We’ve commented frequently on the difference between Glen Eira Council and its neighbours. We’ve also remarked on the Caulfield Leader’s possible editorial policy when it comes to reporting on council matters. The most recent example is the recant by the Caulfield Leader on the State run Community Satisfaction Survey. In contrast, we publish below the Bayside Leader’s appraisal of that municipality’s results, as well as citing from the Agenda items Bayside Council’s response to the survey. Readers should note that this year Glen Eira has not issued one single word (either as a press release, or any comment) on the results. As for including an officer’s report in the agenda items for council meetings, this has never been done as far as we know. Whereas Bayside appears quite willing to admit that there is room for improvement, Glen Eira remains silent and possibly hoping that the issue quickly fades away.
Bayside Leader
Jon Andrews
Poll slams planning department: Bayside residents far from impressed
BAYSIDE Council’s planning department is one of the poorest performers in the state, according to a survey. In a damning local government poll, far more people were unhappy with the municipality’s planning sector than were happy.
Fifty-three per cent said the department ‘‘needs some improvement’’ or ‘‘needs a lot of improvement’’. Just 3 per cent thought it ‘‘excellent’’. Nineteen per cent said it was ‘‘good’’, while the remaining 26 per cent believed it ‘‘adequate’’.
Bayside Ratepayers’ Association president George Reynolds said the council’s town planning performance was ‘‘dismal’’, and the council did not seem to take into account residents’ needs. Other sectors that didn’t fare well include parking, local roads, footpaths and community engagement, while the council excelled at waste management, recreation, health services and local law enforcement.
Cr Michael Norris defended the council’s performance, saying Bayside residents had ‘‘higher expectations’’ than many other Victorians.
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Council Agenda – 12th July 2011
“…the survey is valuable in measuring changes in perceptions of a Council’s performance over time. This can be used to influence the allocation of budgets and service levels, to introduce new services or adjust priorities between Council services and projects.”
“In comparison to all Councils in the Inner Metropolitan Melbourne local government grouping Bayside records higher results for waste management, and lower results in areas of advocacy, community engagement, customer contact, and town planning policy and approvals.
One area that continues to record low perception scores in this survey is town planning policy and approvals. In this instance 47 per cent of respondents rated town planning policy and approvals as Excellent, Good or Adequate and although this is consistent with the trend overtime, satisfaction results have reduced by five percent from 2010.
The Customer Window: Key areas for Improvement chart (p9) shows that while perceived performance has remained unchanged in the area of Community Engagement, it remains a key areas for Bayside to continue improving. Community Engagement also has the highest relative importance to residents. In the 2011-12 Annual Action Plan, Council has committed to reviewing Council’s Community Engagement Framework of 2009 and develop of a suite of products that outline appropriate tools for engagement opportunities with the community.
Another key area for improvement is Local Roads and Footpaths, with 36% of residents seeking improvement in this area. Council has recently endorsed Bayside’s Road Asset Management Plan designed to provide guiding principles for the long term management of Council’s road and pavement assets. The plan will ensure that there is a defined methodology and management
and process improvement for Council’s road and pavement asset well into the future.
It is reasonable to expect that the measures in place will contribute to the improvement of satisfaction outcomes in coming years. Bayside uses the DPCD survey results to help guide its service planning with the indicated priority areas reflected in the Annual Service Plans”
“Council has committed in its Council Plan to seek engagement with the Bayside community and to making decisions based on evidence. The Annual Community Satisfaction Survey results make a significant contribution to Council meeting this commitment.”
Glen Eira Debates 
July 26, 2011 at 3:32 PM
Check out this week’s leader. Front page of Caulfield Leader there’s Esakoff peek a booing amongst library shelves. Sounds like the article is warming us up for more charges increase. Funnily enough the Bayside Leader also has a story on library funding cuts. They quote Bayside council as saying they won’t increase costs and only stand to be out of pocket $4000 with 50,000 members. Got to wonder whether this is scare mongering by Glen Eira with complicity by the Caulfield Leader and front page no less!
July 26, 2011 at 4:57 PM
Compare and contrast.
Bayside Council says they will be out of pocket $4,000 which won’t have any impact on services. Cr Esakoff says Glen Eira will lose $24,000 and services may be cut.
On the other hand, council makes an ad hoc decision to spend an unbudgeted $450,000 on a car park with no mention of impact on other spending or rates.
Go figure.
July 26, 2011 at 6:48 PM
There are many residents of Bayside don’t consider themselves part of Victoria when it comes to town planning. Many want things to stay just the same, until they want to sell. They love watching the CIV on their rate certificate increase each year. Built into the land value is the fact that the buyer can probably fit two units on the block. I wonder if any of the annoyed people have put in a submission to the town planning review currently underway. You can bet the developers are busy submitting. They love building stuff in Bayside.
July 26, 2011 at 6:52 PM
If readers require more comparative data on libraries, then there is this survey produced each year by the State Government – http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/localgovernment/publications-and-research/libraries
The EXCEL sheets have some remarkable data. On nearly every KPI (ie no of qualified librarians; loans; council expenditure – and plenty more) Glen Eira falls well below Bayside.
This is not a criticism of library staff. These figures merely lend themselves to that old, old question of ‘why is it so?’
July 26, 2011 at 10:54 PM
Why is it so? Answer’s easy – so you can divert funding into other “essentials” such as gesac extra car parking in order to save your bacon for lousy planning in the first place. You then scream blue murder at the government for ripping you off a few thousand and this makes for the best excuse to rip residents off. Love the picture Margaret!
July 28, 2011 at 8:13 AM
I reckom more people will use the new pool than the library and they are prepared to pay as well. Imagine iof it were free. If there was no car park then it would not attract as many patrons. Libraries are going the same way as typewritters, only a matter of time. Most students carry the whole library around with them in the form internet access. Increasingly the libraries will be used by older people and parents of young children.