Client:
Central Coast Water and Sewer
Project Overview:
Our team was engaged to gather comprehensive community feedback from the Central Coast Water and Sewer customers and wider community. Together with Council we formed the “Your Water and Sewer Services 2024” community engagement program.
This program was developed to guide Central Coast Council’ s Water and Sewer 2026-2031 water pricing submission to the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). With a population of 348,930 and an extensive water and sewer system servicing over 139,000 homes and businesses, we were engaged to ensure customer feedback was at the heart of this engagement program to support pricing strategy and service delivery decisions.
Objective:
The primary objective of the engagement program was to gather feedback from the community to inform Council’s pricing submission to IPART. This involved understanding community values and expectations, identifying desired service outcomes, and incorporating these insights into investment strategies and service improvements. The program focused on ensuring that the community’s voice plays a significant role in shaping future water and sewer services.
Our Role:
- Designing and implementing a diverse range of engagement activities to capture a broad spectrum of community input.
- Employing innovative methods to enhance the reach and effectiveness of the engagement process, including deliberative forums, pop-up engagements, online surveys, and targeted outreach.
- Analysing the collected data to provide actionable insights for the water pricing submission and to foster a transparent and trust-building dialogue between the Council and its stakeholders.
Challenges:
- Geographic Dispersion: Engaging a community spread over a large geographic area posed logistical challenges in reaching all segments effectively.
- Complex Issues: Addressing complex topics like water quality, pricing, and infrastructure needs involved simplifying technical details for better public understanding without diluting the information.
Outcome:
The engagement program successfully gathered extensive feedback through multiple channels, including telephone and online surveys, deliberative forums, and various pop-up events. Key outcomes include:
- Enhanced Understanding: Insights into community values and priorities regarding water and sewer services were gained, highlighting concerns over water quality, service levels, and environmental protection.
- Improved Engagement Techniques: Adaptations based on participant feedback led to more effective engagement methods, demonstrating the importance of iterative improvements.
- Actionable Data: The feedback collected will directly inform the 2026-2031 water pricing submission, ensuring it reflects the community’s expectations and needs.
Overall, the program has strengthened the Council’s connection with its community, built trust through transparent communication, and provided a solid foundation for future engagement initiatives.
Why Captivate Consulting:
Captivate Consulting brings extensive experience in designing and implementing effective community engagement strategies. Our team’s deep understanding of public participation processes ensured that we could create meaningful interactions and gather valuable insights from the community.
We developed customised engagement activities that were specifically designed to meet the unique needs and context of Central Coast Water and Sewer. This tailored approach ensured that the strategies were relevant and resonated with the community.
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