PARTS of Barrhead are among the most deprived areas in Scotland.

The latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) figures place some of the town’s streets in the 1,000 worst affected communities in the country.

Certain sections of Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall sit close to the top of a table of 6,976 analysis areas which lists the most impoverished parts of Scotland where resources or opportunities are the fewest.

While Barrhead is no longer in the top five per cent of the country’s poorest areas, as was the case when the last set of SIMD figures were published in 2012, some areas still struggle with serious deprivation issues.

Low income, high unemployment levels, crime and poor health standards were all taken into consideration as Crossmill – specifically the area around Waulkmill Avenue, Wraes Avenue and Stewart Crescent – was named the worse off part of Barrhead and the 212th most deprived area in Scotland.

In total, 250 of the area’s 641 residents were considered to be ‘income deprived’, while 115 people were also classed as ‘employment deprived’ in a section of Barrhead which was given a nationwide crime ranking of 832, as well as a position in the fourth-lowest tier for housing.

Households in Robertson Street, Barnes Street, Cogan Street and Gladstone Avenue received an overall ranking of 601.

According to the report’s findings, the area is most greatly impacted by unemployment, low income and health problems.

Of its 687 residents – 471 of whom are of a working age – a worrying 120 are deprived of employment and 205 are on the lowest levels of income.

The figures show the area ranked 350th in Scotland for its health domain. It was also found in the lower half of the statistics for housing.

Nearby West Arthurlie, including Kerr Street, Gertrude Place and Levernside Avenue are also ranked poorly for health and income, being ranked 2067 and 1092 - inside the top 30 per cent.

Politicians largely agree on the reasoning behind the figures.

Barrhead councillor Kenny Hay pinpointed unemployment and a lack of affordable homes as the most pressing issues facing the town.

He said: “On the positive side, there has been an improvement in the deprived areas, however, it’s not big enough.

“Stats say a lot of things but if you walk around the town you can see there are still major issues. There are still issues with housing, there’s continual work to improve the state of housing.

“There are problems with health and unemployment and there’s a lack of social housing as well. There is a whole raft of factors that influence it.”

The Labour councillor added: “We’re doing our best to influence better health and education so young families can understand better ways of eating.

“Money is the big problem. Year-on-year the funding is going down, money isn’t there.

“If you have poor housing and dampness that leads to medical conditions. If you’ve got young children, invariably they’ll pick up chest infections.

“It’s a vicious circle and it’s very difficult to break.

“The new family centre in Auchenback will be a massive boost to the area when that’s built. That can help to alleviate deprivation.”

SIMD statistics placed Dunterlie as Scotland’s 880th most deprived community.

Taking in properties on Carlibar Road, Muriel Street, Commercial Road and sections of Stewart Street, research shows the area has a total population of 899 and 519 of whom are old enough to have a job.

However, the SIMD figures indicate 220 people living in this part of Barrhead are income deprived, while 110 are deprived of employment.

The area was placed in the second lowest tier for housing.

SNP councillor Tommy Reilly believes a lack of job opportunities and housing have contributed to the aforementioned areas’ inclusion among the more deprived parts of the country.

“On the face of it, we’ve still got massive problems with things like youth unemployment,” he said.

“The prospects for young people is pretty grim.

“Zero-hour contracts are becoming more and more prevalent. It’s a symptom of the poverty trap and persistently low wages.

“There’s a chronic shortage of housing as well.”

Independent councillor Danny Devlin also cited housing as a major obstacle for the local authority to overcome.

He said: “Housing is a big issue in Barrhead. We need more new builds, we need to build more good, affordable council housing.

“The Scottish Government has got a big part to play. They need to put their money where their mouth is."