Authorities urged to improve image

Local government needs to improve the way it sells itself to the
public, the prime minister’s aide on public service reform has
said.

Wendy Thompson told a conference on integrating public services
last week that, although inspection and assessment results
reflected an improvement in council services, Mori research showed
that satisfaction levels among local people were going down.

“The public hold local government in poor regard. How can we
convince the public that we are doing a good job? Local government
needs to look at itself as a brand,” she said.

Local government minister Nick Raynsford said he wanted more
councils to become involved in the Innovations Forum, where
top-performing councils are allowed to create new ways of tackling
problems.