‘What public services have improved in the last 20 years?’ – 23 reasons to stop believing that the UK has gone down the drain
13.
‘As somebody who works in the industry, I can say without doubt, if you’re off supply, we are doing our utmost to get you back on. And if you need special help for medical needs etc. tell your supplier asap, so if you have fault in your area they will know you need a generator PDQ.’
–zingyyellow
14.
‘Across the board I can mention my same sex relationship without causing startlement or confusion.’
–DifferentWave
15.
‘Trains in my area (East Anglia). The trains are air conditioned which is a huge improvement, and they’re also bigger so they’re less crowded (even pre-pandemic they were less crowded than 20 years ago). We’ve got more services, in particular direct trains to central London and through to Gatwick and Brighton. There’s a new station nearer my house than there used to be.
Trains are as reliable, or more, as they were 20 years ago. They are still expensive at prime time, and the seats are less comfortable, but overall the service has got significantly better.’
–FelisCantabrigiensis
16.
‘More SEN acknowledgement. Understanding, diagnostic, help, access ability.’
–Conscious_Salt_5817
17.
‘Setting up a small business – cheap, easy and fast, and also very tax-efficient. Have a friend in France and it’s taken her three months of paperwork to be up-and-running. Plus her taxes are the same as being employed.’
–noddyneddy
18.
‘Nowadays you can download an app that tells you which bin is emptied which week, and also what changes happen over bank holidays. So you don’t have to worry about finding the bit of paper they put on the bin or phoning the council.’
–DizzyMine4964
19.
‘SEND care and schools in general. Half the schools in my area didn’t even do post 16-20 years ago, now they almost all do and most of not all are good or better.’
–LUNATIC_LEMMING
20.
‘Type 1 diabetes care on the NHS. I was diagnosed 22 years ago and got very little advice or education. Nowadays there are courses to learn everything about how food and diet affects your blood sugar, and everyone (I believe) is going to be using CGM and pump therapy in the next couple of years. My control and future outlook have improved immeasurably since I got put on pump therapy.’
–mosleyowl
21.
‘It’s the tip run that’s the winner for me. No ridiculous queues, book an appointment online in two minutes and I know I can drive straight in.’
–mellonians
22.
‘The UK is really good at digital. The Tell Us Once website after someone dies is amazing – efficient, compassionate. 20 years ago you had to present death certificates to every individual service.’
–SheffDus
23.
‘As a wheelchair user I can go to many more places than I could when I became disabled, 23 years ago. There’s many, many more dropped curbs. Shop assistants don’t go into a blind panic when I need help with something.
I’m easily able to book a wheelchair accessible hotel room online: this still needs a lot of improvement but it’s better than 23 years ago. If I’m traveling and I can’t find a hotel I can use I’ll look on Premier Inn or Holiday Inn and they will usually have a room close to where I want. A lot more places have accessible toilets.’
–NeilDeWheel
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