Glasgow's Poverty

Glasgow has suffered the worst poverty in the UK for almost half a century, according to a new study. Through the seventies with power cuts, strikes and three day weeks, the rising unemployment of the eighties under Margaret Thatcher, then the regeneration of Glasgow in the nineties, Labour Governments of Blair and Brown and right through to the Tory austerity of the last decade, Glasgow’s poorest areas have come out consistently the worst for deprivation. Researchers have analysed deprivation statistics across the UK from every census between 1971 and 2011 and found the ten most deprived areas over the period are all in Glasgow.

While the study found large increases in deprivation in large English cities, including London, Liverpool, and Birmingham, specific parts of Glasgow fared worst. The ten most deprived areas, measuring one square kilometre over the period were in seven council wards in Glasgow. Three were in Calton, two in North East, and one each in Govan, Canal, Baillieston, Springburn and Drumchapel/Anniesland.

Latest child poverty statistics for 2016 showed that Glasgow had a much higher rate than the rest of Scotland with 34% of children in poverty, but in the most deprived areas this increased to almost 60% of all children. Other studies show that since 2011 the situation has not improved.

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation shows 190,000 Glaswegians almost one-third of the population live in the 10% most deprived areas in Scotland.

And almost half of Glasgow’s people, 283,000 people, reside in the 20% of most deprived areas in Scotland.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/16343650.glasgow-worst-in-uk-for-poverty-for-half-a-century/