The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

Report for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust

March 2020

Index/

1: Introduction 1

2: Demographic Trends 6

3: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 9

4: Education, Skills and Training 15

5: Local Economy 19

6: Unemployment and Income 23

7: Health and Wellbeing 31

8. Summary of Findings 42

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

1: Introduction

This report provides an updated socio-economic and deprivation assessment for Scotland’s former coalmining communities. It is based on a review and analysis of open public data.

Background

Social Value Lab were commissioned by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland to review available evidence and produce an assessment of:

. Current socio-economic conditions in former coalmining communities

. How conditions in the coalfield areas compare with the wider context

. Geographical patterns and differences between the coalfields

. Changes and trends over time

. Current issues, challenges and any potential opportunities

To do this we have undertaken the following tasks:

1. Review of literature and previous research

2. Matching the coalfields to new data geographies

3. Identification and analysis of data sources

4. Consulting stakeholders and incorporating revisions

5. Production of final written report and data tables

The project has developed a current evidence base able to inform strategy development and support ongoing work in support of former coalmining communities. This report provides a more detailed picture of conditions and trends in the Scottish coalfield areas and updates a previous analysis by SVL from 2013.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust1 was established to support and improve quality of life for people living in former coalmining communities. Their mission is to create opportunities for social and economic growth, deliver a positive lasting impact and ensure former mining communities are not disadvantaged by their past legacy. In Scotland, the CRT is predominately funded by the Scottish Government, but the Trust accesses a range of funding sources in order to deliver targeted programmes that address challenges caused by the mines’ closure.

1 https://www.coalfields-regen.org.uk/

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 1.1 UK COALFIELD AREAS

Source: Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Context

An initial review of previous research and relevant literature makes clear that Scotland’s former coalmining communities continue to face significant challenges long after the last coal mines closed down. At the same time there are key differences in profile, needs, trajectory and opportunities driven by economic change and geography.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

The previous analysis conducted by SVL was based primarily on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation from 2012. This found that:

. The overall population was rising in the Scottish coalfield areas.

. Deprivation was still a major concern, with coalfields in a worse comparative position between 2006 and 2012.

. There was extensive and concentrated deprivation in Fife, with some coalfield areas among the most disadvantaged communities in Scotland.

. The picture for income, education and geographic access was getting worse, with unemployment rising in the period to 2012.

The State of the UK Coalfields report produced by Sheffield Hallam University in 20192 found that:

. British coalfields lag behind national averages and are particularly affected by economic weakness, socio-economic disadvantage and ill health.

. Jobs growth has been slow, with lower skilled sectors and lower pay dominating.

. Coalfields have an older population, with significant levels of either out-migration or out- commuting for work.

. Some smaller coalfield areas have ‘caught up’ with the national picture, for example in the English Midlands.

. Welfare reform was resulting in further income loss in former coalmining communities.

Defining the coalfields

A critical part of this work has been updating the way that the coalfields are defined and bringing this into line with current geographical frameworks. CRT’s intervention areas were originally defined using the geographies in place before 1999, with 89 electoral wards selected as priority areas.

Electoral wards are now much larger (multi-member) areas, which are not fine-grained enough to match to the coalfield areas. In addition, most small area (below Local Authority) data is currently provided for the Data Zones and Intermediate Zones that have been in place since the 2011 Census.

The previous SVL analysis was based on the Data Zones used for the 2001 Census, which had been mapped against the coalfield intervention areas by CRT staff and researchers at SHU3. We therefore went back to the original ward-level data and matched these visually to current Data Zones and Intermediate Zones using GIS mapping software. This has resulted in the selection of:

2 https://www4.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/sites/shu.ac.uk/files/state-of-the-coalfields-2019.pdf 3 Christina Beatty at SHU provided their list of Scottish Data Zones and explained the approach taken to defining geographies by previous studies.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

. 610 Data Zones (or enumeration districts) with an average population of around 750 people

. 124 intermediate zones (or statistical wards) with an average population of around 4,000 people

The results of this selection process are mapped in Figure 1.2 below:

FIGURE 1.2 COALFIELD INTERVENTION AREAS - 2011 DATAZONES

Source: Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right (2019)

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

Data sources

We have identified all data that is available across the key themes of:

. Population

. Deprivation and disadvantage

. Education, skills and training

. Economy and business base

. Unemployment and income

. Health and wellbeing (including local environment and neighbourhood amenity)

In order to be useful for this report, the information must be available: at small area level (below Local Authority) as coalfields do not correspond to council areas; provided for the whole of Scotland; and ideally for different time periods.

The sources of information are referenced throughout, but the key ones are:

. https://statistics.gov.scot/home

. https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

. https://scotland.shinyapps.io/ScotPHO_profiles_tool/

. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

All maps in this document contain Ordnance Survey and other public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.04.

4 © Crown Copyright and database right (2019)

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

2: Demographic Trends

This chapter looks at population trends for the coalfield areas.

Population

The following table shows how the population of coalfield areas has changed in recent years, broken down into three age ranges. Between 2001 and 2018 (the maximum time frame available for current Data Zones) the total population of coalfield areas had increased to nearly 468,000, an increase of 9% compared to 7% for Scotland.

TABLE 2.1 POPULATION CHANGE

Coalfields Scotland Indicator Population Population % Change % Change 2001 2018 Total population 429,339 467,873 +9% +7% Under 16s 87,534 87,857 0% -5% Working age (16-64) 275,154 293,698 +7% +6% Pensionable age (65 plus) 66,651 86,318 +30% +27% Source: National Records of Scotland5

The numbers of people aged 65 show the largest increase (30%) but perhaps the most significant difference relative to Scotland is the number of people aged 16 or under. The number of young people has remained relatively constant in the former coalmining communities, despite reducing by 5% across Scotland.

Figure 2.1 shows that under 16s account for a larger share of the population in coalfield areas (19%) than they do for Scotland (17%).

FIGURE 2.1 SHARE OF POPULATION BY AGE GROUP, 2018

Scotland 17% 64% 19%

Coalfields 19% 63% 18%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Under 16s Working age (16-64) Pensionable age (65 plus)

Source: National Records of Scotland6

5 https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fpopulation-estimates-current-geographic-boundaries 6 https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fpopulation-estimates-current-geographic-boundaries

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

Housing

Recent consultations highlighted a view that new housing developments in coalfield areas area are likely to have played a role in boosting their population. The table below presents information on the total numbers of dwellings and change between 2014 and 2017 showing that the dwelling stock has indeed increased in recent years.

