KnowBorders: Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership …€¦ · informative range of data...

SB-SA2016 - Final June 2016 - Aug Update 1

KnowBorders: Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership 2016 Strategic Assessment


Version Control

No. Action Start Date Complete Date Result

1 First draft of Strategic Assessment

2016 (prior to workshop)

04/02/2016 20/04/2016 SA2016 – Draft

v001

2 Second draft of Strategic

Assessment 2016 (after workshop)

20/04/2016 07/06/2013 SA2016 – Draft

v002

3 Strategic Assessment 2016 - Final

June 2016 (after Strategic Board)

09/06/2016 09/06/2016 SB-SA2016 –

Final June

2016

4 Update to School Leaver

Destination Follow Up

02/08/2016 18/08/2016 SB-SA2016 –

Final June

2016- Aug

Update

Contact details for Strategic Assessment 2016:

Strategic Policy Unit

Scottish Borders Council

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01835 824000

mailto:[email protected]


Contents

Contents ............................................................................................................................................................ 3

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................... 5

Summary of Key Findings .................................................................................................................................. 6

Strategic Assessment 2016 Development ......................................................................................................... 8

Scottish Borders: Area Profile.......................................................................................................................... 10

Area Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 10

Population and Vital Events (Births / Deaths) ............................................................................................. 10

Life Expectancy ............................................................................................................................................ 15

Migration, Ethnicity and National Identity .................................................................................................. 17

Household Profile ........................................................................................................................................ 20

Scottish Borders and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) ................................................... 24

Economy and Income ...................................................................................................................................... 28

Strategic Economic Partnerships ................................................................................................................. 31

Infrastructure / Digital Connectivity ............................................................................................................ 31

Gross Value Added (GVA) and Business Activity ......................................................................................... 38

Business Demography ................................................................................................................................. 43

Town Centre Retail Activity ......................................................................................................................... 45

Tourism ........................................................................................................................................................ 48

Renewable Employment ............................................................................................................................. 53

Housing ........................................................................................................................................................ 54

Wages and employment .............................................................................................................................. 55

Economic Inequalities .................................................................................................................................. 61

Education and Learning ................................................................................................................................... 73

Pupil Profile ................................................................................................................................................. 74

Pupil Attainment.......................................................................................................................................... 75

School Leavers ............................................................................................................................................. 76

Youth Work / Adult Learning / Community Learning and Development .................................................... 78

Further and Higher Education ..................................................................................................................... 81

Adult Qualifications ..................................................................................................................................... 84

Business Enterprise Research and Development ........................................................................................ 85

Life Stages / Health and Wellbeing.............................................................................................................. 86

Maternity / Early Years ................................................................................................................................ 89

Children ....................................................................................................................................................... 94

Adults ......................................................................................................................................................... 103

Older People .............................................................................................................................................. 114

Substance Use ........................................................................................................................................... 116

Mental Health ............................................................................................................................................ 119

Physical Activity ......................................................................................................................................... 124


Reducing Risk ............................................................................................................................................. 127

Community and Environment ....................................................................................................................... 138

Community Safety ..................................................................................................................................... 142

Built and Physical Environment ................................................................................................................. 162

Environmental Impact ............................................................................................................................... 171

Community Support and Community Resilience ...................................................................................... 177

Cultural Activity ......................................................................................................................................... 185

Physical and Digital Access ........................................................................................................................ 187

Public Services ............................................................................................................................................... 190

Public Priorities .......................................................................................................................................... 191

Satisfaction with Public Services ............................................................................................................... 191

Influence / involvement in public sector ................................................................................................... 194

Public Sector Spending .............................................................................................................................. 195

Council’s Age Profile .................................................................................................................................. 196

Public Sector Service Transformation ....................................................................................................... 197

Key Sources .................................................................................................................................................... 199


Foreword

The Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership is responsible for developing a Local Outcome

Improvement Plan (LOIP) and Locality Plans. The strategic assessment working with professional knowledge

and community input provides an evidence base to enable the community planning partnership confirm

priorities and plan ways in which to improve. The current CPP priorities are:

Growing our economy

Reducing Inequalities

Maximising the impact of the low carbon economy

This strategic assessment and its companion locality strategic assessments provides a useful and

informative range of data and analysis to allow better understanding of the Scottish Borders and areas for

improvement. The locality strategic assessments provide more in-depth analysis for each of the localities,

Berwickshire, Cheviot, Eildon, Teviot and Liddesdale, and Tweeddale.

