Scottish voters cared least about a plan to allow 14-year-olds to leave school and start a trade.

Scots want shorter cancer waiting times

Scots want shorter cancer waiting times

By politics.co.uk staff

Cutting waiting times to see a cancer specialist is the top priority for Scottish voters, a survey has found.

The ICM survey, commissioned by the BBC, found the other key priorities for Scottish voters were protecting frontline policing and maintaining free university education for students.

Conducted before the looming May election, the survey asked 1,004 adults in Scotland to rank 25 electoral promises by preference.

Labour’s plan to cut cancer waiting times came out on top, while the SNP’s plan – also backed by the Tories – to increase police numbers by 1,000 new officers was second.

The third-ranked policy to maintain free education is backed by all the major parties except the Conservatives.

Spending more money on apprenticeships and reducing council tax for all-pensioner households were also high up the list.

Voters cared least about a Conservative plan to allow 14-year-olds to leave school and start a trade.

Also ranked near the bottom were plans to build a new bridge across the River Forth and combine Scotland’s eight police forces into a single authority.

Plans to replace council tax with a local income tax and the SNP’s goal to hold a referendum on Scottish independence were also lowly-ranked.

Campaigning is likely to intensify over the weeks preceding the May 5th election.