TABLE 2.2 NUMBER OF DWELLINGS

Area Total Dwellings Total Dwellings % Change 2014 2017 Coalfields 212,860 218,345 +2.6% Scotland 2,546,383 2,603,174 +2.2% Source: National Records of Scotland7

Population Change

Data on the components of population change is available at local authority level (so includes non-coalfield areas). The following table displays this information for the council areas with former coalmining communities.

TABLE 2.3 POPULATION CHANGE 2017-2018

Council Area Natural change Net migration Other Population change Midlothian 181 1090 -21 1,250 East Lothian -201 1150 1 950 South Lanarkshire -466 1300 16 850 West Lothian 243 580 7 830 Fife -689 1240 -51 500 Stirling -131 510 -49 330 North Lanarkshire -363 550 33 220 Falkirk -201 430 -19 210 East Dunbartonshire -174 370 4 200 Clackmannanshire -45 -30 25 -50 East Ayrshire -327 230 -3 -100 South Ayrshire -626 500 -4 -130 Dumfries and Galloway -790 380 0 -410 Source: National Records of Scotland8

Recent years have seen most population growth in Midlothian, East Lothian, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian. Natural change (i.e. the difference between births and deaths) plays some part in this, though only West Lothian and Midlothian have more births than deaths between 2017 and 2018. The main driver of population change in these areas is migration, particularly for South Lanarkshire, Fife, East Lothian and Midlothian.

Migration

Migration data for the local authorities with former coalmining communities is broken down further below. This shows that all local authorities with the exception of Clackmannanshire experience more incoming than outgoing migration, with South Lanarkshire, Fife, East Lothian

7 https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdef%2Fconcept%2Ffolders%2Fthemes%2Fhousing 8 https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population- estimates/mid-2018

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

and Midlothian accounting for most of the inward migration. Movement within Scotland plays the main role in most cases.

TABLE 2.4 NET MIGRATION 2017/18

Council Area Within Scotland From UK From Overseas Net Migration

South Lanarkshire 1,310 210 -220 1,300 Fife 450 530 270 1,240 East Lothian 870 110 170 1,150 Midlothian 1,050 -10 40 1,090 West Lothian 230 140 220 580 North Lanarkshire 480 220 -150 550 Stirling 0 340 160 510 South Ayrshire 280 260 -50 500 Falkirk 330 80 20 430 Dumfries and Galloway -230 800 -180 380 East Dunbartonshire 490 20 -140 370 East Ayrshire 200 130 -100 230 Clackmannanshire -60 50 -20 -30 Source: National Records of Scotland data9

It is also possible to look where most moves originate. Further analysis of NRS data shows that the increasing population in South Lanarkshire is driven mainly by migration from Glasgow City and North Lanarkshire, while migration from the City of Edinburgh is the main cause of population change in the Lothians and Fife.

The implications of this for the former coalmining communities in these areas are not particularly clear. It is likely that the coalfield areas that are closest to or have best transport (and commuting) links to Edinburgh, Glasgow and larger towns in North Lanarkshire are most likely to have seen population growth in recent years.

Key Findings

. The population of the coalfield intervention areas is growing, reaching a population of 468,000 in 2018.

. There has been fastest growth in older age groups, but the under 16 population is stable despite falling across Scotland.

. There has been additional housing development in the coalfields, with the total dwelling stock up by 2.6% between 2014 and 2017.

. Migration from elsewhere in Scotland likely to play a significantly role (based on Local Authority data), particularly for parts of South Lanarkshire, Midlothian, East Lothian and Fife that are well connected to greater Glasgow or Edinburgh.

9 https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/migration/migration-statistics/migration-flows/total- migration-to-or-from-scotland

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

3: Deprivation Analysis

This chapter looks at recent patterns of deprivation in the former coalmining communities, based on the (overall) Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Later chapters break this down into the individual SIMD domains.

SIMD 2020

According to the 2020 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, the coalfield areas are still overrepresented among Scotland’s more disadvantaged communities. Of the 610 coalfield Data Zones, 189 (or 31%) are among Scotland’s most deprived 20%. The following table breaks down SIMD data by local authority.

TABLE 3.1 SCOTTISH INDEX OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION 2020

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived 2020 % 2016 % Fife 188 74 39% 37% South Lanarkshire 79 29 37% 37% East Ayrshire 55 22 40% 40% North Lanarkshire 70 19 27% 26% Clackmannanshire 43 16 37% 35% West Lothian 27 7 26% 30% East Lothian 24 5 21% 21% Midlothian 34 5 15% 18% Stirling 11 5 45% 36% East Dunbartonshire 25 3 12% 12% Dumfries and Galloway 7 2 29% 29% Falkirk 38 2 5% 8% South Ayrshire 9 0 0% 0% Coalfields 610 189 31% 30% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

More than a third of all disadvantaged coalfield areas are in Fife, with significant numbers also located in South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire. Comparing this information with previous editions of the SIMD highlights the following themes:

. Parts of the Fife and Stirling coalfields are in a much worse relative position in 2020.

. There remains concentrated disadvantage in many parts of East Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire and South Lanarkshire.

. East Lothian and Midlothian have seen less comparative change over time, but West Lothian and North Lanarkshire are in a worse relative position.

. The South Ayrshire communities are no longer included in Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas, with Falkirk, Dumfries and Galloway and East Dunbartonshire also seeing improvements.

The table below compares results of the SIMD 2020 with previous editions. This shows gradual increases in deprivation for the coalfield intervention areas over time.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 3.2 SIMD Comparison (most deprived 20%)

Indicator Data Zones 2020 % 2016 % 2012 % 2006 % Total 610 SIMD Overall 185 31% 30% 29% 28% Education 203 35% 33% 31% 30% Employment 202 31% 33% 29% 32% Income 169 31% 28% 27% 24% Health 166 29% 27% 18% 22% Crime 136 22% 22% 21% 25% Geographic Access 103 17% 17% 23% 21% Housing 48 8% 8% 4% 4% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

When we look at the individual SIMD domains, it is clear that education, employment and income remain key challenges for the coalfield areas. 35% are in the most deprived 20% for education, with 31% among the most disadvantaged for employment and income.

