This brief summarises some findings from two citizen surveys conducted in 2003 and 2006. A total of 1,260 residents (53% male, 47% female) from six councils - Bagamoyo District Council, Ilala Municipal Council, Iringa District Council, Kilosa District Council, Moshi District Council and Mwanza City Council - participated in each study.

Overall Perception of Improved Quality in Local Government Services, Yet Localised Disparities Exist

overall, citizens perceive that there have been improvements over time in the general quality of public services. The majority, 75%, of all respondents in the 2006 survey perceived that the overall quality of local government services had improved over the two-year period preceding the 2006 survey, compared with 54% of the respondents noting improvements in 2003 (see Table 1 overleaf).

However, substantial differences were recorded between the councils. For example, while almost 90% of residents in Bagamoyo DC perceived improvements in service delivery in the 2006 survey, the corresponding figure for Moshi DC was only 43%. Furthermore, 45% of the respondents in Moshi reported a deterioration in service delivery.

There is no statistical evidence that the actual quality of public services in Moshi DC is worse than in other rural councils in Tanzania. The survey data may therefore suggest that other factors have influenced citizens' perceptions. First, peoples' expectations impacts on their perceptions. Traditionally, the provision of public services has been relatively better in Moshi compared to many other rural councils in Tanzania. According to elected councillors and council staff interviewed in Moshi, peoples' views reflect that services are not improving with the speed they are accustomed to. In other words, the gap between Moshi and other councils on service provision is perceived to be narrowing. Second, the competitive political situation in Moshi, where both the ruling party and the opposition are relatively strong, might be a contributory factor, with residents more aware of what they can expect in service delivery.

Disaggregating 2006 survey data by location within councils also showed that perceptions of service delivery were strongly associated with the services available in the immediate vicinity of the respondents. In Moshi DC, for example, 53% of respondents in Himo village perceived that services had improved. By the end of 2006, Himo village had four primary schools, two public secondary schools, a private secondary school, a private not-for-profit dispensary, a modern market, a modern abattoir, bus stand, relatively good roads and a village office building. In contrast, only 27% of respondents in Kirima Juu village had noted improvements; Kirima Juu having fewer services in comparison to Himo: one primary school, two secondary schools, and a few kilometres of good roads. In Mwanza CC, 87% of the 2006 respondents in the mtaa1 where the council headquarters are located reported that services had improved, compared with 50% of respondents of the nearby Selemani mtaa. Peoples' discontent in Selemani might reflect their dissatisfaction with the promised specific services they have long waited for, especially road improvements.