Deprivation report shows stark contrast between 'haves' and 'have-nots' in Helensburgh

That's the view which has been widely expressed this week after a new government survey laid bare the stark divide between the 'haves' and 'have nots' in the town.

The 2016 Scottish Index on Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), published last week, shows that part of the east end of the town - around Old Luss Road, Nursery Street, Williamson Drive and Buchanan Road – is the most deprived area in the whole of Argyll and Bute in terms of income, employment, health, education/skills and crime.

Yet a short distance away, areas of the north of the town, to the east of Sinclair Street, are home to the least deprived part of the whole council area.

Both communities have improved in the overall SIMD rankings since the last such survey was carried out in 2012 – but the gap between them has also grown in that four-year period.

Gillian Simpson, from the Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface in Helensburgh, said: “We think the key to addressing social deprivation and creating a successful Helensburgh for the whole community is through the whole community working together.

“We strive to create partnerships and links between different parts of our community to achieve this.

“Recently we have been working with the Kirkmichael Community Development Group to support them in their efforts to bring back the kind of community spirit that helps to address social deprivation, and you just need to look at the recent successful fun day to see how much people want that.”

The efforts of the Kirkmichael community have featured heavily in recent issues of the Advertiser, as residents seek to provide more facilities in the area which are run by the people living there.

Stephen Coates, who chairs the Kirkmichael Community Development Group, said he was surprised to discover part of the town was the most deprived in Argyll and Bute.

“Years ago Helensburgh was thought of as quite a wealthy place,” Mr Coates told the Advertiser, “but if people open their eyes they'll realise it's not just big, flashy houses.

“I think a lot of people outside of Helensburgh would get a shock to realise the levels of deprivation there are.

“Having said that, Kirkmichael used to have a stigma, but there's a lot of pride in the community now. If you were to speak to a lot of people in the area today and tell them it was deprived, I'm sure they would say that's not true.

“Our aim is to get the community back up and running and put it back on the map.”

The most-deprived and least-deprived areas are both part of the Helensburgh Central council ward, and the Advertiser approached all four of the ward's councillors to find out their thoughts on the survey results.

Aileen Morton, who is also Argyll and Bute Council's policy lead for sustainable economic growth, said: “I have always been very conscious of the need to ensure appropriate support is given -  from encouraging the Community Payback team to focus on areas most affected by crime, to supporting the investment by social landlords in improving housing.

“It’s clear that every level of government needs to do more to even out life chances but my concern would be that the Scottish Government’s current focus on large urban areas means that those living in smaller pockets of deprivation will miss out.

“The Scottish Government proposals around raising council tax in support of education could see money collected from Argyll and Bute families handed to schools in other parts of the country, which would be desperately unfair considering the huge challenges faced by a rural authority like ours.

“It is important to remember that within any area there will be people who are very comfortable and others who are really struggling and data can’t measure the strength of a community.

“When a community pulls together they can achieve so much – you only need to look at the recent work by Kirkmichael Community Development Group to see what can be done.

“There is plenty of support out there but communities do need to ask for it and work together.”

Gary Mulvaney, who chairs the council's Helensburgh and Lomond area committee and who, until recently, also chaired the community planning group in the area, said: "There is little comfort for us with the gap between the least deprived and most deprived areas having widened in the past four years.

“Part of the Kirkmichael area is classed as one of most deprived areas in Scotland and although things have got marginally better which is good, the pace of change needs to quicken.

“There are good, decent, hard working people in every part of the Helensburgh and equally so in Kirkmichael, and those that live there will have seen people change over the years and the nature of the community with it.

"Of course, government should do more and it is appalling that hundreds of thousands of colleges places have been cut under Sturgeon's SNP government as education is the main route away from poverty.

"Our housing agencies can do their bit too by improving houses and ensuring allocation policies take account of residents, not just those who claim their 'right' to a house.

"Bad tenants need to be firmly dealt with, and I am afraid that we are too soft a touch on this, with the rights of those who are anti-social, criminal, and who take and sell drugs, being put ahead of neighbours and communities.

"The welfare system needs to support work not a life on benefits. We should, of course, help those who have fallen on hard times, but it cannot be acceptable that there are some in our community, now in their 40s or 50s, who have never contributed and whose last job on their CV is paperboy or girl.

"But ultimately, whatever the endeavours of government, it is people that drive change and define a community.

"Our outlook today is different to that of the past; the smartphone incongruously co-exists with the foodbank; rights are proclaimed without any reference to responsibility; and respect for others is seen as rose-tinted nostalgia.

"Until that is moral compass is altered, meaningful change will be challenging." 

James Robb added: “Within the council you sense that Helensburgh is viewed as universally wealthy and if its problems are acknowledged there is always something of greater importance elsewhere in Argyll and Bute.

“Educational opportunity is of key importance but our children are denied the opportunities available elsewhere in Argyll and Bute.

“Children from homes with the highest levels of deprivation are averaging less than 60 per cent of the attainment of children from the least deprived homes.

“The council should be doing more to raise educational opportunity and attainment for children suffering from deprivation.

“Getting employment is difficult, yet the council is offering £5,000 to people from outside Argyll and Bute to come and take jobs from local people.

“These are the two key areas within the council control where it should be doing more to help and less that disadvantages our residents.”

Vivien Dance said: "These figures confirm what all politicians know, the deprivation gap is widening as many national government policies fail to get to the root cause of the problem.  You only to have to walk the town to see tangible evidence of the lifestyle differences.

"But Helensburgh has always been like that. Talk to anyone who was born here: the expression 'up the hill' came from the reality of life then, and some things have not changed over half a century later.  

“In fact, when you talk to government agencies, there is still the perception that Helensburgh is a wealthy town and is not a priority. But this belies the true nature of the town.   

“There is no doubt that investment in communities does, over time, bring about change in work opportunities, health and housing, the most critical issues for tackling deprivation, as the latest data shows. But it takes too long - generations, in fact.  

“The problem is that investment is made by local and national governments in zones that are too large. We need to target opportunities to the areas on the ground that so obviously need that extra bit of help, and not spread resources thinly across many, including the very wealthy.

“The volunteers who have formed the Kirkmichael Community Development Group are doing excellent work with their projects, particularly for the young.

“These are the people who have the insight to local issues, and investment should be channelled their way, so they can continue to make a difference by caring for their community, as the people are one of the great strengths of the Kirkmichael area.”