Among the other noticeable trends are a clear increase in the number of areas included in the most deprived 20% for income, but also health. This suggests that coalfield areas have been impacted by changes to income-related benefits (see chapter 6 for further information on this measure). It is also apparent that many coalfield communities have not seen the same improvement in health outcomes as many other parts of Scotland.

There has, however, been a relative improvement in terms of geographic accessibility (defined as access to transport and local services), particularly in the more urban and suburban coalfield areas.

The following map shows the geographical pattern of deprivation, showing the coalfield areas that are included in Scotland’s most and least disadvantaged communities.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 3.1 SIMD 2020 OVERALL

Source: Contains Ordnance Survey and Scottish Government10 data © Crown copyright and database right (2016-2020)

As maps tend to focus attention on the larger areas (for example the more rural Data Zones in Fife, North and South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire) it is useful to compare this with a list of most disadvantaged areas (below).

Table 3.3 lists the 20 coalfield Data Zones that are ranked as most deprived across all SIMD domains. Parts of the following areas are among Scotland’s most deprived communities:

10 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

. Clackmannanshire: Alloa South and East

. Fife: Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge; Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown; Methil West and East; Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield; Kennoway and Bonnybank

. East Ayrshire: Doon Valley South

. South Lanarkshire: Whitlawburn and Greenlees; Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside; Westburn and Newton

TABLE 3.3 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area SIMD Rank S01007465 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire Domain 4 S01009622 Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge Fife 2016 Rank5 S01007872 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 42 S01009471 Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield Fife 72 S01009534 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 73 S01012838 Whitlawburn and Greenlees South Lanarkshire 79 S01009636 Methil East Fife 113 S01009633 Methil West Fife 114 S01007463 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 120 S01009632 Methil West Fife 139 S01012640 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire 144 S01007871 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 145 S01007461 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 162 S01012826 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 178 S01009535 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 192 S01008137 Hillhead East 193 S01011012 Dalkeith MidlothianDunbartonshire 208 S01009631 Methil West Fife 218 S01009656 Kennoway and Bonnybank Fife 221 S01012829 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 228 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

As the 2016 and 2010 editions of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation both utilise 2011 Data Zones, it is possible to look at how rankings have changed in the past few years. However all differences are relative and may not reflect actual changes on the ground in a particular locality11.

The following map highlights areas where SIMD percentile values12 have changed between the two most recent editions of the SIMD.

11 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-index-multiple-deprivation-2020/pages/4/ 12 A percentile value of 1 means that a Data Zone is among Scotland’s 1% most deprived areas, 100 means it is in the 1% least deprived areas

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 3.2 CHANGE 2016-2020

The next tables list the 10 coalfield data zones where the ranking has either improved or deteriorated between the 2016 and 2020 editions of the SIMD.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 3.4 CHANGE IN SIMD RANKS 2016-2020 - POSITIVE

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Percentile Percentile 2020 2016 S01009417 Cowdenbeath North Fife 68 32 S01009122 Carse and Grangemouth Old Town Falkirk 57 34 S01008218 IZ10 - Tranent East Lothian 77 54 S01011695 Gartcosh and Marnock North Lanarkshire 65 45 S01011426 Allanton - Newmains Rural North Lanarkshire 78 58 S01009258 Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Falkirk 70 52 Grahamsdyke S01007899 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 55 39 S01011445 Harthill and Salsburgh North Lanarkshire 47 31 S01009279 Valleyfield Culross and Torryburn Fife 59 44 S01013430 Blackridge, Westfield and West Lothian 53 38 Torphichen Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

TABLE 3.5 CHANGE IN SIMD RANKS 2016-2020 - NEGATIVE

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Percentile Percentile 2020 2016 S01009416 Cowdenbeath North Fife 62 90 S01011713 Moodiesburn West North Lanarkshire 41 61 S01013255 Breich Valley West Lothian 39 56 S01009265 Kincardine Fife 33 49 S01008239 IZ13 -Longniddry East Lothian 37 52 S01009519 Kirkcaldy Chapel Fife 57 72 S01007458 Sauchie Clackmannanshire 70 85 S01011677 Caldercruix and Plains North Lanarkshire 30 44 S01011622 Chapelhall East North Lanarkshire 74 87 S01009325 Dunfermline Bellyeoman and Fife 75 87 Townhill Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Key Findings

. Of the 610 Data Zones in coalfield intervention areas, 189 are among Scotland’s most deprived 20%.

. 31% of coalfield neighbourhoods now in the most deprived 20%, showing an increase on previous editions of the SIMD.

. There remains significant and concentrated deprivation, particularly in Fife, South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire.

. Former coalmining communities continue to face severe challenges across education, income and employment.

. Several areas are in a worse comparative position for income- and health-related deprivation, though there has been a relative improvement in terms of geographic accessibility.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

4: Education, Skills and Training

This chapter looks at data from the SIMD Education Domain and all available indicators across education, skills and training.

SIMD Education Domain

The Education domain of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is based on the following indicators:

. School pupil attendance (Scottish Government)

. Attainment of school leavers (Scottish Qualifications Authority/SG)

. Working age adults with no qualifications (Census 2011)

. 17-21 year olds entering in to full time higher education (Higher Education Statistics Agency)

. Proportion of people aged 16-19 not participating in education, employment or training (Department for Work an Pensions)

Table 4.1 breaks down the results of the SIMD Education domain by Local Authority. Of the 610 Data Zones forming the coalfield intervention areas, 213 (35%) are now included among Scotland’s most deprived 20%.

TABLE 4.1 SIMD 2020 EDUCATION DOMAIN

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived % Fife 188 78 41% South Lanarkshire 79 31 39% North Lanarkshire 70 21 30% East Ayrshire 55 19 35% Clackmannanshire 43 17 40% East Lothian 24 10 42% Midlothian 34 10 29% West Lothian 27 9 33% Falkirk 38 8 21% Stirling 11 7 64% East Dunbartonshire 25 2 8% Dumfries and Galloway 7 1 14% South Ayrshire 9 0 0% Coalfields 610 213 35% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Education, skills and training are ongoing concerns for former coalmining communities, with large parts of the Fife, South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire coalfields counted among the most educationally disadvantaged areas in Scotland.

