Tamworth residents favour road maintenance and water supply as key priorities for city's future

Roads, small business support and how water is managed have topped the list of things Tamworthians care the most about.

Locals were given a chance to speak out about what they see as the priorities for the city's future and what they think of council's operations to help guide decision making in the new year.

A survey of residents found a whopping 96 per cent of respondents thought maintaining local roads was the most important issue, while 25 per cent wanted to see real change in that space.

That was closely followed by 95 per cent voting for water management as important, and 11 per cent voting for changes to be made.

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"Road upgrades required as there are lots of potholes in the Kootingal area that are quite dangerous," one local said in the survey.

Another reported that long term water security that wasn't "dependent on the state" was a key concern for them.

These two priorities were closely followed by supporting local jobs and businesses, which 92 per cent of respondents found to be important.

Recycling and waste minimisation and transparency and accountability both came in at 90 per cent.

When it came to what keeps people happy, 98 per cent of respondents rated the library services as the region's most satisfying offering.

Ovals and sportsgrounds came in second at 93 per cent, 92 per cent of people considered the parks and playgrounds to met their satisfaction, 91 per cent of voters favoured community buildings and halls, and 89 per cent were impressed by the arts and entertainment scene.

When it came to quality of life, 94 per cent of respondents rated wellbeing as good, very good or excellent

But despite the statistic there's still things residents would like to see change and improve.

The issue of safety and the need to lower crime rates in Tamworth, as well as leisure and community facilities, were something that needed to improve for 10 per cent of voters.

Nine per cent advocated for improving youth services, education and health services.

One respondent told council new swimming facilities needed to be a priority and slammed the current options in town as "substandard" and "deteriorating".

Tamworth Regional Council has earned itself a pat on the back with 80 per cent of residents "at least somewhat" satisfied with its performance.

Respondents adding up to 74 per cent were "at least somewhat" satisfied with the level of communication between council and the community.

Transparency and accountability, financial management, customer service and communication have been branded as key drivers of the satisfaction levels.

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