The sixth edition of council performance data has revealed that community satisfaction with council decisions in Horsham is markedly lower than comparable councils.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
According to the annual Know Your Council data's governance metrics, just 39 per cent of Horsham residents were satisfied with council decisions in 2019/20, a 20 per cent decrease compared to 2018/19.
Included in the regional city category, Horsham's performance is compared to Bendigo, Geelong, Ballarat, Shepparton and Mildura, among others.
READ MORE:
The average community satisfaction with council decisions in these shire's was 51 per cent, with the statewide average 55 per cent.
While Horsham Rural City Council did not respond for comment directly, its response on the Know Your Council website said: "Council has many commitments to deliver on and our community is demanding we do better in a number of areas."
The percentage of council decisions made at meetings closed to the public spiked during 2019/20, with 18.44 per cent of decisions made behind closed doors, compared to the state average of 9.84 per cent.
Council said closed decisions were for various contractual, personal or hardship matters.
The data revealed Horsham residents were also dissatisfied with the condition of sealed local roads, which earned a mark of just 39 per cent.
Similar councils boasted 55 per cent satisfaction in this category.
Council said confusion exists in the community about who is responsible for which roads, whether that be council or Regional Roads Victoria.
"Seventy eight per cent of all roads identified in the survey were RRV roads," council said.
"Council will continue to promote the difference between a local road and an RRV to all in the community."
Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane welcomed the data, which he said showed councils have stepped up to support their communities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Know Your Council is all about building accountability and improving the information Victorians have available to assess the performance of their council," Mr Leane said.
Planning matters in Horsham were resolved quicker than average, with 42 days the average time taken to decide planning applications, compared to 65 days statewide.
About one-tenth of Horsham residents are active library borrowers, compared to 14.88 per cent statewide.
The percentage of the municipality's collection that is less than five years old is 45.82 per cent, compared to 61.37 per cent in similar councils, but does reflect a 6.28 per cent boost compared to 2018/19.
To view Horsham's Know Your Council data, visit knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/councils/horsham/reports/summary
Did you know you can receive updates straight to your inbox? To make sure you're up-to-date with news from across the region, sign up below.