In addition, most of the former coalmining communities in Stirling and many in East Lothian are affected by poor educational outcomes. This does not affect all coalfield areas in the same way, with lower levels of educational disadvantage in South Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, and Dumfries and Galloway.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 4.1 SIMD 2020 EDUCATION DOMAIN

Source: Contains Ordnance Survey and Scottish Government13 data © Crown copyright and database right (2016-2020)

The following table lists the 20 most deprived coalfield Data Zones under the SIMD Education domain.

13 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 4.2 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020 - EDUCATION

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Education Rank S01009638 Methil East Fife Domain 201614 S01009632 Methil West Fife Rank 17 S01007465 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 25 S01009534 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 32 S01012829 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 45 S01009633 Methil West Fife 65 S01009432 Ballingry Fife 67 S01007463 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 73 S01012793 Whitehill South Lanarkshire 75 S01011011 Dalkeith Midlothian 82 S01009626 Methil Methilhill Fife 89 S01011433 Shotts North Lanarkshire 93 S01007900 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 95 S01012772 Blantytre North and Coatshill South Lanarkshire 96 S01009473 Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield Fife 97 S01012838 Whitlawburn and Greenlees South Lanarkshire 101 S01013374 Whitburn Central West Lothian 110 S01009504 Kirkcaldy Templehall East Fife 129 S01007902 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 137 S01012797 Whitehill South Lanarkshire 150 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Education indicators

Analysis of the other indicators under the SIMD Education domain shows that former coalmining communities have:

. 77% school pupils with higher (>90%) attendance rate, vs 81% for Scotland (SG)

. Standardised ratio of 127 (27 percentage points above average) for working age people with no qualifications (Census 2011)

. 5% of 16-19s not participating in education, employment or training, vs 4% for Scotland (DWP)

. 7% of 17-21 year olds entering full time higher education, vs 9% for Scotland (HESA)

The most up to date information (available for small areas and for different time periods) is the average qualification level achieved by school leavers, and the next table compares the coalfield areas with Scotland.

TABLE 4.3 AVERAGE QUALIFICATION LEVEL OF SCHOOL LEAVERS

Areas 2011/1 to-2013/14 2015/16 to 2017/18 Change Coalfields 5.27 5.33 +0.06 points Scotland 5.50 5.53 +0.03 points Source: Scottish Qualifications Authority14

14 https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Feducational-attainment-of-school-leavers. The data not include nominators (number of school leavers per data zone) so this table averages the qualification scores provided for each zone. This assumes that Data Zones have similar populations and age profiles

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

This shows that qualification levels achieved by school leavers are lower in coalfield areas than the average across Scotland, though the attainment gap has been reducing in recent years.

Key Findings

. Many former coalmining communities are in a worse relative position for educational disadvantage

. Educational attainment of school leavers has been increasing in recent years but is still below the Scottish average

. Coalfield communities have lower rates of participation in education, employment or training among 16-19 year olds and fewer 17-21 year olds enrolling in higher education

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

5: Local Economy

This chapter looks at trends in the business base and employment levels in the coalfield areas.

Business Base

The data for this chapter is provided at Intermediate Zone level, these are larger than Data Zones and similar in size to older (pre 1999) electoral wards. It includes all businesses and ‘local units’ (including employers of all types) in these areas, therefore is based on the location of businesses rather than the residence of employees.

The first table compares the total number of businesses in coalfield areas with Scotland as a whole. It shows that recent years have seen marginally faster growth in the number of businesses located in the coalfields.

TABLE 5.1 BUSINESS NUMBERS

Area 2016 2017 2018 2019 % Change Coalfields 18,270 18,535 18,495 18,785 +2.8% Scotland 218,470 221,760 221,370 223,125 +2.1% Source: UK Business Counts from Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR)15

It is also possible to break down this information into the sizes, types of organisation and industries located in the coalfield areas. This chart shows that coalfields are more dependent on micro organisations (employing between 0 and 9 people), with fewer large employers.

FIGURE 5.1 BUSINESSES BY SIZE (2019)

Scotland 81% 15% 3% 0.5%

Coalfields 83% 14% 3% 0.3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Micro (0 to 9) Small (10 to 49) Medium-sized (50 to 249) Large (250+)

Source: UK Business Counts from Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR)16

Compared to Scotland’s economic profile, coalfield areas have fewer companies and non-profit organisations but a greater proportion of sole traders, partnerships and local authority organisations.

15 UK National Statistics, from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/ukbc 16 UK National Statistics, from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/ukbc

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 5.2 BUSINESSES BY TYPE

Scotland 65% 15% 9% 6% 3%

Coalfields 63% 17% 10% 5% 4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Company Sole proprietor Partnership Non-profit or mutual

Public corporation Central government Local authority

Source: UK Business Counts from Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR)17

Employment Trends

The next table shows that recent years have seen increases in the total number of jobs located in the coalfield areas. At the same time, differences in the profile of organisations (fewer large companies and major employers) means that there is less employment in the coalfields (287 jobs per 1000 people) compared to Scotland (467 per 1,000).

TABLE 5.2 EMPLOYMENT

Scotland Employment 2015 Employment 2018 % Change Jobs per 1,000 (2018) Coalfields 140,855 143,920 +2.2% 287 Scotland 2,462,000 2,509,000 +1.9% 467 Source: Business Register and Employment Survey18

The following chart shows how the industrial profile of employment in coalfield areas is changing, comparing 2015 with 2018.

17 UK National Statistics, from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/ukbc 18 ONS survey data from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/newbres6pub

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 5.3 EMPLOYMENT TRENDS BY INDUSTRY (COALFIELDS)

Retail

Wholesale

Transport & storage

Health

Accommodation & food services

Financial & insurance

Agriculture, forestry & fishing

Mining, quarrying & utilities

Education

Property

Construction 2018 Motor trades 2015 Information & communication

Business administration & support services

Arts, entertainment, recreation & other

Manufacturing

Professional, scientific & technical

Public administration & defence

0 10,000 20,000 30,000

Source: Business Register and Employment Survey19

Between 2015 and 2018 there has been employment growth in a number of industries, including retail and wholesale, transport and storage, health, accommodation and food, financial and insurance and agricultural sectors (from a very low base).

