 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Deprivation discontent in Scotland
Make sure you receive your fair share of lottery cash - take out a no-obligation trial subscription
today.
The selection of Fair Share areas in Scotland has led to the resurgence of disagreements about how to measure deprivation based on the credibility – or lack of it – of the Scottish Executive’s 1998 Index of Area Deprivation
(SADI).
The SADI has been controversial from its inception. Rural authorities complain that it contains a serious urban bias, as it breaks down only to postcode sector level, rather than wards or enumeration districts. The methodology used is also contested, and there is confusion among local authorities as to whether the SADI has ever achieved ‘official’ status rather than remaining a draft, flawed document. Steven Morley in the Development and Promotion department of North Ayrshire council, said: ‘We’re talking to the Scottish Executive about the use of this index. We thought it wasn’t officially endorsed.’ North Ayrshire missed out on Fair Share funding, but says it is among the most deprived of Scottish authorities. North Ayrshire has also written to the Community Fund and NOF asking them for an explanation of their methodology for selecting Fair Share areas.
According to Kay Caldwell at the Community Fund in Scotland, it was the ‘natural and obvious choice’ to use the 1998 SADI as the basis for calculations. ‘It is the most commonly used set of indicators,’ she said, pointing out that the Social Inclusion Partnerships are based on the
SADI.
Caldwell did accept, however, that rural areas were very disappointed with the outcome of the exercise. ‘We are aware that there is some dissatisfaction,’ she said.
The statistician in charge of the index at the Scottish Executive’s central research unit, Peter Whitehouse, said: ‘We’re never going to make everyone happy when it comes to a deprivation index. But the problem of rural areas is a particular and ongoing issue.’ He added: ‘The Scottish Executive makes use of it alongside other data. For some types of financial allocation it’s perfectly OK to use, if they tend to be urban areas.’ The Scottish Executive has just awarded a contract to Professor Michael Noble of Oxford University to draw up a new deprivation index, using the same methodology as he used for the England IMD2000 and its Welsh and Northern Ireland equivalents.