The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Cold water poured on survey putting city near foot of league
Council leader says figures used are ‘interesting but not necessarily robust’ as other areas of Courier Country are ranked in the top 20 in Scotland
New figures ranking Scottish local authority areas based on quality of life have been dismissed as “not necessarily robust”.
The data by Bank of Scotland ranked Dundee City at 29th of 32 districts for 2020, ahead of only North Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Glasgow City.
The index rates factors such as house prices, educational attainment, weather and general happiness to rank council areas every year.
Last year, Dundee was ranked
27th.
The City of Discovery even lost its rating as Scotland’s sunniest city to Aberdeen, although it did have the lowest amount of rainfall – 804mm – the only one of 26 indicators in which it was deemed to be best.
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander argued the data does not necessarily provide a “wholesome” picture of quality of life.
He said: “We should always analyse such surveys to see where we can improve but we also shouldn’t add a huge amount of weight.
“Matters like population density in a city like Dundee of only 24 sq mare obviously significantly different to the Western Islands. I’m not sure that provides a wholesome picture of life.
“All in all, it’s interesting but not necessarily robust.”
Perth and Kinross was the only council region in Tayside and Fife which ranked in the top 10, at number nine – down one place from 2019.
It was found to have the most health and fitness centres per head of population, with 3.3 per 10,000 people.
MSP for Perthshire North, John Swinney expressed his pride in the area.
He said: “As an MSP based within this region, it is a great source of pride that Perth and Kinross has been recognised as one of the top 10 Scottish areas to live in.
“The high quality of life enjoyed here is in no small part down to the affordability of homes, the significantly improved access to broadband and declining levels of crime over the past decade.”
Elsewhere in Courier Country, Fife and Angus both placed in the top 20 at numbers 16 and 18 respectively, although Angus suffered a drop from its number seven slot in 2019.
Fife climbed the table from 19 last year.
Orkney retained its top spot, while Edinburgh was the biggest climber, from 20 to five.
The top five Scottish locations also appear in the UK top 100.
Tara Foley, managing director of Bank of Scotland, said: “The Scottish locations that make it into the UK’s top 100 showcase the diversity of Scotland.
“This is from the dramatic beauty of its remote islands to the impressive architecture of its historical cities and easy access to green vast space and rich country parks from the surrounding suburbs.”
At a UK level, East Hertfordshire in England took the top spot overall this year, followed by Fareham and Hart, both in the south-east.
I became an adopted Taysider when I moved to Perth in 2018 and I now call Dundee home.
People often ask me if I prefer the City of Discovery or its Fair counterpart and the answer is usually that I’m firmly on the fence. In fact, I spent six months commuting between the two trying to decide.
Both cities have their pros and cons – Dundee is bustling while Perth’s city centre is struggling. On the other side of the coin, Perth is far more affluent and its residents haven’t suffered the drugs death crisis as severely as Dundonians.
With family and friends scattered across Scotland and beyond, Perth’s prime location, closer to both Glasgow and Edinburgh, very nearly won it. But as a recent first-time buyer, Dundee’s affordable property was the final factor to tip the scales in its favour.
It was a very close call and I disagree with how low Dundee ranked in the quality of life rankings. Both are fantastic places to live and residents the length of the Tay should be proud to call the area home.