Community satisfaction survey

An independent consultant carries out a Community Survey for us every few years.

The results from the community survey provide us with valuable information to help shape our services.

Find out about our upcoming community survey in February 2024, plus see a snapshot of results from the 2023 survey.

Who will be carrying out the community survey?

Starting in February 2024, an independent consultant, Micromex Research, will be conducting our Community Survey. 

Around 400 residents are randomly chosen to provide their views about: 

  • What issues are important to you.
  • How satisfied you are with Council.  

If you have the opportunity to take part in the survey, we appreciate you sharing your views.

Questions about the community survey?

Please contact Shannon McKelvey, Executive Officer 

Email smckelvey@byron.nsw.gov.au

Snapshot of the 2023 and 2020 Community Survey results

View the 2023 Community Survey Report(PDF, 3MB)

Please see below a table that compares the 2023 and 2020 results. 

Measures 2023 Results   2020 Results 

Overall satisfaction with Council 

(this is scored out of a range of 1 to 5, with 1 being very unsatisfied to 5 being very satisfied)

2.98  3.09

Percentage of residents 'somewhat satisfied' to 'very satisfied' with Council 

(this is the percentage of residents giving Council a score of 3 out of 5 or higher) 

72%  78% 
Number of services where satisfaction levels increased  1 out of 39 service areas  37 out of 39 service areas 

Satisfaction with customer service provided by Council

(this is scored out of a range of 1 to 5, with 1 being very unsatisfied to 5 being very satisfied)

3.27  3.52
Percentage of residents 'somewhat satisfied' to 'very satisfied' with the customer service they received from Council 67%   73%
Percentage of residents who had their customer request resolved during their first contact with Council 41%  42%

Priority issues and summary from 2023

The highest priority issues for residents in 2023 were:  

  1. Affordability/availability of housing and land – 51% of residents 
  2. Managing development – 31% of residents 
  3. Condition and maintenance of roads – 28% of residents 

The three most important services for residents were: 

  • Local Roads 
  • Planning for the future 
  • Management of development

The three services residents were most satisfied with were: 

  • Libraries  
  • Garbage collection
  • Community halls

The three services residents were least satisfied with were: 

  • Affordable Housing (a service provided by NSW State Government)
  • Public Transport (a service provided by NSW State Government).
  • Local roads

Summary of results

It can take time for Council decisions to start to return results and there is often an interval, sometimes years, between decisions being made and positive outcomes being seen ‘on the ground’ by residents.

One example is the past Council decisions and projects to generate revenue that are now enabling record investment in roads, culverts and bridges – which was the one service in 2023 where resident satisfaction increased. 

Overall, the 2023 results are lower particularly in Mullumbimby and northern areas of the Shire where were most badly impacted by the devasting 2022 floods. Council will continue to focus on flood recovery works in those areas and also focus across the Shire on:

  1. Local roads and infrastructure and management of development.
  2. Council leadership and future planning, with a focus on keeping community informed and involved.
  3. Housing affordability, which is a State Government responsibility but because of its importance to our community, it remains an area where Council will look to innovate and strongly lobby for improved outcomes in the Shire.