Toowoomba council handed report card in Chamber of Commerce membership survey, key issues revealed

One in five city businesses gave the Toowoomba Regional Council a ‘fail grade’ in a key aspect, a new survey has revealed. Here’s how the council fared:

Nearly half of local businesses are unhappy with Toowoomba Regional Council’s red tape and regulations, while one in five say it is failing to simplify the process.

That’s according to a new council “report card” commissioned by the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, which also found the TRC needed to do more to promote and showcase the region’s small businesses.

The report by Create Consult Research, which surveyed nearly 190 members and non-members of the chamber, found the council was generally satisfactory to work with and occasionally very good in some areas.

But red tape was identified as an area of concern, with 47 per cent of the relevant respondents grading the council a D or F in this area, and just three per cent handing out an A.

Just over 50 per cent awarded a B or C grade in this area.

In contrast, nearly three quarters of those surveyed (72 per cent) graded the council a C or higher for communication and engagement.

Results from Create Consult Research's Toowoomba Business Community Survey, grading the Toowoomba Regional Council on reducing red tape.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Rohl said the survey indicated business owners and managers wanted to see council improve its regulatory processes and showcasing of businesses.

“The things that they’re doing well at relate to the local procurement and the prompt payment terms,” he said.

“That’s all been OK, and the other aspect that was good was whether businesses felt the council supported their resilience and recovery.

“While it’s not all bad, what we can say is what businesses have talked about with showcasing and regulatory administration, the council has let small businesses down there.

“It’s a C-grade overall, and the key challenge is what are they doing for small businesses in the region, and there’s no evidence being done to reduce the costs of running a business.

“We’re not saying you shouldn’t have regulation, but they’re creating barriers rather than being enablers.”

Todd Rohl of Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Mr Rohl said the findings should be taken seriously by council in the context of the Toowoomba region’s future growth.

“How the local council is perceived as an attractor for business will have ramifications on the ability for a region to attract investment and create jobs,” he said.

The report also surveyed the chamber’s performance, with Mr Rohl saying the results showed the organisation had to do better at demonstrating its results.

“The key positive is our messaging is far more consistent but the biggest takeaway from this is how we express to members what we’ve been doing,” he said.

“We had 48 non-members (out of 58 surveyed) who were interested in becoming members, which is much bigger than last year.”

TRC Mayor Paul Antonio. Picture: Kevin Farmer

COUNCIL RESPONDS TO SURVEY

Mayor Paul Antonio said the council acknowledged the survey, but noted it had invested heavily into supporting small businesses over the past few years.

“Council has an ongoing and longstanding commitment to supporting local small businesses and joined the Small Business Friendly Councils in 2021,” he said in a statement.

“We continue to work with small businesses and with the chamber to identify opportunities that further support and enhance local business.

“Council continues to promote the CBD through a suite of promotional materials which aim to attract investors, promote businesses, showcase Toowoomba to visitors and tourists and increase spend in the CBD area.

“Council has also provided more than $1 million in infrastructure charges discounts to encourage investment in the CBD.

“Council spent a record $200 million with local Toowoomba-based businesses in 2021/22. Many of these are local small businesses.”