THE spectre of amalgamation continues to haunt Queensland's rural councils, according to Southern Downs mayor Peter Blundell.

Local Government Association of Queensland research reveals voter satisfaction in rural councils such as Southern Downs is yet to recover from amalgamation.

More than half of rural ratepayers surveyed believed they were not getting value for their rates.

The 2015 Community Satisfaction Tracking Survey found rural councils overall satisfaction had increased just 0.5% in two years and remained lower than other council categories.

Cr Blundell said amalgamation remained in the memory of many rural Queenslanders.

"Some of the frustrations in amalgamation have been brought to the fore in recent years with the LNP bringing up de-amalgamation," he said.

He said funding pressures and a small rates base impacted rural councils like the Southern Downs.

"Providing the services our community asks for is costing us more and more each year," he said.

"If we want people to move to our areas and we don't provide the services they are used to, they may look somewhere else."

LGAQ president Margaret de Wit said amalgamated councils had worked hard to claw back public approval.

"To record such improvement at a time when it has never been a more difficult environment for local government to operate in deserves a pat on the back for our councils," she said.

"Councils have worked hard to achieve more with less and this is evidenced in these results.

"The rural and remote councils are working hard to deliver under the most dire circumstances of drought which has been devastating their communities for years in many cases."

The survey canvassed the views of 280 respondents from regional council areas and 700 people across Queensland in a survey that is done every two years.

- APN NEWSDESK

A MATTER OF TRUST

TWO-thirds of Queenslanders look to their local newspaper for trustworthy information on their council.

In comparison just 4% of those surveyed said they trusted information on the council they read on Facebook.

Word of mouth was the second must trusted news source, then ABC radio and television, council publications, followed by commercial TV and radio.