COMMUNITIES in Irvine and Kilwinning are still among the most deprived in Scotland. 

But North Ayrshire Council has insisted that there have been improvements.  
The current state of our local communities was highlighted in a report on ‘multiple deprivation’ .

This takes into account a range of different factors such as income, employment, health, education, access to services, crime and housing. 

Focusing on small ‘datazone’ areas, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation aims to provide information that allows local agencies to target services to areas which have the greatest need. 

The maps on this page show the areas of Irvine and Kilwinning which are more (red) or less (blue) deprived. The darkest shade of red outlines the areas which are in the five percent most deprived communities in Scotland. 

The report also shows divisions in some communities, such as the relative affluences of Whitehirst Park in Kilwinning compared the rest of the town. 

Despite the relatively bleak picture, the council says that the report offered “promising signs” in the campaign to reduce deprivation - despite parts of Irvine and Kilwinning being among the top five percent for deprivation in Scotland. 

While admitting that challenges remain in North Ayrshire, the council were keen to highlight improvements in areas such as health, crime and access to services, following the newly-published Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).

The maps pictured show the most deprived (red) and least deprived areas (blue). 

The index showed a decrease of 3.5 per cent in crime figures since the last SIMD in 2009. Crime has continued to fall with a total reduction of 12.2 per cent in the local share since then. Similarly, health statistics also improved. 

North Ayrshire also saw progress in its access to services, which measures deprivation caused by lack of public transport, and longer driving distances to the nearest GP, local services, primary and secondary schools.

While there are still 20 North Ayrshire datazones (out of 186) in the top 15 per cent most deprived, these figures have improved from the previous report as the proportion in the top 15 per cent most access deprived is now less than 11 per cent.

The Index highlights areas for improvement as rankings for North Ayrshire’s datazones have increased slightly in the 2016 report, which the council describes as an opportunity for public services to work together to tackle deprivation within communities. 

Leader of North Ayrshire Council Joe Cullinane said that while there is evidence of improvement in specific areas, the local authority will use the SIMD to target policies to help in the fight against inequality. 

He said: “The report does shows improvement in a number of important areas, such as health, crime and access to services and that gives us a foundation to work from.

“Our number one aim is to reduce inequality across North Ayrshire."