Poll shows Scots' top priorities

 10 April 2011 Last updated at 19:12 ET About 1,000 people in Scotland were asked what policies should be prioritised Cutting cancer treatment waiting times and maintaining the number of police on the streets are the top two priorities for Scotland in the Holyrood elections, according to a poll for BBC Scotland.

The ICM survey also suggested strong backing for free university education.

The BBC poll asked people to rate 25 issues taken from manifestos and party policy statements.

The lowest ranked went to the Tory policy of letting 14-year-olds leave school to train for a trade.

Second lowest priority was given to the plan to build a new bridge across the River Forth.

The idea of combining Scotland's eight police forces into a single national force was also in the bottom three, despite the plan being suggested to save money for frontline policing.

For the poll, ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1,004 adults by telephone between 5 and 8 April.

Interviews were conducted across Scotland and the results were weighted to the profile of all Scottish adults.

So far, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish Tories and Scottish Labour have published their manifestos.

Continue reading the main story Brian Taylor Political editor, BBC Scotland

To start, a few words of caution. This is an opinion poll - it offers a wide-angle snapshot, not the precision of a microscope.

Further, we reminded those taking part that Holyrood may not have the time or the money to do everything at once.

We asked, therefore, for priorities.

But some people, perhaps many people, might still be inclined, in effect, to tick "all of the above" when asked to rank priorities.

Certainly, it would appear that the focus is still upon the services which can be funded by public spending.

For example, two policies ostensibly designed to help business - regional development banks and reduced taxation - were way down the poll.

The SNP is due to make its manifesto public later this week.

However, all the main parties, plus the Scottish Greens, have made their general pledges known in BBC Scotland's issues grid guide.

In terms of parties, the top-ranked policy was in the Labour manifesto; to cut the waiting time for suspected cancer cases to see a specialist from four weeks to two.

Other parties also had policies which were designed to cut health waiting lists or shorten waiting times.

The issue of keeping up the number of police on the streets follows an initiative by the SNP government, backed by the Conservatives, to increase the strength of Scotland's forces by 1,000 officers.

The third ranked policy, that of retaining free university education, was supported by the Liberal Democrats as well as the SNP and Labour. Only the Tories proposed a graduate charge.

More than one party will claim ownership of the policy which is ranked fourth - that of spending more money on apprenticeships for unemployed young people.

Below that, the next focus is upon the council tax - a hugely contentious issue in these elections.

Placed fifth in the poll was a Conservative policy of cutting the council tax for all households where all the adults are pensioners.

Continue reading the main story Cut waiting times to see a cancer specialistKeep up the number of police on the streetsRetain free university education for all Scottish studentsSpend more money on apprenticeships for unemployed young people Reduce the council tax for households where all the adults are pensioners Continue reading the main story Allow 14-year-olds to leave school to train for a tradeBuild a new road bridge across the River Forth Combine the eight separate police forces in Scotland into a single national force Hold a referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country Raise the money local councils need through a local income tax rather than the council tax In sixth place comes a policy now effectively backed by all the major parties: a council tax freeze for the next two years.

Below that, in seventh place, lies the Lib Dem policy of scrapping the council tax for the poorest pensioners.

Turning to the bottom of the poll, it seems voters do not accord high priority to the idea of replacing the council tax with a local income tax. That comes in at number 21.

That has been contentious in these elections although the parties advocating it, the SNP and the Lib Dems, now say that it would have to await the further devolution of income tax powers which means effectively deferring it for a further Holyrood election.

Ranked at number 22 is the SNP idea of holding a referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country.

That relatively low ranking may be partly explained by the present focus on immediate economic concerns.

In practice, the SNP have tended to major on other issues while stressing their determination to bring forward a referendum bill if they are re-elected.