28 November 2003
Public services viewed by Labour as key 'battlegrounds' in the run-up to the next election received 'below average' reviews in a strategy document released by the Prime Minister's office this week.
The UK's much-criticised road network and child poverty record were given a firm thumbs down by Number 10's Strategy Unit compared with services abroad.
Others such as education, however, were praised in the 55-page 'strategic audit' – a discussion paper comparing the UK's economic, social and public policy performances against international benchmarks. The audit, published on November 24, forms part of the Strategy Unit's wider consultation on policy.
Although the report concludes that 'many of the objective measures of the country's performance are going in the right direction', it also states 'there has been a widening polarisation and new problems have become prominent'.
Among the areas of concern, experts said that below-average productivity, widening regional and income inequality, high levels of teenage pregnancy and crime rates, and low investment in research and development have blighted Britain's policy performance.
'Looking at a range of indicators for comparator countries, the UK tended to come out below average during the 1990s,' the report says. It lags behind France and the Scandinavian states in terms of overall performance, but is ahead of Italy, Spain and Ireland.
Public services where Britain trails behind include transport, where it was second only to Spain for high levels of road congestion, and vocational skills and qualifications.
But the audit is by no means all doom and gloom. The UK performs better on 'future readiness' indicators – suggesting that some government policies and sustained investment have put in place the foundation for improvements.
Recent improvements in the education sector, for example, have catapulted Britain into the top three nations for reading at ages ten to 15.
But the Conservative opposition dismissed suggestions of future improvements as 'self congratulation on the part of Number 10'.
Stephen O'Brien, shadow secretary of state for industry, said that Britain's poor productivity record indicated Labour was 'playing fast and loose with our ability to compete abroad'.
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