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UK Government’s maintenance backlog for England’s devolved public service facilities reaches £30.5 billion – what impact of this neglect on Scotland?

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By stewartb The eye-watering scale of the maintenance backlog associated with UK government  property is exposed in a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO). A figure of £30.5 billion is identified as the scale of the backlog associated just with properties used in the delivery of devolved public services in England (some in Wales). Source: NAO (January 22, 2025) Maintaining public service facilities. Cross-Government Report, HC 544 (https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/maintaining-public-service-facilities.pdf ). When decisions by Westminster/Whitehall to neglect basic property maintenance in England result in budget numbers on this scale, the possible negative consequences for Scotland’s own public finances should merit … Continue reading UK Government’s maintenance backlog for England’s devolved public service facilities reaches £30.5 billion – what impact of this neglect on Scotland?

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NHS Scotland has the shortest waiting lists and 97% efficiency in progressing operations regardless of delays in building new units because of UK Government’s spending review

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today has: More than £34m has been spent developing plans for five delayed NHS treatment centres which are meant to deal with a backlog of operations. then largely demolishing any value their report might have: … Continue reading NHS Scotland has the shortest waiting lists and 97% efficiency in progressing operations regardless of delays in building new units because of UK Government’s spending review

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Grenfell is to come down – A reminder of why a towering inferno will never happen in Scotland

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser closing on Friday, primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS Today [February 6th 2025] in the Guardian: Grenfell Tower is to be demolished, bereaved families are understood to have been told by Angela Rayner. Rayner, the deputy … Continue reading Grenfell is to come down – A reminder of why a towering inferno will never happen in Scotland

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Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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In Ayrshire Live on 24th July 2024: New Labour MPs vote to keep two-child benefit cap despite branding it ‘cruel’ previously During the election campaign Kilmarnock and Loudoun’s new MP previously called the two-child benefit cap “cruel”. All four of Ayrshire’s new Labour MPs have voted with the UK Government to keep the two-child benefit cap. Central Ayrshire MP Alan Gemmell, Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Lillian Jones, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP Elaine Stewart and North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell all backed Prime Minister Keir Starmer. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/new-labour-mps-vote-keep-33314784 Today in the Guardian: Labour restores whip to three more MPs who opposed two-child benefit cap – Labour has restored … Continue reading Ayrshire Labour MPs could easily have voted against ‘plunging a rising number of children into poverty’ with no long term harm to their ‘careers’ or salaries but were too afraid to do so

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Latest of eight bias-free sub-polls has SNP 19 points ahead of Labour, Cons in deep trouble and Reform surging into second place, even in Scotland

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On January 14, 2025, I had the above, based on 7 Westminster sub-polls unaffected by bias, resulting from adjusting the sample to reflect the more than 10 years old 2014 referendum result, still used in all-Scotland polls and suggesting we’re still ‘even Stevens’ (not Flynn) on the yes/no vote while the SNP remain in the doldrums. Today, from YouGov: UK-wide Scottish Sub-poll (214) Regardless of the SNP support not back at full strength, though Op Branchform looks like withering soon, this suggests an SNP wipe-out other than in the LibDem seats. Transferred to Holyrood, I feel sure we can say … Continue reading Latest of eight bias-free sub-polls has SNP 19 points ahead of Labour, Cons in deep trouble and Reform surging into second place, even in Scotland

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‘Disaster’: Call to fire disgusting Herald writer as number of Scots children in temporary accommodation remains far below level in England and is growing three times less quickly

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By Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today has this tasteless and inaccurate view of a ‘homeless’ child. ‘Disaster’: Call to fire housing minister as number of Scots homeless children soars – Calls have been made for the housing minister to be fired as the number of children in temporary accommodation has hit record levels – shooting up by over 14% in two years. Homeless does not mean on the street. It means in temporary accommodation meeting basic standards. The Herald is trying to shock you with this image. From STV, under another poverty porn image, today: The number of children living … Continue reading ‘Disaster’: Call to fire disgusting Herald writer as number of Scots children in temporary accommodation remains far below level in England and is growing three times less quickly

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Why a nuclear waste train crash just south of the border is timely reminder of Scottish Labour’s support for new nuclear plants in Scotland

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Cumbria last week but, of course, no link to the story from the BBC Scotland site: The nuclear watchdog has issued an improvement notice after two railway wagons carrying nuclear waste crashed. It happened on … Continue reading Why a nuclear waste train crash just south of the border is timely reminder of Scottish Labour’s support for new nuclear plants in Scotland

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RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s wee insert today in BBC Breakfast, was jam packed with bad news linked to the Scottish Government – consultant vacancies, school violence, homelessness/housing crisis and RAAC. On RAAC, some facts which will not be mentioned much, if at all: Aberdeen home-owners buy property which requires maintenance just like any other, in a Thatcherite scheme, at a knock-down price, from a Tory or Labour council, after a professional survey, and the SNP Government has to do something? RAAC!! A classic media scare story as only between 0.3% and 1.6% of Scotland’s social housing has it. Leading … Continue reading RAAC! In Scotland only 1.6% of homes or schools have it, buyers should sue inspectors and mortgage advisers not beg from Scot Gov/us and it’ll last for decades if maintained

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School violence in Scotland – Fact Check

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Such was the level of violence in Scottish schools last April that the same two boys had to travel the country to represent it visually. Kind of makes you wonder why, in the age of mobile phone cameras of awesome quality, why BBC Scotland and Wales only have the same Getty image of two lads play wrestling. Some facts, you won’t be hearing much today. School violence: A classic example of seeking to stoke moral panic All forms of bullying in decline and students feel safer than in other nations Youth violence plummets across society yet increases … Continue reading School violence in Scotland – Fact Check

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Homelessness in Scotland – the facts you won’t hear today from BBC Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland’s wee insert today in BBC Breakfast, was jam packed with bad news linked to the Scottish Government – consultant vacancies, school violence, RAAC and homelessness/housing crisis. On homelessness and the shortage of housing, some facts which will not be mentioned much, if at all: 1 Core Homelessness lowest in Scotland ‘Core homelessness’ – a concept which captures the most severe and immediate forms of homelessness – is estimated to have stood at 14,250 households on a given night in Scotland in 2019, having been relatively stable over the preceding seven years. Rates of core homelessness are substantially lower in Scotland (0.57% of households) than in England (0.94%) and … Continue reading Homelessness in Scotland – the facts you won’t hear today from BBC Scotland