The National Planning Improvement has published the second annual National Planning Customer and Stakeholder Survey.
The survey outlines how satisfied respondents are with a range of customer interactions with planning authorities. It found that:
- 46% of respondents were satisfied/very satisfied with the overall service
- 55% were satisfied/very satisfied with how they were treated
- 46% were satisfied/very satisfied with how their queries were handled
- 51% were satisfied/very satisfied with the quality of service received from staff
- 54% were satisfied/very satisfied with the information they received
- 50% were satisfied/very satisfied with the service’s communication;
- 45% were satisfied/very satisfied on the time taken to handle their case.
However, the survey found that customer satisfaction levels varied depending upon the respondent's view on the planning decision that had been made. Three-quarters of people who were happy with the decision were overall very satisfied or satisfied with the planning service. Only around 7% of those who were not happy with the decision were very satisfied or satisfied.
Bearing this in mind, responses across the survey this year were predominantly negative. Compared to the previous year’s survey, the proportion of total positive responses decreased for every question.
The National Customer and Stakeholder Survey is part of the wider work being undertaken through the pilot National Planning Improvement Framework to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced in providing a high level of customer care and satisfaction with the service provided.
The inaugural survey undertaken in 2024 provided valuable information and data that led to a review on how best to embed customer care into planning services. The report on this was published in January 2025 and set out several recommendations for planning authorities, Heads of Planning Scotland, Scottish Government and service users. Work has only just started to deliver these and so it is unlikely they will have impacted on the 2025 survey.
Download the National Planning Improvement Customer and Stakeholder Survey Results 2025