Further comparisons show that the coalfields have a smaller share of employment relative to the Scottish average in several industries. This includes high skill or knowledge-intensive sectors such as financial and insurance, information and communication, administration and support, professional, scientific and technical, property and accommodation and food services.

The industries that are over-represented in coalfield areas against the national average include manufacturing, construction, mining and utilities, transport and storage, public administration, education and health.

This information appears to support some of our consultations, which suggested that there is a shortage of well paid, higher skill, or secure jobs in coalfield areas. Unfortunately official statistics (particularly those available at small area level) do not adequately reflect or measure

19 ONS survey data from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/newbres6pub

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

recent labour market trends. One element of this, part-time working, is marginally lower in coalfield areas than across Scotland (32% against 34%), though this will be linked to patterns for the industries providing most jobs in coalfield areas.

Key Findings

. There has been some growth in the business base in recent years, but there are more micro organisations and fewer large employers located in the coalfield areas.

. The coalfields have greater numbers of local authority organisations, sole traders and partnerships but fewer companies and non-profits than the rest of Scotland.

. 2% increase in jobs between 2015 and 2018, slightly above the Scottish average. Despite this, coalfield areas still have significantly fewer jobs (287 jobs per 1,000 people, compared to 467 per 1,000 for Scotland).

. Additional jobs have been created in retail and wholesale, transport and storage, health, accommodation and food, financial and insurance and agricultural sectors.

. Overall the coalfields still have fewer jobs in higher-skill, knowledge intensive industries (financial and insurance, information and communication, business administration, professional and technical, property and other services).

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

6: Unemployment and Income

This chapter reviews available information on deprivation and outcomes for unemployment, income levels and poverty.

SIMD Employment Domain

The Employment Domain of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation calculates the number and percentage of people who are employment deprived, utilising the following indicators (up to 2017):

. Working age unemployment claimant count averaged over 12 months (NOMIS)

. Working age Incapacity Benefit recipients or Employment and Support Allowance recipients (DWP)

. Working age Severe Disablement Allowance recipients (DWP)

Table 6.1 shows the number of coalfield Data Zones included in Scotland’s most disadvantaged areas according to these unemployment and incapacity-based measures. 192 (31%) of coalfield Data Zones are now included among Scotland’s most deprived 20%.

Many communities in Fife, South Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire are included in Scotland’s most deprived 20%, though a large proportion of the former coalmining communities in Clackmannanshire and West Lothian (and 3 of the 7 areas in Dumfries and Galloway) continue to be seriously affected by employment-related disadvantage.

TABLE 6.1 SIMD 2020 EMPLOYMENT DOMAIN

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived % Fife 188 74 39% South Lanarkshire 79 26 33% East Ayrshire 55 24 44% North Lanarkshire 70 19 27% Clackmannanshire 43 16 37% East Lothian 24 8 33% West Lothian 27 8 30% Midlothian 34 6 18% Dumfries and Galloway 7 3 43% East Dunbartonshire 25 3 12% Stirling 11 3 27% Falkirk 38 2 5% South Ayrshire 9 0 0% Coalfields 610 192 31% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 6.1 SIMD 2020 EMPLOYMENT DOMAIN

Source: Contains Ordnance Survey and Scottish Government20 data © Crown copyright and database right (2016-2020)

The following table lists the 20 coalfield Data Zones that are most disadvantaged in terms of employment.

20 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 6.2 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020 - EMPLOYMENT

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Employment S01009622 Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge Fife Rank 9 S01007465 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire Domain 201625 S01009471 Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield Fife Rank 31 S01009640 Leven East Fife 35 S01009636 Methil East Fife 44 S01007872 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 83 S01009631 Methil West Fife 93 S01007461 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 99 S01008137 Hillhead East 102 S01012838 Whitlawburn and Greenlees SouthDunbartonshire Lanarkshire 109 S01007466 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 112 S01012640 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire 118 S01009647 Leven West Fife 119 S01009632 Methil West Fife 142 S01011010 Dalkeith Midlothian 157 S01009534 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 165 S01009336 Dunfermline Touch and Woodmill Fife 219 S01011012 Dalkeith Midlothian 224 S01007885 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 240 S01009435 Ballingry Fife 242 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Unemployment

More up-to-date unemployment data is available for different time periods at small area level. The table below shows that the claimant rate for unemployment benefits is still significantly above the Scottish average, but has been falling at a faster rate.

TABLE 6.3 CLAIMANT COUNT TREND

Area October 2013 October 2019 Change Coalfields 4.7% deprived 4.3% -0.4 points Scotland 3.2%.7 3.1% -0.1 points Source: Universal Credit and Jobseekers Allowance Claimants as % of working age population21

Table 6.4 shows that male unemployment remains higher than female unemployment in former coalmining communities, though both were above the Scottish average in October 2019.

21 ONS data from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/ucjsa

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 6.4 CLAIMANTS BY GENDER– OCTOBER 2019

Area Female Male All Coalfields 3.6% 5.6% 4.3% Scotland 2.4%7 3.1% 3.1% Difference +1.2 points +2.5 points +1.2 points Source: Universal Credit and Jobseekers Allowance Claimants as % of working age population22

The next chart shows that younger age groups form a larger proportion of total claimants in the former coalmining communities, in line with their younger age profile.

FIGURE 6.2 PROPORTION OF CLAIMANTS BY AGE BAND

Scotland 20% 56% 24%

Coalfields 21% 57% 22%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

16-24 25-49 50 plus

SIMD Income Domain

The Income Domain of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation calculates the number and percentage of people who are income deprived, utilising the following indicators (up to 2017):

. Number of adults receiving Income Support (IS), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – (DWP)

. Number of adults (aged 60 plus) receiving Guaranteed Pension Credit (DWP)

. Number of children dependent on recipient of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment Support Allowance (DWP)

. Number of adults not in paid employment receiving Universal Credit (DWP)

187 (31%) of the coalfield Data Zones are now included in Scotland’s most disadvantaged 20% for income, up from previous editions of the SIMD.

Again, many Fife communities are included in Scotland’s most deprived 20%, though a large proportion of the former coalmining communities in East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire experience income-related disadvantage.

