Once again Edinburgh is voted the best city in Britain

Edinburgh has once again been hailed as the best city in Britain.

Who says so? Well, you do!

The latest survey of Edinburgh residents, carried out by the independent polling organisation MORI, once again shows that satisfaction among city residents is high.

In fact, according to MORI, it’s the best result of any city in the UK. Taking the figures from right across the city, a fantastic 92 per cent of citizens said they thought Edinburgh was a great place to live.

The survey, which is carried out twice a year, sampled citizens in every ward of the city and asked people from all age groups.

Young people between the ages of 16 and 34 said they were especially satisfied with life in the city … a result that confirms Edinburgh’s status as the capital of style, art and culture.

When asked about their own neighbourhood, 88 per cent of residents said that they thought their particular part of the city was a good place to live, with satisfaction ratings rising since the last survey.

Across Edinburgh, 14 per cent of people thought that their neighbourhood had got better over the past year.

Satisfaction with Council services is also up. Sixty per cent of residents endorsed the way the Council runs the city, up from 56 per cent in the spring 2005 survey.

MORI also asked people how they felt about the commercial and social life of the city.

There was widespread support for the festivals, with residents recognising the part that tourism plays in our prosperity.

Eighty seven per cent of residents said they believe that tourism brings cultural benefits to the city, while an overwhelming 94 per cent agree that it is a vital part of the city’s economy.

Nine out of ten citizens say that we should continue to invest in tourism.

The city has invested a great deal in cleansing services and this is now paying off. Almost two thirds of people questioned said that overfilled litter bins were now uncommon, while more than three quarters said the same about waste and rubbish outside shops.

Seventy seven per cent of respondents said that the sight of black rubbish bags and household waste left on the pavement was now rare.

There was also good news in the survey for the refuse collection service. They too are achieving a high level of satisfaction, with 79 per cent agreeing that they were satisfied with their work.

Transport services also got a thumbs up. Seventy two per cent of residents think that the city has good bus services. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the recent improvements made to the Lothian Buses fleet.

More than £80 million has been invested in buses during the past six years. About 310,000 people use Edinburgh’s buses every day – more proportionally than any other city in the UK, including London.

Buses have seen a 25 per cent increase in patronage since 1988.

The popularity of cycling continues to grow and, with it, the city’s provisions for cyclists. More than half of those surveyed – 51 per cent – said that they thought Edinburgh’s services for cyclists were good.

Road and pavement maintenance was another area that came under scrutiny. The Council invested nearly £9 million in this area in 2004-05 and people have clearly noticed the difference.

Satisfaction ratings rose from 37 per cent in spring 2005 to 42 per cent by the autumn.

The Council will continue to commission this kind of survey work and, of course, to report it in Outlook.

Public opinion surveys are a valuable tool in guiding Council policy as they give us a clear idea of not only where we are doing well, and how increased investment is noticed and appreciated, but also those areas where we need to do better.

Right now we are carrying out a survey into how you think our transport system should look in five years’ time.

• If you want to take part in our transport survey, go to www.edinburgh.gov.uk and follow links. Your opinion counts and we’re waiting to hear from you.