More ratepayers than ever are satisfied with the service provided by Belfast City Council, according to a public consultation survey.

The Council has been asked to submit a number of 'Best Value Performance Indicators' (BVPIs) to the Local Government Division of the Department of the Environment (DoE), in accordance with its commitment to continuous improvement.

Although not a statutory requirement as central government in Northern Ireland has no power to issue directions or guidance to councils on the matter, Belfast City Council has been taking part in the process since 2001.

Key performance highlights, as identified by the Council this year, include the number of ratepayers being satisfied with the overall service provided by Belfast City Council increasing by 9% to 74% during the 2007/08 financial year.

Another key priority for the citizens of Belfast is maintaining good cleanliness standards. This year there was a very impressive increase of 26% in ratepayer satisfaction to 73% compared with 47% in a previous survey in 2004 and also a 5% increase in ratepayer satisfaction with the refuse collection service to 83%.

Other highlights of best value practice include Belfast City Council scoring top performance in Food Safety and Health & Safety in the areas of management and service delivery.

There has also been a 4% increase in household recycling, a 3% reduction in the net cost of waste collection per head of population and a 30% reduction in the net cost of indoor leisure per admission.

Councillor Diane Dodds, Chairman of Belfast City Council's Strategic Policy & Resources Committee, said: "In spite of their limitations, BVPIs provide local councils with a means of highlighting performance across a range of key council services and functions.

"Once again the BVPIs show that Belfast City Council is performing extremely well in the delivery of its services and functions and reflect our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement across the board," she said.

(BMcC)