Most people welcome the idea of speed cameras.

Though four out of every 10 are not satisfied with the local wardens system, the overwhelming majority is in favour of speed cameras, a study on people’s perceptions of local councils has revealed.

The conclusions were presented yesterday during a two-day conference for mayors organised by the Local Councils Association, which commissioned the study.

In total, some 1,000 respondents took part in a survey carried out between November and December. The conclusions were then compared with similar surveys in June 2013 and November 2012.

In the third wave of this study, only 18 per cent expressed themselves completely satisfied with local wardens whereas 39 per cent said the system had not met their expectations. On the other hand, 74 per cent were supportive of the speed camera system, with only 9.5 per cent coming out against them.

In all three studies, respondents indicated that local councils did not have a significant impact on their lives. The most discussed issues by respondents were public transport, traffic management and education.

During the second half of last year, people’s trust in local governments declined by nine per cent, with 46 per cent expressing their full confidence in their home council.

Throughout the second and third wave of studies the major complaints levelled against local councils dealt with the state of the roads and that councils were failing to get things done. However, one third of respondents believed that councils were providing residents with good value for money.

The study also looked at the most effective tool of communication for councils with respondents saying that leaflets and newspaper adverts were the most powerful media.

Regarding online services, it transpired that six out of every 10 did not use the e-government platform.