22 ONS data from https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/ucjsa

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 6.5 SIMD 2020 INCOME DOMAIN

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived % Fife 188 73 39% South Lanarkshire 79 29 37% East Ayrshire 55 21 38% Clackmannanshire 43 16 37% North Lanarkshire 70 16 23% West Lothian 27 8 30% Midlothian 34 7 21% East Lothian 24 6 25% East Dunbartonshire 25 4 16% Dumfries and Galloway 7 2 29% Falkirk 38 2 5% Stirling 11 2 18% South Ayrshire 9 1 11% Coalfields 610 187 31% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 6.3 SIMD 2020 INCOME DOMAIN

The following table lists the 20 coalfields Data Zones that are most disadvantaged under the SIMD income domain.

23 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 6.6 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020 - INCOME

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Income Rank S01009622 Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge Fife Domain 2016 4 S01007465 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire Rank 13 S01009471 Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield Fife 25 S01009633 Methil West Fife 35 S01007463 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 36 S01007872 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 40 S01009534 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 57 S01009535 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 80 S01009638 Methil East Fife 104 S01007871 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 106 S01012838 Whitlawburn and Greenlees South Lanarkshire 117 S01008137 Hillhead East 120 S01009636 Methil East FifeDunbartonshire 128.5 S01009626 Methil Methilhill Fife 128.5 S01012640 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire 141 S01012826 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 145 S01009656 Kennoway and Bonnybank Fife 185 S01012780 Burnbank North South Lanarkshire 195 S01013374 Whitburn Central West Lothian 203 S01012829 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 213.5 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Average Incomes

The SIMD Income domain focusses on income-related benefits rather than overall incomes and the resources available to all households – including those where individuals are in work.

Consultations suggested that the increasing prevalence of lower skill, insecure work in the coalfield areas is likely to have a further detrimental impact on incomes, but there is very little data available to verify this.

The most recent estimates for household income at local level are from 2014 and this shows that average weekly household incomes were lower in coalfield areas (£662) than the average across Scotland (£686)24.

Child Poverty

Child poverty is a key policy priority for the Scottish Government and other stakeholders. Table 6.7 uses incomes reported by families in receipt of Child Tax Credit and income related benefits to compare child poverty in the former coalmining communities against the Scottish average. Based on this measure, rates of child poverty in the coalfields are still above average (20% vs 17% for Scotland), though absolute numbers have been decreasing in recent years.

24 Scottish Government data from https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Flocal-level-average- household-income-estimates-2014

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 6.7 CHILDREN IN LOW INCOME FAMILIES

Area 2013 % 2013 2016 % 2016 Coalfields 18,725 21.4% 17,750 20.1% Scotland 157,005 17.7% 146,510 16.8% Source: Child Tax Credit families with income below 60% median, Income Support (IS) or Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)25

Key Findings

. The former coalmining communities continue to experience employment and income-related deprivation, with current SIMD data showing a worsening (comparative) position.

. The picture is similar for employment and income, with increasing dependence on income- related benefits in many coalfield areas.

. Unemployment is higher in coalfield areas with 12,395 people (4.3% of the working age population) claiming Universal Credit or Job Seekers Allowance in October 2019, compared to 3.1% across Scotland).

. Male unemployment is higher than female, while 21% of unemployment benefit claimants are aged 16-24.

. Rates of child poverty are above average with 17,750 children (21%) living in low income families.

25 HM Revenue and Customs data from https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fchildren-in-low- income-families

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

7: Health and Wellbeing

This chapter reviews health and wellbeing information in its widest sense, covering health inequalities and outcomes, accessibility of services and neighbourhood indicators.

SIMD Health Domain

The Health Domain of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is based on the following indicators:

. Standardised mortality ratio (ISD)

. Hospital stays related to alcohol (ISD)

. Hospital stays related to drugs (ISD)

. Comparative illness factor (DWP)

. Emergency stays in hospital (ISD)

. Population prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression or psychosis (ISD)

. Live singleton births of low weight babies (ISD)

179 (29%) of the coalfield Data Zones are now included in Scotland’s most disadvantaged 20% for health, up from previous editions of the SIMD. Table 7.1 breaks this down by Local Authority. This shows that many parts of Fife and significant proportions of the coalmining communities in South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire (and four of the 11 areas in Stirling) are among Scotland’s most disadvantaged.

TABLE 7.1 SIMD 2020 HEALTH DOMAIN

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived % Fife 188 64 34% South Lanarkshire 79 30 38% North Lanarkshire 70 26 37% East Ayrshire 55 21 38% Clackmannanshire 43 10 23% West Lothian 27 9 33% Midlothian 34 6 18% East Dunbartonshire 25 4 16% Stirling 11 4 36% Dumfries and Galloway 7 2 29% Falkirk 38 2 5% South Ayrshire 9 1 11% East Lothian 24 0 0% Coalfields 610 179 29% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 7.1 SIMD 2020 HEALTH DOMAIN

Table 7.2 lists the 20 coalfield Data Zones that are most disadvantaged under the SIMD Health Domain.

26 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 7.2 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020 – HEALTH

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Health Rank S01007872 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire Domain 201643 S01009622 Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge Fife Rank 53 S01012826 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 70 S01007465 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 95 S01009471 Kirkcaldy Linktown & Seafield Fife 97 S01007885 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 111 S01012838 Whitlawburn and Greenlees South Lanarkshire 118 S01008137 Hillhead East 119 S01007871 Doon Valley South EastDunbartonshire Ayrshire 144 S01009534 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 235 S01009631 Methil West Fife 271 S01007877 Doon Valley North East Ayrshire 277 S01009535 Kirkcaldy Gallatown and Sinclairtown Fife 315 S01012640 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire 318 S01011796 Kilsyth Bogside North Lanarkshire 322 S01012829 Westburn and Newton South Lanarkshire 323 S01009632 Methil West Fife 325 S01007461 Alloa South and East Clackmannanshire 331 S01012780 Burnbank North South Lanarkshire 350 S01009633 Methil West Fife 355 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Health Indicators

Average life expectancy data is also available at small area level, enabling a comparison between the coalfield areas and Scotland. This shows that female and male life expectancy remain marginally below the Scottish average.

