SCOTLAND
The Scottish Government’s Household Survey has found falling public satisfaction in a number of key services.
The survey of more than 10,500 households found satisfaction with Scotland’s schools, the National Health Service and public transport at record lows with little more than half (51.7 per cent) of people content with all three key services.
That compares with 57.1 per cent when the Scottish National Party came to power in 2007 and is down two-thirds from a peak of 66 per cent in 2011.
Seven in 10 Scots (71 per cent) said they were satisfied with their local schools — a drop on the 2011 figure of 85 per cent, continuing a six-year decline.
Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly asked to be judged on education and closing the attainment gap between rich and poor, but her Government has struggled with concerns around teacher numbers, a narrowing curriculum and falling attainment levels.
The annual survey also found satisfaction levels with public transport have fallen from 76 per cent to a new low of 65 per cent over the same period, amid a backlash over the performance of ScotRail, which is run by Dutch company Abellio.
Despite Ms Sturgeon’s campaign urging Scots to make greater use of public transport, more than half the journeys in Scotland (53 per cent) are made by private vehicles.
Scotland’s health services have the highest satisfaction rate, at 81 per cent, although this has also fallen in recent years from a high of 88 per cent in 2011.
Edinburgh, 13 September 2019
