Getting council to listen & act

It’s good to start by doing your homework. Do some research on the Internet. All councils have a website and must post the details of their Road Management Plan and local laws on that.

It’s okay to contact your council by phone. All councils have systems for logging complaints, and if you have acomplaint you need to give them relatively exact information and be patient to ensure they get all the details.

Councils value constructive feedback that helps them improve their services, and do want to help the residents and ratepayers in their municipality.

If you’re not sure who to talk to, call your council on its main public contact number. Your call will probably be handled by a customer service officer with a general knowledge of most things the council does. If they can’t answer your question or solve your problem, they will help you find the right person in the council to talk to.

Sometimes a problem or issue can be resolved simply by a phone call. If it is more complex, or requires extra resourcing, the council may ask you to provide them with something in writing - see our sample letter to government for ideas.

If you’re not seeing any action from your initial contact with council officers, see drumming up support for ideas on how to get an advocacy campaign going.