18% Libraries 17% Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs) 14%

Cycleway and walking paths 14% Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 6%

Question If Council was forced to reduce spending on 3 services/facilities which would you reduce spending on? You must select 3. N = all respondents Analysis by sub groups shows:

• The Tourism Information Centre is more likely to be selected by: o People with dependent children o People in part time paid work o Women

• The Awaba Landfill is more likely to be selected by:

o People aged under 56 o People with dependent children o People who work in the Lake Macquarie area o People who are in part time work o Women

• The Cycleway and walking paths are more likely to be selected by:

o People who live in the Western area o People aged over 56 o People without dependent children o People not in paid work

• The halls and community centres are more likely to be selected by:

o People who live in the Eastern and Northern areas o People aged between 26 and 35 o People who work out of the Lake Macquarie area


• The parks, playgrounds and sports fields are more likely to be selected by: o People aged over 56 o People without dependent children

• Natural areas are more likely to be selected by:

o People aged over 56 o People without dependent children o People not in paid work o Males

• Swimming Centres are more likely to be selected by

o People who live in the Western area o People aged between 36 and 45 o People without dependent children o People not in paid work

• Libraries are more likely to be selected by

o People aged less than 66 o People with dependent children o People not in paid work

• Community Services are more likely to be selected by

o People in full time paid work o Males

• City Planning and development is more likely to be selected by

o People aged over 66

• Cultural facilities are more likely to be selected by o People in full time work or not in paid work – rather than in part time work o Men.

Increased spending The three areas most commonly nominated as those where spending should be increased if the Council has the opportunity are:

• Cycle ways and walking paths 52% • Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 51% • Natural areas 46%


The three areas least often nominated as those where spending should be increased if the Council has the opportunity are:

• Tourist Information Centre 6% • Cultural facilities 7% • Halls and community centres 9%

Table: Areas where Council should increase spending if it was able

% of respondents

Cycleway and walking paths 52% Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 51% Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 46% Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs)

37%

City planning and development 34% Libraries 25% Swimming Centres 16% Awaba Landfill 15% Halls and community centres 9% Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) 7% Tourism Information Centre 6%

Question Now, say the Council was able to increase spending. Which 3 services/facilities would you increase spending on? You must select 3 N = all respondents


• The Tourism Information Centre is more likely to be selected by: o People with aged over 56

• The Awaba Landfill is more likely to be selected by:

o People aged over 56 o People who are in full time work or not in the paid work force o Men

• The Cycleway and walking paths are more likely to be selected by:

o People who live in the Western and Eastern area o People aged between 36 and 55 o People with dependent children o People in full time paid work

• The halls and community centres are more likely to be selected by:

o People who are aged over 66


• The parks, playgrounds and sports fields are more likely to be selected by: o People who live in the Eastern or Northern areas o People aged between 26 and 55 o People with dependent children o People in full time or part time paid work

• Natural areas are more likely to be selected by:

o People aged between 46 and 55 o People without dependent children

• Swimming Centres are more likely to be selected by

o People aged between 36 and 45 o People with dependent children o People in part time paid work o Females

• Libraries are more likely to be selected by

o People aged more than 55 o People without dependent children o People not in paid work

• Community Services are more likely to be selected by

o People aged under 25 or over 55 o People without dependent children o People in full time paid work o Females

• City Planning and development is more likely to be selected by

o People aged under 25 or over 55 o People without dependent children o Males

• Cultural facilities are more likely to be selected by

o People aged over 66 4.6 Comparing usage, satisfaction levels and views on changes to spending When we compare respondents’ usage and satisfaction levels with their choices about where Council could increase or decrease spending we see a close correlation. The exception to the pattern is respondents’ attitudes to Community Services. While relatively few people had used the service, more than a third nominated it as an area where Council could increase spending if the funds were available and only 14% nominated it as one of three


areas where spending could be decreased if necessary. City Planning and Development is another area that respondents are prepared to support more spending event though they do not commonly use the service. Table: Comparison of most commonly used services and attitudes to changes in spending Service/facility Used in past 6

months Satisfied/highly satisfied

Decrease Spending

Increase Spending

Natural areas

80% 61%

18% 46%

Cycle ways and walking paths

79% 72% 14% 52%

Parks, playgrounds, sports fields

75% 57% 6% 51%

Libraries

52% 54% 17% 25%

Swimming centres

27% 37% 25% 16%

Table: Comparison of least commonly used services and attitudes to changes in spending Service/facility Never used Decrease

