Council’s scorecard highlights significant improvement
Published on 27 May 2026
The Glenelg Shire Council has recorded a significant improvement in community satisfaction, with the latest independent survey results showing strong gains across all core service areas.
The 2026 Community Satisfaction Survey, conducted by JWS Research, reveals a marked turnaround in overall performance, increasing nine points to an index score of 52 following sharp declines in 2023 and 2024.
Encouragingly, all key measures improved this year, including customer service, consultation and engagement, value for money and overall council direction.
Council’s customer service was a standout performer, rising six points to an index score of 72, with seven in ten residents who had contact with Council rating their experience as positive.
Improvements were also recorded in consultation and engagement (up eight points to 51), community decision-making (up seven points to 49), and value for money (up nine points to 47).
Glenelg Shire Council CEO Helen Havercroft said the results reflect a clear commitment to listening and striving to improve what can be delivered to the community.
“We know the past few years have been challenging and the 2023 results in particular highlighted areas where we needed to improve. Since then, Council has taken meaningful steps to strengthen how we engage with our community, deliver services and make decisions that reflect community priorities,” she said.
“It’s encouraging to see improvements across all core areas, particularly in consultation and engagement, value for money and council direction. These are areas our community told us mattered most.”
However, Council acknowledges there is more work to be done to return to the higher levels of community confidence seen prior to 2023.
“While these results are very positive, we recognise that performance in some areas remains below the levels we achieved in previous years,” Ms Havercroft said.
“We are not complacent. These results provide a strong foundation, but also a clear direction for where continued effort is needed. Looking ahead, a focus on consultation and engagement, along with ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of the community, will remain key priorities over the next 12 months.”
Glenelg Shire Mayor Cr Karen Stephens, on behalf of the Councillor group, thanked staff for their contribution to the strong results.
“Our frontline staff do an outstanding job and have a deep understanding of the wide range of services we provide, enabling them to confidently respond to enquiries,” she said.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see strong customer service scores from our 18 to 35-year-olds. This is a great reflection of what we are getting right and a very positive outcome for our community.
“These results are a team effort and we extend our sincere thanks to the CEO and all staff, including those working behind the scenes, for the role they play in delivering these outcomes.”