Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel
The Christchurch City Council’s approval rating has sunk to its lowest level ever.
Overall satisfaction with the Council in 2021-2022 sits at 42 percent – a decline from last year’s 49 percent result.
Just like previous results, residents wanted the Christchurch City Council to focus on the basics, roading, and water.
Many also disapproved the council’s spending.
Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale said “we have made a firm commitment to improving our performance over the last two years but, like many organisations, the Council’s finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic.”
Christchurch City Council Boss Dawn Baxendale
“Many of the same themes were raised by residents this year and our attention remains firmly focused on delivering the basics – like water, roads and transport – and doing them better.’’
“They are a core focus of the Long Term Plan, particularly in the first three years. However, we need to be realistic that infrastructure outcomes such as these will take time and significant budget commitments.”
“Something that’s extremely pleasing to see is that where people are interacting face-to-face with our staff, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For example, the satisfaction score for walk-in customer service is sitting at 97 per cent.”
The Council is taking a new approach to results this year, with Heads of Service providing responses to the feedback, and individual solutions for a path to improvement.
Fewer people cycling on public roads
Survey participants were asked how often they have cycled on a public road in Christchurch in the last 12 months.
Two in ten participants (20 percent) had cycled on public roads at least once a week.
But this percentage has declined over the past year by 4 percent (down from 24 percent). Indeed, the percentage of those who never cycle has increased by 6 percent.
When Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel was elected in 2013, 70 percent of residents surveyed were satisfied with council. Now council’s performance is at a record low – just 42 percent.
Satisfaction with on-street parking facilities came in at 7.9 percent.
A comment highlighted in the survey was “I don’t feel the council listens to their residents around spending on things like cycleways when they are not being used enough to warrant that spending. There are other things this City could be doing for a greater good.”
The results: Just 27% of residents were satisfied with the conditions of the roads with comments saying roadworks were taking too long and weren’t done to a good standard.”
35% satisfied were satisfied with the condition of footpaths.
46% are satisfied with the supply and quality of the water. “Dissatisfied with chlorine still in water.”
26% satisfied with Governance and decision making.
