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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:38am

More people than ever are enjoying being part of the district’s community.

That’s one of the findings from the Council’s annual survey of residents this year, which shows that 93% of people surveyed thought Selwyn was ‘a great place to live’, 2% more than in 2018.

Reasons people gave included the range of facilities and services, the relaxed country feel, the safe, clean environment, fun events, and being a good place to bring up families.

Residents also gave a positive rating to the services and facilities the Council provides, with 69% of residents rating the Council’s overall performance as good or very good, the same as last year. This overall performance rating has increased steadily from 58% in 2013.

Among the services that respondents rated highly were rubbish collection (97% rated good or very good), recycling (92%), playgrounds (84%), libraries (83%), parks and reserves (81%) and wastewater services (72%).

The biggest increases in satisfaction were recorded for the Pines Resource Recovery Park (up 16% to 85%), cemeteries (up 15% to 70%) and community swimming pools (up 13% to 67%). Satisfaction decreased for cycleways (down 11%), water supply (down 5%), organic collection (down 4%), land drainage (down 5%), and urban roads (down 3%).

Of the 26 services or facilities surveyed, two recorded no change from last year, 11 recorded an increase in satisfaction and 13 recorded a decrease in satisfaction.

Mayor Sam Broughton says the survey results reflect the positive feel of the district. “There’s so much to like about Selwyn, and more and more people are finding out first hand,” he says. “We’re still a rural district but we’re increasingly investing in new facilities, good transport links, economic infrastructure and services that help our people and communities to thrive.

“We also acknowledge that growth brings challenges, and we look closely at the survey results each year, as a guide to where we need to improve our services and review our spending priorities.”

The survey was carried out in June and July by independent research company Research First, and surveyed 401 people using telephone, cellphone and online surveys. For full results see the residents’ survey.