TABLE 7.3 LIFE EXPECTANCY

Coalfields Scotland Difference (2013-2017) (2014-2016) Male life expectancy 76.7 77.1 -0.4 Female life expectancy 80.5 81.1 -0.7 Source: NRS/ISD Scotland27

SIMD Geographic Access to Services

The Geographic Access domain of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is based on:

. Drive time to GP, retail centre, petrol station, primary and secondary schools, and post office

. Public transport time to GP, retail centre and post office

. % of premises without access to superfast broadband

103 (17%) of the coalfield Data Zones are included in Scotland’s most disadvantaged 20% for geographic accessibility, in line with SIMD 2016 (though longer term trends are more positive). Table 7.4 breaks this down by Local Authority

27 https://scotland.shinyapps.io/ScotPHO_profiles_tool/

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 7.4 SIMD 2020 GEOGRAPHIC ACCESS

Council Area Coalfield Data Zones 20% most deprived % Fife 188 19 10% North Lanarkshire 70 17 24% East Ayrshire 55 15 27% South Lanarkshire 79 12 15% Falkirk 38 9 24% Clackmannanshire 43 8 19% Midlothian 34 8 24% South Ayrshire 9 6 67% East Dunbartonshire 25 4 16% Stirling 11 3 27% Dumfries and Galloway 7 1 14% West Lothian 27 1 4% East Lothian 24 0 0% Coalfields 610 103 17% Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

This information is mapped in Figure 7.2, showing that some of the more rural parts of the East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire coalfields and even less well-connected communities in places like Falkirk and Stirling are disadvantaged by this measure. Urban communities in Fife, North and South Lanarkshire and the Lothians have much better access to local services.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 7.2 SIMD 2020 GEOGRAPHIC ACCESS DOMAIN

Table 7.5 lists the 20 most disadvantaged individual Data Zones in terms of geographic accessibility. This identifies a very different set of areas than in previous chapters (education, employment, income and health), including many rural and semi-rural communities, particularly in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

28 https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 7.5 MOST DEPRIVED AREAS 2020 – GEOGRAPHIC ACCESS

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Access Rank S01007558 Upper Nithsdale Dumfries and Galloway Domain 201646 S01012571 Clydesdale South South Lanarkshire Rank 181 S01009275 Saline and Gowkhall Fife 224 S01012588 Forth, Braehead and Auchengray South Lanarkshire 286 S01007899 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 363 S01009277 Saline and Gowkhall Fife 382 S01009661 Kennoway and Bonnybank Fife 385 S01007882 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 393 S01007897 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 395 S01007880 Doon Valley North East Ayrshire 400 S01007887 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 447 S01011788 Kilsyth East and Croy North Lanarkshire 471 S01012586 Carstairs, Carstairs Junction and South Lanarkshire 483 S01012695 Chapelton,Carnwath Glengavel and Sandford South Lanarkshire 495 S01012582 Carstairs, Carstairs Junction and South Lanarkshire 522 S01010992 NewbattleCarnwath and Dalhousie Midlothian 525 S01009258 Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Falkirk 544 S01009187 BraesGrahamsdyke Villages Falkirk 545 S01007881 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 546 S01013250 Breich Valley West Lothian 552 Source: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD

Neighbourhood indicators

Place-based factors can have a significant influence on a community’s sense of wellbeing and pride and a number of indicators are available for small areas.

One example is how close people live to derelict sites. Table 7.6 uses data from 2018, showing that 36% of the population of the coalfield areas (around 167,000 people) live within 500 meters of a derelict site. This compares to an average of 28% across Scotland.

TABLE 7.6 POPULATION NEAR DERELICT SITES

Area People Total Population % within 500m (2018) Coalfields 167,370 467,873 36% Scotland 1,548,429 5,438,100 28% Source: Scottish Government data29

Community safety is another key determinant of local wellbeing. The following table compares reported crime rates in the coalfield areas with the Scottish average, for both 2013 and 2018. This shows that crime rates for the coalfields as a whole are in line with the Scottish picture, and on a downward trajectory. There will of course be significant variation within this and many communities where crime is a major issue and concern for local people.

29 https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fproximity-to-derelict-site

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 7.7 CRIME RATE (PER 1,000 PEOPLE)

Area 2013 2018 Change Coalfields 31.2 30.5 -0.7 points Scotland 31.0 30.4 -0.6 points Source: NRS/ISD Scotland30

The ‘Access to Health Assets and Hazards’ is a new GB-wide index developed by the Consumer Data Research Centre to measure the health of neighbourhoods. It combines indicators under four different domains:

. Retail environment (access to fast food outlets, pubs, off-licences, tobacconists, gambling outlets)

. Health services (access to GPs, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists and leisure services)

. Physical environment (Green or Blue Spaces31

. Air quality (Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate Matter, Sulphur Dioxide)

Figure 7.3 maps the overall index showing which coalfield areas are defined as having the ‘healthiest’ environments across all four measures.

30 https://scotland.shinyapps.io/ScotPHO_profiles_tool 31 Visible and accessible water

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 7.3 ACCESS TO HEALTHY ASSETS AND HAZARDS

The following table shows which coalfield Data Zones are defined as the least healthy neighbourhoods. This list is dominated by more rural areas with fewer health services and amenities or less access to green and blue spaces.

32 https://data.cdrc.ac.uk/dataset/ahah2

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

TABLE 7.8 LEAST ‘HEALTHY’ NEIGHBOURHOODS - AHAH INDEX

Data Zone Intermediate Zone Council Area Access Rank (GB) S01007558 Upper Nithsdale Dumfries and Galloway Domain 201640698 Rank S01011020 Pathhead and Rural East Midlothian Midlothian 39469 S01012571 Clydesdale South South Lanarkshire 39309 S01007881 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 38996 S01012588 Forth, Braehead and Auchengray South Lanarkshire 38795 S01009275 Saline and Gowkhall Fife 38736 S01012541 Annbank, Mossblown and South Ayrshire 38529 Tarbolton - the Coalfields S01012543 Dundonald, Loans and Symington South Ayrshire 38519 S01007882 Mauchline Rural East Ayrshire 38194 S01011622 Chapelhall East North Lanarkshire 38071 S01012640 Douglas, Coalburn and Rigside South Lanarkshire 37961 S01012539 Annbank, Mossblown and South Ayrshire 37847 S01011620 ChapelhallTarbolton - Eastthe Coalfields North Lanarkshire 37778 S01007870 Doon Valley South East Ayrshire 37697 S01012587 Forth, Braehead and Auchengray South Lanarkshire 37171 S01012540 Annbank, Mossblown and South Ayrshire 37036 S01011619 ChapelhallTarbolton - Westthe Coalfields North Lanarkshire 37028 S01012632 Hazelbank and Kirkfieldbank South Lanarkshire 36902 S01012695 Chapelton, Glengavel and Sandford South Lanarkshire 36652 S01007898 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire 36446 Source: https://data.cdrc.ac.uk/dataset/ahah2

