English people are pushing for the Scottish Parliament to take charge of its own tax-raising, according to new polling evidence.

English people are pushing for the Scottish Parliament to take charge of its own tax-raising, according to new polling evidence.

But there is a decline in English support for Scotland to gain independence, with only one in five people surveyed backing it.

The push for more tax powers at Holyrood and a growing perception that Scotland gets more than its fair share of public spending are among signs of growing English pressure for change. An in-depth survey of English attitudes to the governance of different parts of the UK found there is little evidence of "an English backlash" against the current devolution settlement.

The evidence of problems between England and Scotland was primarily that three-quarters of those surveyed agreed with the statement that "now Scotland has its own parliament, it should pay for its services out of taxes collected in Scotland".

There was strong agreement, from 70% of the English sample, with the view that Scottish MPs should no longer be allowed to vote on English legislation.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people who think that Scotland gets more than its fair share of public spending has increased, from 20% of English people eight years ago to 33% by the end of last year.

It comes after an investigation by The Herald last year scotched five key myths about Scotland's financial position in the UK, concluding that, although it does well in some ways, it does not get special treatment. State spending in Scotland is £9631 per head, less than London's at £9748 or Northern Ireland's £10,271.

The research released today shows that there has been little change in other attitudes to the way Britain is governed. Some 58% of the survey sample say England should continue to be governed from Westminster, barely changed since 2001.

Fewer than one in six English people (16%) feel it would be better for England if the union with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were to be ended. Nearly one in five people (19%) in England feel that Scotland should become independent, compared with one in four (24%) in 1999.

The survey was carried out by NatCen in face-to-face interviews with 859 adults across England between June and November last year, while the new SNP administration was making changes and putting pressure on the UK Government.

Professor John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, a research consultant at NatCen, will present the survey results to MPs on the House of Commons Justice Committee today.

"For the most part there is relatively little evidence of English backlash," he said. "But there are signs of possible trouble ahead unless the issue of how public spending is distributed and funded across the UK is seen to be satisfactorily addressed."

While the English view seems to be that Scotland should be able to stand on its own feet financially, and unionists in Scotland have argued for more financial accountability to voters and taxpayers, the SNP leadership has been arguing more powers are required to give Scotland the flexibility to boost business growth.