Fail! SNP faces backlash over schools, NHS and transport

Survey exposes fears for services

satisfaction with public services in scotland has plummeted under the snP.

the latest Household survey has found only 53 per cent are ‘happy’ with local healthcare, education and public transport – a sharp drop from 66 per cent in 2011.

People were asked how satisfied they were with the services, then had to give an overall score for all three.

one of the areas to see a particular drop was schooling, with only 73 per cent of scots happy with current provisions, which is a fall of 12 per cent from nine years ago.

nicola sturgeon said education was her top priority, but the scottish Government has been plagued by problems. these include the attainment gap between children from the most and least deprived areas, and concerns over the snP’s curriculum for excellence.

Education secretary John swinney faced calls to resign last month following a U-turn over the exams fiasco during the coronavirus pandemic.

thousands of youngsters were set to see their results downgraded based on their school’s past performance, but politicians, pupils and campaigners forced Mr swinney to step in.

the report also signals a drop in satisfaction with local health services, noting that it had seen ‘a downward trend since 2011, from 88 per cent of adults being satisfied to 80 per cent in 2019’.

scottish tory local government spokesman annie Wells said: ‘the snP’s own figures show what scottish people think of their shambolic handling of public services.

‘opinions of local schools, hospitals and public transport have plummeted. our public services have gone through a decade of decay under the snP.

‘this shows the problem with the snP bringing forward

‘Distraction from priorities’

another Referendum Bill. it’s a total waste of time and a distraction from the key priorities of people across scotland.

‘our focus should be entirely on restoring public services back to where they were, before the snP took their eye off the ball.’

the survey also found that those living in remote parts of scotland were less satisfied with key public services, including transport links.

only 41 per cent of those in rural areas said they were happy with key services, compared with 55 per cent in urban areas.

on public transport, 49 per cent of those in remote areas are satisfied with current provisions. this rises to 72 per cent in more populated areas, such as cities and towns.

the survey also revealed that ‘community feeling remains strong in scotland’ with more than three-quarters of people saying they had a ‘very or fairly strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood’.

of those who responded, 85 per cent of adults said they could rely on friends or relatives for support, while 90 per cent said they would help neighbours in an emergency.

communities secretary aileen campbell said the survey revealed ‘people have a strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood, which contributes towards making scotland a warm and friendly nation where everyone is welcome.’