Individual domains and indicators can be mapped individually, Figure 7.4 shows the former coalmining communities with best access to green spaces and water.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

FIGURE 7.4 ACCESS TO GREEN AND BLUE SPACES

33 https://data.cdrc.ac.uk/dataset/ahah2

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

Key Findings

. Former coalmining communities are affected by persistent health inequalities, with many areas in in a worse comparative position since the previous SIMD in 2012 and 2016.

. Life expectancy for women and men is below the Scottish average.

. Many coalfield areas have good access to services and amenities, particularly the more urban communities in Fife, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.

. Environmental issues persist, with 167,000 people (36%) in coalfield areas still living within 500 metres of a derelict site.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

8: Summary of Findings

This chapter brings together the findings before summarising the implications for strategy development and opportunities for ongoing work programmes

Demography

1. The population of the coalfield intervention areas is growing, reaching a population of 468,000 in 2018. There has been fastest growth in older age groups, but the under 16 population is stable despite falling across Scotland.

2. The dwelling stock has increased and migration from elsewhere in Scotland is driving population growth in several coalfield areas. This is likely to have most impact for the parts of South Lanarkshire, Midlothian, East Lothian and Fife that are well-connected to greater Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Deprivation

3. The 2020 edition of the Scottish Index of Deprivation shows that Scotland’s former coalmining communities are still affected by socio-economic disadvantage. 31% of coalfield neighbourhoods are now in the most deprived 20%, showing a gradual (relative) increase in levels of deprivation over time.

4. There remains significant and concentrated deprivation, particularly in Fife, South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire. Former coalmining communities face particularly severe challenges across education, employment and income.

5. Several areas are in a worse comparative position for income- and health-related deprivation, though there has been some relative improvement in terms of geographic accessibility.

Education, Skills and Training

6. Educational disadvantage is perhaps the main challenge for many former coalmining communities, with 35% now included in Scotland’s most deprived 20% of neighbourhoods. This includes large parts of the Fife, South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire coalfields, though the smaller communities in Stirling and East Lothian are also affected by poor educational outcomes.

7. Across the coalfields, educational attainment of school leavers has been improving in recent years but is still below the Scottish average. Linked to this, coalfield areas have lower rates of participation in education, employment or training among 16-19 year olds and fewer 17-21 year olds enrolling in higher education.

Local Economy

8. Recent years have seen some growth in the business base, but coalfield areas have more small organisations and fewer large employers. Compared to Scotland there are fewer private businesses and non-profit organisations, and more local authority employers.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

9. Despite a 2% increase in employment between 2015 and 2018 coalfield areas still have fewer jobs available than the rest of Scotland (287 jobs per 1,000 people, compared to 467 per 1,000 for Scotland).

10. Additional jobs have been created in some industries (e.g. retail and wholesale, transport and storage, health, accommodation and food, financial and insurance and agricultural sectors) but the coalfields still have fewer jobs in higher-skill, knowledge intensive industries (e.g. financial and insurance, information and communication, business administration, professional and technical, property and other services).

Unemployment and income

11. As a consequence of this, former coalmining communities continue to experience employment and income-related deprivation, with current SIMD data showing a slightly improved position for employment but a worse position for income. 31% of coalfield areas are now among Scotland’s 20% most deprived neighbourhoods across both measures.

12. The picture is similar for employment and income, with increasing dependence on income- related benefits in many coalfield areas. Unemployment is higher in coalfield areas with 12,395 people (4.3% of the working age population) claiming Universal Credit or Job Seekers Allowance in October 2019, compared to 3.1% across Scotland.

13. Male unemployment is higher than female. This may be linked to the long-term legacy of mine closures and industrial decline, though 21% of unemployment benefit claimants in the coalfield areas are now aged 16-24. Rates of child poverty are also well above average with 17,750 children (21%) living in low income families.

Health and wellbeing

14. Former coalmining communities are affected by persistent health inequalities, and many are now in a much worse comparative position (29% of areas are now among the 20% most disadvantaged for health, up from 18% in 2012). Life expectancy for both women and men is below the Scottish average.

15. Many coalfield areas have good access to services and amenities, but there are considerable geographical variations. The more urban communities in Fife and Lanarkshire are much better served than more rural communities across East Ayrshire (and rural South Lanarkshire).

16. Environmental issues persist, with 167,000 people or 36% of the total population of the coalfield areas living within 500 metres of a derelict site, compared to 28% for Scotland.

Concluding remarks

This report provides an updated analysis of deprivation and socio-economic conditions in former coalmining communities, based on the CRT’s existing intervention areas. It shows that the coalfields continue to experience multiple forms of disadvantage and many areas are in a worse comparative position.

This does not necessarily mean that conditions in all coalfield areas are deteriorating, but that conditions in some other parts of Scotland are improving at a faster rate. Recent editions of the SIMD have highlighted significant progress in Scotland’s main cities (i.e. Glasgow and Edinburgh, plus adjacent parts of South Lanarkshire, West Lothian etc.), whereas less well-connected places in Fife, North Lanarkshire or Clackmannanshire have seen less improvement.

The Scottish Coalfields in 2020

The lack of employment options has adversely affected coalfield areas for a very long time, and recent years have seen education, income and health challenges intensifying in many areas. We know that these issues are often interlinked and there remains a complex and varied picture across the Scottish coalfields. This report illustrates some of the variation within and between coalfield areas. It is clear that many former coalmining communities still require support in 2020, and interventions by the CRT and others need to be tailored in line with the challenges and opportunities in specific areas.