Spending Increase Spending

Community Service 67% 14% 37%

Tourism Information Centre

61% 58% 6%

City Planning & Development

44% 19% 34%

Cultural facilities 43% 66% 7%

Halls and community centres

32% 43% 9%

4.7 Relative importance of spending areas The final question on services and facilities asked respondents to rate the relative importance of spending on various specified areas. (The list of services and facilities was not identical to the list respondents used in the previous questions to assess where increases and decreases in spending could take place).


The most important areas of spending are perceived to be: • Roads 92% rate this as important or very important • Drains 85% • Parks, playgrounds, sports facilities 75% • Environmental protection and

Enhancement programs 67% • City planning and development 66%

The areas least likely to be rated as important areas of spending are:

• Halls and community centres 27% rate this as important or very important • Swimming Centres 40% • Economic development and tourism 51% • Libraries 57%

Table: Importance of spending public funds on selected services and facilities

1 = not important 2 3 4 5 = very

important Environmental protection and enhancement programs 2% 7% 24% 29% 38%

Economic development and tourism 4% 11% 35% 34% 17% Roads 1% 1% 7% 29% 63% Drains 1% 2% 13% 34% 51% Halls and community centres 4% 21% 48% 21% 6% Swimming centres 4% 15% 42% 30% 10% Libraries 3% 10% 30% 35% 22% Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities 1% 3% 21% 45% 30% Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs)

3% 9% 27% 32% 29%

City planning and development 2% 6% 26% 34% 32%

Question When considering how Council spends public funds, please rate the importance of the following, where 1 = not important and 5 = very important N = all respondents Analysis by sub group shows

• Spending public funds on environmental protection and enhancement is more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people aged over 55 o As very important by people in part time paid work o As very important by women


• Spending public funds on economic development and tourism is more likely to be regarded:

o Not important by people aged over 45

• Spending public funds on roads are more likely to be regarded: o As very important by people aged over 55 o As very important by people without dependent children o As very important by people not in the paid workforce o As very important by females

• Spending public funds on drains are more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people aged over 45 o As very important by people either in part time work or not in paid work o As very important by women

• Spending public funds on halls and community centres are more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people who live in the Western area o As very important by people aged more than 55 o As very important by people who work in the Lake Macquarie area o As not important by people in full time paid workforce o As not important by males o As important by females

• Spending public funds on swimming centres are more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people who live in the Eastern area o As important by people aged between 26 and 45 o As very important by people in part time work or not in paid work o As very important by females

• Spending public funds on libraries are more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people in Western and Eastern areas o As very important by people aged more than 55 o As very important by people without dependent children o As very important by people not in the paid workforce or working part time in

paid work o As very important by women

• Spending public funds on parks, playgrounds and sports facilities are more likely to be

regarded: o As very important by people aged between 36 and 45 o As very important by people with dependent children o As very important by people in part time paid work o As very important by women


• Spending public funds on community services are more likely to be regarded: o As very important by people without dependent children o As very important by people in part time paid work or not in paid work o As very important by women

• Spending public funds on city planning and development is more likely to be regarded:

o As very important by people aged between 26 and 35 and people aged 56 to 65 o By people without dependent children o As unimportant by males

4.8 Analysis by type of service In this section we bring together the respondents views on the services and facilities that were prompted for in the survey. Not all questions were asked about each service and facility, this is reflected in the summary below. Roads

• 92% rate Council spending on roads as important or very important • 52% think roads have not been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years,

