AS a large local business, we are not surprised to read that Swan Hill Council scored poorly in the most recent public satisfaction survey.
There have been many occasions in the past five years where we have had to engage with council staff and as a result have undergone lengthy delays in what should have been simple processes. Processes that other councils seem to have a good handle on.
We are unable to think of a single instance where our interactions with the council have been a helpful or positive experience.
Whilst the mayor may want to use smoke and mirrors to push the survey results away, citing staff recruitment problems as an excuse for poor performance, what he hasn’t acknowledged is the dwindling retention rate of council employees and why they are leaving or that the council and, in particular, the mayor himself, are well known for voting against prime developmental opportunities that would see our region flourish.
There exists an underlying fear from developers, builders, plumbers and the general public that the council have you over a barrel and “the more you complain, the longer you’ll wait” attitude exists at the council.
There are plenty of local businesses recovering from COVID who do not pull the “we can’t get good staff” excuse as a reason to provide such lacklustre performance to the community.
The mayor may want the people of Swan Hill to think the town is trying to support local development, but sadly, that is not the case.
The more you rely on the council for help, the more likely you are to be disappointed by them and sadly, it’s the community that continues to suffer from missed opportunities as developers go elsewhere.
