North Lanarkshire ranks last among Scotland’s local authorities, study shows

A new think tank has released an index ranking public services in Scotland’s local authorities.

The index was devised as part of the Broken Britain study undertaken by the New Britain Project, looking at the performance of services such as the NHS, education and policing.

The think tank looked at 13 different indicators – held by different levels of Government – with North Lanarkshire being ranked as the most “broken” in the rankings out of the 29 local authorities assessed.

The indicators were broken down into three topics: “health emergency” which looked at NHS performance; “forgotten generation”, which looked at education attainment and absences along with young people’s mental health services; and “crumbling communities”, which looked at crime clear-up rates, food insecurity, the number of derelict buildings and the number of roads requiring maintenance.

Three councils: Orkney, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) and Argyll and Bute – were not included in the rankings, because “data was not always available”, the think tank said.

North Lanarkshire, according to the findings, ranked 25th in health, 28 in the “forgotten generation” category and 24th in “crumbling communities”.

Glasgow City Council ranked second in the study iStock

Glasgow – the largest local authority in the country, ranked second lowest – while both health and education and young people’s services were in 16th – infrastructure was dead last, according to the think tank.

Falkirk, meanwhile was in 27th place, ranking the same in health and children’s issues and 14th in infrastructure.

The three best rated areas were in Shetland, Renfrewshire and Highland, respectively.

The figures were released on the same day the Scottish Government is due to announce its draft budget on Tuesday.

The Scottish rankings were released separately to the UK-wide study undertaken by the think tank due to differences in reporting statistics.

Anna McShane, the director of the New Britain Project, said: “As Scotland faces a crucial budget announcement, our Broken Britain Index sheds light on the urgent need for transparent and comparable data.

“With public services varying greatly across Scotland and the UK, it’s vital the Scottish Government provide clear and comprehensive information.

“This is crucial for addressing the challenges in essential services, which are now more critical than ever.

“Transparency shouldn’t be an option – it’s a necessity for a Scotland striving for accountability and genuine progress.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.