43% think they have been sufficiently maintained and 5% don’t know. • Of the 1103 respondents who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained

over the past 5 years; 48% attribute it to lack of funds, 33% to poor planning and 15% to the growing population

Drains • 85% rate Council spending on drains as important or very important • 34% think drains have not been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years,

43% think they have been sufficiently maintained and 5% don’t know. • Of those who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained over the past 5

years; 28% attribute it to lack of funds, 52% to poor planning and 16% to the growing population

Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities • 75% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important • 74% think they have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years • Of the 304 respondents who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained


• 75% have used them in past six months • 57% of users are satisfied or highly satisfied with the service/facility • 6% nominate it as one of three areas where Council spending could be reduced if

necessary • 51% nominate it as one of three areas where Council spending could be increased


Environmental protection and enhancement programs

• 67% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important City Planning and Development

• 66% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important • 12% have used them in past six months • 20% of users are satisfied or highly satisfied with the service/facility • 19% nominate it as one of three areas where Council spending could be reduced if


Community Services

• 61% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important • 10% have used them in past six months • 26% of users are satisfied or highly satisfied with the service/facility • 14% nominate it as one of three areas where Council spending could be reduced if


Libraries

• 57% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important • 70% think these service/facilities have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the

past 5 years, 10% think they have not been sufficiently maintained and 19% don’t know. • Of the 222 respondents who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained

over the past 5 years; 61% attribute it to lack of funds, 20% to poor planning and 13% to the growing population.



Economic development and tourism

• 51% rate Council spending on this service/facility as important or very important Swimming Centres


past 5 years, 12 % think they have not been sufficiently maintained and 37% don’t know.


• Of the 261 respondents who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained over the past 5 years; 59% attribute it to lack of funds, 23% to poor planning and 11% to the growing population



Halls and Community centres


past 5 years, 18% think they have not been sufficiently maintained and 46% don’t know.




The Lake and the environment

• 76% think these service/facilities have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years, 14% think they have not been sufficiently maintained and 9% don’t know


Foreshores and natural environment • 81% think these service/facilities have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the

past 5 years, 13% think they have not been sufficiently maintained and 5% don’t know • Of the 247 respondents who believe the facility has not been sufficiently maintained


Tourism Information Centre




Awaba landfill

• 25% have used the landfill in past six months • 40% of users are satisfied or highly satisfied with the service/facility • 20% nominate it as one of three areas where Council spending could be reduced if


Cultural facilities




Appendix A

Survey

The poll is open to people who have resided in Lake Macquarie City for at least one year or who own property in the area but live elsewhere. Participants must be aged 18 or over. This survey is being conducted on behalf of Lake Macquarie City Council. The Council wants to gather feedback from residents on various aspects of the services and facilities it provides. This survey is confidential and anonymous. Your answers will be combined with those of all other respondents and no individuals will be identified in our reports. It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete this questionnaire. Please note that due to the way in which the survey is constructed you cannot go back and change your answers. If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact Kate Whelan at Essential Media Communications: [email protected] Please select your age bracket: 1. Under 18 2. 18-‐25 3. 26-‐35 4. 36-‐45 5. 46-‐55 6. 56-‐65 7. 66+ How long have you lived in the Lake Macquarie area? 1. Less than one year 2. Between one year and five years 3. Over five years 4. I don’t live in the Lake Macquarie area (but own property there) 5. None of the above Where do you live? (Please insert postcode): Please list the main services that Lake Macquarie City Council provides residents. Do you believe there are any important differences regarding how local governments operate in NSW compared to other parts of Australia?


Overall, how satisfied are you with life in Lake Macquarie area? 1. 1 = very satisfied 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4 5. 5 = not at all satisfied Is life in the area getting better worse or staying about the same? 1. Better 2. Worse 3. Staying about the same Do you strongly agree or disagree with the following statements. Use a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=strongly agree and 5=strongly disagree.

