COMMUNITY groups have spoken out about a recent Scottish Government report, highlighting poverty in areas across the country.

Parts of Renfrewshire were ranked among the most deprived in the country, with Ferguslie Park named as the worst hit area out of 6,976 other datazones.

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) included the likes of Johnstone South West and South Linwood in the 10 worst affected regions of Renfrewshire.

Low income, high levels of crime, rising unemployment, poor health and education were among the reasons that contributed to the SIMD report indicating that Renfrewshire was one of the worst off areas in Scotland.

However, community groups have hit back at the figures released by the SIMD and argue that this year’s statistics indicate the poverty picture across Renfrewshire is improving.

Renfrewshire now has a lower share of areas considered deprived than in the last set of SIMD results, where 4.3 per cent of Renfrewshire’s datazones were in Scotland’s most deprived 20 per cent and now that figure is 3.7 per cent.

Linwood Community Development Trust and Families First in Johnstone are some of the community efforts that residents believe are improving the area.

Families First is the council’s flagship early-years programme that aims to allow hundreds of parents give their children the best start in life.

The programme started in 2013 with core teams in two locations – Ferguslie Park and Linwood - and was extended to three new locations including Johnstone this year.

A spokesman for Families First commented on the improvements that the group has on the Johnstone area.

He said: “Families First pulls together a number of existing services under one banner, working alongside health and third-sector partners.

“Parents are offered a range of practical support, such as access to childcare, planning for the school day, healthy eating and cookery classes, and other activities.

“Each FF team also contains an income advisor who can help parents with access to benefits, budgeting, debt and energy advice.

“Since 2013 the Linwood team have helped families claim £1.2m worth of support and benefits they didn’t know they were entitled to, while the Johnstone team have helped their families claim £263,000 so far this year.

“Research by the University of Glasgow also shows that the Families First scheme had made a profound impact on the lives of families.”

Meanwhile, the Linwood Community Development Trust has gone from strength to strength in their efforts to make the area a better place to live in.

Chairperson of the Linwood Community Development Trust ... said: Renfrewshire Council bosses and poverty campaigners believe a long-term anti-poverty programme started last year is already making a difference.

They believe that major regeneration programmes including Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 will also transform the life chances of residents over the long term.

Renfrewshire Council leader Mark Macmillan said: “This year’s SIMD statistics actually show the poverty picture across Renfrewshire is improving.

“Of course these statistics show pockets of deprivation do remain in areas including West Johnstone, Linwood and Ferguslie, and there is a lot of work to be done.

“That is a difficult battle to fight considering the Scottish Government have landed us with a 10 per cent drop in real-terms funding since 2012 and we will be campaigning for a fairer share of resource.

“But in spite of that, this council is leading the way in Scotland in our work to take on deprivation - our Tackling Poverty Commission was the first of its kind in the country to look at child poverty at a local level.”