Positive result, but still work to be done
Published on 19 June 2026
Loddon Shire Council has received and acknowledged the results of the 2026 Community Satisfaction Survey.
The annual survey of 500 local residents shows another improvement in Council’s scores, with the Overall Performance index at 63, up from 58 last year and 53 in 2024.
That rates six points above the statewide average and three points above the Small Rural group of shires that Loddon is compared with.
Council has either performed in line with or significantly higher than the statewide and Small Rural group averages on all service areas evaluated.
The three top performing areas were Appearance of Public Areas (76, up from 71 in 2025), Waste Management (75, up from 72) and Recreational Facilities (75, up from 72). Customer Service saw a significant jump up to a score of 73 (up from 66) to be among Loddon’s highest rating performance areas.
Council was also statistically higher than the Small Rural and statewide averages for Overall Performance, Value for Money, Overall Council Direction, Appearance of Public Areas, Lobbying, Consultation and Engagement, Community Decisions, Sealed Local Roads, Waste Management and Recreational Facilities.
Loddon Shire’s lowest performing areas from the 2026 survey remain consistent with previous years – Unsealed Roads (index score of 46, but up 10 points from 2025), Planning and Building Permits (index score of 47, up from 44) and Sealed Local Roads (51, also up 10 points on 2025).
Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub said while the continued improvement was pleasing, there was still plenty of room to get better.
“Over the years we have put a lot of effort into improving the areas identified by our community as being of concern,” he said.
“These results show it is paying off but there is always improvement to be made and we will continue to work on that.”
About the Community Satisfaction Survey
Required annually by the Victorian Government and this year administered by JWS Research for Loddon Shire Council, the Community Satisfaction Survey asks the opinions of local people about the place they live, work and play and provides confidence for councils in their efforts and abilities.
Now in its twenty-seventh year, this survey provides insight into the community’s views on:
- Council’s overall performance, with benchmarking against State-wide and council group results;
- Value for money in services and infrastructure;
- Community consultation and engagement;
- Decisions made in the interest of the community;
- Customer service, local infrastructure, facilities, services; and
- Overall council direction.
When coupled with previous data, survey results provide a reliable historical source of the community’s views since 1998.
A total of 500 people were surveyed in Loddon Shire – 7.9 per cent of the population aged 18 or older – including 94 in Boort Ward, 163 in Inglewood Ward, 9 in Tarnagulla Ward, 105 in Terrick Ward and 129 in Wedderburn Ward.
About 57 per cent of the survey respondents had contact with Council in the past 12 months.
Of the total respondents, 53 per cent were aged 65 and over, 26 per cent between 50-64 years, 13 per cent between 35-49 and 8 per cent between 18-34.
The weighting in age groupings is matched as closely as possible to the demographics of Loddon Shire according to the most recent Census data.
The survey was carried out in three waves between August 2025 and March 2026.
It can be read in full (as can previous surveys) on the Loddon Shire Council website.