1 = strongly agree

2 3 = neither agree nor disagree

4 5 = strongly disagree

Lake Macquarie City Council plays a key role in making Lake Macquarie a place that I like

to work and/or live.

� � � � �

The type of services and facilities provided by Lake Macquarie City Council are not

important to me.

� � � � �

Of the services and facilities provided by Council, which ones do you think cost the most to provide? Do you think the following have been sufficiently maintained by Council over the past 5 years?

Yes No Don’t Know Roads � � � Drains � � �

Halls and community centres � � � Swimming centres � � �

Libraries � � � Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities � � �

The Lake and the environment � � � Foreshores and the natural environment � � �

What do you think is the major reason that these facilities have not been sufficiently


maintained?

Lack of funds

Poor planning

Growing population

Other

Roads � � � � Drains � � � �

Halls and community centres � � � � Swimming centres � � � �

Libraries � � � � Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities � � � �

The Lake and the environment � � � � Foreshores and the natural environment � � � �

Thinking about the delivery of the following Council facilities/services, in the first part please indicate how recently you used the facility/service, and in the second part, indicate your level of satisfaction with the service/facility. I have used the facility/service in the past:

Level of satisfaction with facility/service:

3 months 3-‐6 months 6-‐12 months

More than 12 months

ago

Never

Tourism Information Centre � � � � � Awaba Landfill � � � � �

Cycle ways and walking paths � � � � � Halls and community centres � � � � �

Parks, playgrounds, sports fields � � � � � Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural

foreshores, conservation areas) � � � � �

Swimming Centres � � � � � Libraries � � � � �

Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs)

� � � � �

City planning and development � � � � � Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and

Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) � � � � �


If Council were forced to reduce spending on 3 services/facilities which would you reduce spending on? You must select 3. 1. Tourism Information Centre 2. Awaba Landfill 3. Cycle ways and walking paths 4. Halls and community centres 5. Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 6. Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 7. Swimming Centres 8. Libraries 9. Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs) 10. City planning and development 11. Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) Now, say the Council was able to increase spending. Which 3 services/facilities would you increase spending on? You must select 3. 1. Tourism Information Centre 2. Awaba Landfill 3. Cycle ways and walking paths 4. Halls and community centres 5. Parks, playgrounds, sports fields 6. Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural foreshores, conservation areas) 7. Swimming Centres 8. Libraries

1 = low satisfaction

2 3 4 5 = high satisfaction

Tourism Information Centre � � � � � Awaba Landfill � � � � �

Cycle ways and walking paths � � � � � Halls and community centres � � � � �

Parks, playgrounds, sports fields � � � � � Natural areas (bushland reserves, natural

foreshores, conservation areas) � � � � �

Swimming Centres � � � � � Libraries � � � � �

Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs)

� � � � �

City planning and development � � � � � Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and

Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) � � � � �


9. Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs) 10. City planning and development 11. Cultural facilities (Performing Arts Centre and Lake Macquarie Art Gallery) When considering how Council spends public funds, please rate the importance of the following, where 1 = not important and 5 = very important

1 = not important

2 3 4 5 = very important

Environmental protection and enhancement programs

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Economic development and tourism ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Roads ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Drains ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Halls and community centres ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Swimming centres ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Libraries ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Parks, playgrounds and sports facilities ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Community services (aged care, children, youth, aboriginal, community programs)

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

City planning and development ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Are you: 1. Male 2. Female Which statement best describes your paid work? 1. I am in full time work 2. I work part time 3. I am not in paid work If you are in paid work, is your work based in Lake Macquarie or outside the city? 1. In Lake Macquarie 2. Outside the city Which arrangement best describes your living arrangement: 1. I own, or am paying off, my own home 2. I am renting 3. I do not pay rent and live with family/friends Do you have dependent children living with you? 1. Yes


2. No Please note any community organisations that you are a member of or volunteer with. Would you like to be informed of the results of this survey? 1. Yes 2. No Thank you for your participation. If you would like to go into the draw for an iPad please provide us with the following information so we can contact you should you win. Name: Phone number: Email Address:


