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Year 10 - Citizenship

Should public services be privatised?

How does the economy work?

Unit Summary

Pupils learn what the economy is, what taxes are and consider local and central government spending and risk management.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how different ownership affects funding and discuss whether public services should be privatised or owned by the Government.

Key Notes

  • Public services, like the NHS, are primarily funded through taxation, ensuring equitable access to essential services.
  • Private services rely on customer payments and private investment, often prioritising profit generation.
  • Government ownership ensures consistent service delivery nationwide and long-term infrastructure investment.
  • Privatisation can drive efficiency, innovation and service improvements.
  • The UK has a combined economy to balance equity, competition and economic efficiency, using private and public funds.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • public: in this context, owned and run by the UK Government and funded out of tax
  • private: owned and run by companies that have nothing to do with the Government and are funded by shareholders and investors
  • privatised: public services that have been sold by the UK Government to private companies to run on their behalf

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • All public services are owned and run by the UK Government.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Public services, like the NHS, are primarily funded through taxation, ensuring equitable access to essential services. Private services rely on customer payments and private investment, often prioritising profit generation.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'public'

in this context, owned and run by the UK Government and funded out of tax.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: All public services are owned and run by the UK Government. Correction: Since Margaret Thatcher's Government (1979-1990), many public services in the UK have been sold and are now owned by private companies, including British Rail, British Steel, British Telecom and British Gas.

More Lessons In This Unit

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