SATISFACTION among the users of key Scottish Borders Council services slumped in 2014/15 and ranked among the lowest of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

The downward trend is recorded this week in the Scottish Local Government Benchworking Framework - based on a Scottish Household Survey which included a sample of 250 respondents from the Borders.

The document assesses and compares the satisfaction rating of Scotland’s councils across eight services over the year.

The percentage of adults who were satisfied with libraries in the Borders was 56 per cent - the lowest in Scotland and down from 67 per cent in 2013/14.

The percentage satisfied with parks and open spaces was also the lowest in Scotland – down on the year from 78 per cent to 74 per cent.

The council also ranked second lowest in Scotland for satisfaction in leisure facilities - 59 per cent down from 70 per cent.

Results 

The percentage of adults satisfied with other services were are recorded as follows (2013/14 ratings in brackets):

Leisure facilities – 59 per cent (70 per cent): the second lowest satisfaction rating in Scotland.

Museums and galleries – 52 per cent (58 per cent): the second lowest in Scotland.

Local schools – 66 per cent (71 per cent): again, the second lowest in Scotland. Only City of Edinburgh Council had a lower satisfaction rating.

Refuse collection – 77 per cent (85 per cent): the fourth lowest in Scotland.

Social care and social work services – 42 per cent (50 per cent): the ninth lowest in Scotland.

Street cleaning – 71 per cent (74 per cent): the tenth lowest in Scotland.

When the council uploaded the data last week ahead of its inclusion in the national benchmarking framework, it noted the ratings were based on a much smaller sample than was used in the council’s own household survey for 2015 which elicited over 2,700 responses.

That latter survey showed that 79 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their kerbside and recycling collection services and that 84 per cent were satisfied with the facilities delivered by the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust.

A Council Spokesperson said: “The Scottish Household Survey does not just survey service users – it is a random sample, so some of the 250 sampled as part of the national total might not be service users.

“When we surveyed people in our Borders Household Survey last year (with over 2700 respondents), our results, for example in relation to leisure facilities show that 84 per cent were satisfied with Borders Sport and Leisure Trust, 93 per cent were satisfied with Laidlaw Memorial Pool in Jedburgh and 89 per cent satisfied with Duns Swimming Pool.

“Similarly, our school inspection results, showed parental satisfaction rate of between 79 and 100 per cent during 2015.

"We would always look to local sources of services user satisfaction information first.

"For example, Scottish Borders Council Social Work user survey carried out in September 2015 showed that 85 per cent of service users said that they felt safe and that 80 per cent were satisfied with the design of their care, compared to 42 per cent reported nationally.”