Appendix B

Survey Reliability

Properly constructed sample surveys can provide results that are described as statistically reliable. The level of statistical reliability is dependent upon the sample size and (except where it is extremely small) the size of the population has no practical effect. A survey that has 1000 respondents will provide results that are – at the 95% confidence level – subject to a sampling variation of between 2% and 3% at the total response level. Sub-‐samples, because of their smaller size, will exhibit larger sampling variances. The following table shows the sampling variances at the 95% confidence level for a range of sample sizes and response levels. Sample Size Variation where the answer is near the percentage of

10% or 90% 20% or 80% 30% or70% 40% or 60% 50% 100 6% 8% 9% 9% 10% 200 4% 5% 6% 7% 7% 300 3% 5% 5% 6% 6% 400 3% 4% 4% 5% 5% 500 3% 4% 4% 4% 4% 600 2% 3% 4% 4% 4% 700 2% 3% 3% 4% 4% 800 2% 3% 3% 3% 3% 900 2% 3% 3% 3% 3% 1000 2% 3% 3% 3% 3%

Section 4 Supporting Document 4.2 Stage 1 Community Workshop Presentation

UNDERSTANDING PRIORITIES

• So we can plan for our city’s future

COUNCIL’S OBJECTIVE

• To find the right balance between:

– Level and quality of services to meet the needs

of our community

– Impact on residents and ratepayers (costs and benefits)

– Our long term financial sustainability

TONIGHT WE WILL

• Consider what Council’s financial position means for you

• Gain your input to understand what you value

• Identify what services you think are most important

• Identify what areas (groups of services) are most

important to you

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW CHALLENGES

• Increasing costs: significant financial risk

• Cost shifting: $15.5 million

• Ageing infrastructure: majority ~ 40-50 years old

• Limited income streams: difficult to address

increasing costs

OPERATING INCOME v EXPENDITUREIncreasing operating

deficit

PROJECTED BUDGET DEFICIT

BALANCING THE BUDGET

• 2011/12 the last year Council can deliver a balanced

budget within current service levels

• Budget is balanced, however:

– we predict a $17.6M operating deficit

– we drew on financial reserves (for asset replacement)

Total Rate Revenue (2009/10) per Capita

$546

$466

$544

$457

$383 $385 $381

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

Newca

stle

Shoalhave

n

Wollo

ngong

Twee

d

Coffs

Harbo

ur

Wyon

g

Lake M

acquar

ie

$

RATE REVENUE PER CAPITA

SOURCE: Division of Local Government’s 2010 Report: Snapshot of Local Councils

$9

46

.16

$1

,21

3.0

4

$1

,14

6.3

9

$9

55

.04

$9

12

.73

$8

85

.05

$7

56

.90

$9

67

.06

$9

98

.40

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

$800.00

$900.00

$1,000.00

$1,100.00

$1,200.00

$1,300.00

Coffs H

arbour

New

cast

le

Shoalh

aven

Twee

d

Wollo

ngong

Wyo

ng

Lake

Mac

quarie

Group 5

Ave

rage

NSW

Sta

te A

vera

ge

$

TOTAL INCOME PER CAPITA 2008/9

• Council has found

$4 million in savings and

improvements across the

organisation as a result of a

Service Review.

