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Ferguslie Park is no longer home to the most deprived area in Scotland.

PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS: Live news as it happens

Statistics published earlier today reveal that an area in Ferguslie Park has been lifted from the bottom of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation table.

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The latest update of the SIMD, published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, shows that levels of deprivation have fallen significantly in Renfrewshire when compared with the 2016 findings.

SIMD is a tool for identifying the places in Scotland where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives.

It ranks nearly 7,000 small areas - known as data zones - throughout Scotland by shining a light on income, employment, health, education, access to services, crime and housing.

The results show how deprived a particular area is compared with others.

Changes in the rank for one area may be due to other areas becoming more or less deprived.

And 24 per cen of Renfrewshire’s data zones are among the 20 per cent most deprived in the country, down from 27 per cent four years ago.

This means Renfrewshire experienced the second biggest decrease in local authority share of Scotland’s most deprived areas during the last four years.

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Now, a new long-term community-led strategy is in place to transform Ferguslie Park - called Paisley Ferguslie on the SIMD map - into a place where everyone can thrive.

Community organisations will work with Renfrewshire Council on a consultation with local residents to get their creative ideas for a new place plan that will meet their needs.

Groups have already been working with local people on what’s needed to change perceptions about Ferguslie and residents have already said they are wholeheartedly proud to live there.

The new place plan will determine how the community wants to:

•use vacant and underused land

•enhance green spaces and

•support various groups to ensure more opportunities are available.

It will also continue the work that started with Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture by using culture and heritage to transform the lives of people living in the area.

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This includes developing key projects such as culture being ‘prescribed’ to reduce social isolation and Castlehead High’s partnership with Glasgow School of Art to use creativity to raise attainment.

Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “The community have already said that the SIMD results do not define them, and they’ve been leading the changes taking place across the area.

“Residents have told us their ideas for housing in the Tannahill area through extensive community consultation carried out by voluntary organisations embedded within the area.

“Now we are asking residents how they want to use green and vacant spaces across the area and what the council can do to enable these plans to come to fruition.”

Find out how your neighbourhood ranks here:

Changes that are already in the pipeline include:

•101 new-build homes will be built within the Tannahill area

•Families are supported by the council’s Tackling Poverty programme, which received a five-year investment of £5million in 2018

This helps with advice on money, fuel debt and energy bills and costs of the school day as well as free activities during the school holidays and support for mental health and well-being and

•An employment drop-in project at The Tannahill Centre on Fridays.

Community groups that have got significant funding include Pals of the Privies, which has been transforming local green spaces. The team received £50,000 of funding from the council and £20,000 from children’s charity Wooden Spoon for Glencoats Park play area.

And £3,000 was also awarded to the charity to support a Halloween event and Christmas trail in an underused green space.

(Image: PDE)

The Darkwood Crew are working on improving pathways around the area, with £4,500 funding coming from the council and £4,500 from Paths for All.

While £10,000 from the council will also support a feasibility study on future facilities for the Tannahill Centre.

Councillor Nicolson added: “It is important not to let these statistics define any area or the people who live there.”

People living and working in the neighbourhood say there are signs of positivity and the community itself is bringing plenty to the table.

Karen Campbell, chair of charity Pals of the Privies, says changes in community perception is all down to the community itself.

(Image: Andrew Neil)

She explained: “It’s all down to the people who live here.

““We decided to get together and do things to make positive changes in the community. We started having local events that were free to attend and we changed how we did things in the local community.

“The community meals night is a good example.

“Community groups take turns to cook for the community, it’s free and it gives everyone a chance to get out of their home and talk to people. Having events to reduce social isolation has been incredibly important for us.”

John McIntyre, chair of Ferguslie Community Council, said the neighbourhood is better than ever before.

(Image: PDE)

He added: “Having spent all my life in Ferguslie Park, I have seen it at it’s worse and now at its best, with further improvements around the corner.

“For far too long our past reputation based on these types of statistics has made it harder for us to play a full part in the wider Renfrewshire area.

“This is clear evidence that we do not deserve the tag of most deprived estate in Scotland. It’s time to praise the community efforts and actions taken over many years, in bringing Ferguslie Park out of the statistical disadvantage it has suffered too long from.”

Terry McTernan is a volunteer for environmental group Darkwood Crew.

He told us: “The community is paving its way to a better future. In the case of our Routes for All project, we are literally doing that by improving pathways and connections across the area.

“Now that we have built an active and empowered community, we are able to take advantage of local and national programmes and think about how we can do our part for the environment and climate change.”

Renfrewshire North and West MSP, Derek Mackay, has welcomed news that Renfrewshire has experienced the second-largest improvement in Scotland in tackling multiple deprivation during the last four years.

He said: “I welcome these latest statistic,s which show Renfrewshire is moving in the right direction and this improvement indicates the collaborative work by the Scottish Government, Renfrewshire Council, third sector partners and communities themselves is having a positive effect on tackling the causes of inequality.

“There is still much we must do, however, to eradicate multiple deprivation and make further improvements in our communities in Renfrewshire and across the country, as we work towards helping make Scotland the healthier, wealthier and fairer country that we all want it to be.”

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Greenock has overtaken Ferguslie Park as having the most deprived area in Scotland.

However, Paisley Ferguslie, as the zone is named in the report, appears in the top ten twice - in third and seventh spots.

The Inverclyde town’s centre is at one end of the scale, while Edinburgh’s Stockbridge suburb is at the other as the country’s most affluent area.

The report, which is published every four years, focuses on nine streets in the Fergulsie Park area, called Paisley Ferguslie on the SIMD map.

It identifies deprived areas, not deprived people, and Ferguslie Park no longer contains the most deprived data zone in Scotland.

Fewer of Renfrewshire’s data zones are identified as the most deprived in Scotland, with more than 60 per cent of the 225 local zones improving on their 2016 ranking.

Seven less zones are identified as being in the 20 per cent most deprived and one less is identified as being in the five per cent most deprived.

The number of people in Renfrewshire identified as “employment deprived” fell and 55 per cent of data zones in Renfrewshire show an improvement in employment rank.

The number of “income deprived” people in Renfrewshire fell by more than 300 while 54 per cent of the local zones have improved in income rank.

More than 60 per cent of data zones in Renfrewshire have improved in health rank.

 The ten most-deprived areas in Scotland are:

Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Inverclyde

Carntyne West and Haghill, Glasgow City

Paisley Ferguslie, Renfrewshire (data zone S01012068)

Alloa South and East, Clackmannanshire

Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge, Fife

Cliftonville, North Lanarkshire

Paisley Ferguslie, Renfrewshire (data zone S01012067)

Inverness Merkinch, Highland

Linlathen and Midcraigie, Dundee City

North Barlanark and Easterhouse South, Glasgow City