EXPRESS REPORTER

Ferguslie Park is no longer home to the most deprived area in Scotland.

Statistics published yesterday reveal that an area in Ferguslie Park has been lifted from the bottom of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation table.

The latest update of the

SIMD, published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, shows that levels of deprivation have fallen significantly in Renfrewshire when compared with the 2016 findings.

SIMD is a tool for identifying the places in Scotland where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives.

It ranks nearly 7,000 small areas - known as data zones - throughout Scotland by shining a light on income, employment, health, education, access to services, crime and housing.

The results show how deprived a particular area is compared with others.

Changes in the rank for one area may be due to other areas becoming more or less deprived.

And 24 per cen of Renfrewshire’s data zones are among the 20 per cent most deprived in the country, down from 27 per cent four years ago.

This means Renfrewshire experienced the second biggest decrease in local authority share of Scotland’s most deprived areas during the last four years.

Now, a new long-term community-led strategy is in place to transform Ferguslie Park - called Paisley Ferguslie on the SIMD map - into a place where everyone can thrive.

Community organisations will work with Renfrewshire Council on a consultation with local residents to get their creative ideas for a new plan that will meet their needs.

Groups have already been working with local people on what’s needed to change perceptions about Ferguslie and residents are saying they are wholeheartedly proud to live there.

The new place plan will determine how the community wants to:

 use vacant and underused land

 enhance green spaces and  support various groups to ensure more opportunities are available.

It will also continue the work that started with Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture by using culture and heritage to transform the lives of people living in the area.

This includes developing key projects such as culture being ‘prescribed’ to reduce social isolation and Castlehead High’s partnership with Glasgow School of Art to use creativity to raise attainment.

Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “The community have already said that the SIMD results do not define them, and they’ve been leading the changes taking place across the area.

“Residents have told us their ideas for housing in the Tannahill area through extensive community consultation carried out by voluntary organisations embedded within the area.

“Now we are asking residents