SAVING MONEY

EMPLOYEE COSTS ARE LOWAverage Employee Cost (2009/10) per Capita

$538

$663

$449

$560$490

$571

$394

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

New

cast

le

Shoalhav

en

Wollo

ngong

Twee

d

Coffs

Har

bour

Wyon

g

Lake

Macq

uarie

$

SOURCE: Division of Local Government’s 2010 Report: Snapshot of Local Councils

STAFF (FTE) PER 1000 RESIDENTS

4.37

6.907.20

7.75

4.80

7.82

6.01

19

28

53

60

4542

22

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Shoalhaven

Wollongong

Newcastle

Tweed Heads

Coffs Harbour

Wyong

Penrith

Lake Macquarie

STAFF (FTE) PER ‘MIDDLE’ MANAGER$

1,1

36

.80

$1

,37

1.7

7

$1

,26

0.6

3

$1

,03

8.6

7

$9

65

.18

$7

96

.77

$7

41

.16

$1

,04

5.9

9

$1

,03

3.4

2

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1,000

$1,100

$1,200

$1,300

$1,400

$1,500

Coffs H

arbour

New

cast

le

Shoalh

aven

Tweed

Wollo

ngong

Wyo

ng

Lake M

acquarie

Group 5

Ave

rage

NSW

Sta

te A

verag

e

$

OPERATING EXPENSES PER CAPITA 2008/09

OPTIONS

1. Increase income – rate increase, increase in

fees and charges

2. Same income – make significant cuts

3. A combination of the above

= WE NEED YOUR INPUT

June June June June –––– AugustAugustAugustAugustCONSULTATION PROCESS

STAGE 1UNDERSTAND WHAT WE VALUE

Community forumsHave your say online

Online budget tool

What do you value?

input informs

Stage 2

STAGE 2DEVELOP BUDGETSCENARIOS

STAGE 3FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION

Stage 1 report

Working group (24 community members)

develops scenarios

Community panel(500-750 members)

considers scenariosCommunity panel

(500-750 community members)

September September September September – OctoberOctoberOctoberOctober October October October October – early Decemberearly Decemberearly Decemberearly DecemberCommunity pollsgather feedback

on preferredscenario

What services are you

willing and able to pay for?

What levels of service

are best?

Join the conversation online at

www.haveyoursaylakemac.com.au

• forums, quick polls, information sheets & news

CONSIDER WHAT YOU HEARD

• Did anything surprise you?

• Is there anything you strongly agree with?

• Is there anything you strongly disagree with?

Why?

PART 2 KEY FOCUS AREAS

• Six focus areas for service delivery

NEXT

• One focus area per group

• Tell us what is important to you in this focus area

• Tell us which services contribute most and why

WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

• Consider the focus area your table has

been given

– Briefly talk through what that focus area covers

SHARE A STORY

• Share a story of how this focus area adds

value to your life in Lake Macquarie

– What would happen if you didn’t have it?

– What does it do for you now?

– If it was the best in the world what would it do?

WHAT WE’VE

HEARD SO FAR…

“I value a safe

and affordable

place for my

children to play”

a healthy

lake

free from

pollution is

attractive

and

enjoyable

clean and

accessible

public amenities

affordable, easy-to-access childcare

services that support my lifestyle

smooth, well planned roads make for

a better journey

BRAINSTORM ON PAPER

• List your responses to:

– When done at its best, this focus area contributes

to my life by providing or delivering…

SERVICES FOR THIS AREA

• As a group:

– Look at the service list for your focus area

– Tick the 1/3 of services that make the most significant

contribution

– Cross the 1/3 of services that make the least contribution

OUTCOMES SO FAR:

• 250+ have participated in face-to-face forums

• many don’t want a reduction in services or a sale of assets

• most are willing to pay to retain or improve services

• now collating the detailed data for Stage 1 report (Sept)

• we need to find the right balance between services and

what people will (and can) pay for � scenarios & surveys

SOME THINGS WE VALUE

• waste and recycling collection

• good roads

• healthy natural environment – especially our lake and foreshore

• creation of employment opportunities

• libraries

• family day care

• swimming centres

• footways and cycleways

• parklands

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

• Have Your Say site + budget allocator

• Engaging the business community and youth

• Develop a range of options for funding

• Engage the community on preferred option via

workshops, random surveys, working group

THANKYOU

• Don’t forget to have your say online at:

www.haveyoursaylakemac.com.au/securingourfuture

section 4 supporting document - ipart...section 4 supporting document 4.1 residents’ attitude to...

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