I hope that you find Know Borders: Strategic Assessment 2016 and the companion locality documents

useful sources of information and analysis that you and your colleagues can use over the coming years as

we jointly plan and deliver more of our services and continue our joint efforts to improve quality of life for

people in the Scottish Borders.

Tracey Logan

Chief Executive Scottish Borders Council and Chair of the Scottish Borders Community Planning Joint

Delivery Team


Summary of Key Findings

Economic Findings:

The Scottish Borders continues to face significant challenges in terms of physical, digital and mobile

connectivity.

The usage of the Borders Railway for the first six months has been 22% above forecast, nearly

700,000 people travelling.

The Gross Value Added (GVA) per capita is significantly lower in the Scottish Borders compared to

Scotland and the UK; however, the rate of GVA increase in the Scottish Borders has been greater

compared to Scotland and the UK.

Between 2010 and 2015 the Scottish Borders economic turnover increased by £313 million a 10.9%

increase above the 1.3% increase for Scotland. (Note this excludes financial and insurance turnover,

which is not available).

The Scottish Borders has a similar proportion of micro/small businesses compared to Scotland (94%

vs. 96%), however micro/small enterprises account for 47% of turnover in the Scottish Borders

compared to 24% for Scotland.

Compared with Scotland, the Scottish Borders has a higher proportion of enterprises in agriculture,

forestry and fishing but a lower proportion of enterprises in professional, scientific and technical

activities, which continues to adversely affect the GVA for the Scottish Borders.

Scottish Borders needs to strengthen the key sectors of food and drink, tourism, textiles, creative

and digital arts if it to have similar levels of growth experienced nationally.

Overall, there is a well-educated and skilled workforce in the Scottish Borders with a lower

proportion of people of working age with low or no qualifications compared to Scotland.

Workplace-based wages in the Scottish Borders remain low compared to Scotland.

The Scottish Borders has consistently had low rates of unemployment compared to Scotland.

The towns with the highest footfall rates, Melrose, Peebles and Kelso, are generally associated with

tourist activity.

The retail vacancy rate in the Scottish Borders has consistently been below the rate for the UK (11%

vs 13% for 2015).

Social Findings:

Overall people in the Scottish Borders experience a good quality of life. However, evidence shows

that there are areas that experience health, income, employment and / or access deprivation.

The Scottish Borders has a lower proportion of children living in poverty (10.9%) compared to

Scotland (15.3%); but within the Scottish Borders the proportion ranges from 4.5% to 27.8%.

The NRS projects that the population of the Scottish Borders will remain stable between 2012 and

2037 compared to a projected 8.8% increase for Scotland. However, the number of people aged 30

to 49 is expected to decrease whilst the number of those aged 75 or older will increase

significantly.

According to the 2011 census, the Scottish Borders is not as ethnically diverse as Scotland as a

whole.

Attainment in Scottish Borders’ secondary schools is equal to, or better than, Scotland.

Compared to Scotland, the Scottish Borders has more school leavers going into, and maintaining, a

positive destination.


In the Scottish Borders, both men and women have a higher life expectancy at birth compared to

Scotland. However, there are variations of up to 10.5 years between different areas of the Scottish

Borders.

In 2014, there were 6,284 (5.5%) people, in the Scottish Borders registered with diabetes in the

Scottish Borders, a slightly higher rate compared to Scotland (5.2%).

A persistently higher proportion of mothers are smoking during pregnancy (22.9%) compared to

Scotland (18.5%).

The Scottish Borders has a higher proportion of children at P1 and P7 with ‘no obvious tooth decay’

compared to Scotland.

The Scottish Borders has a consistently higher proportion of people rating their neighbourhood as

“very good” or “fairly good” place to live compared to Scotland.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 top 5 neighbourhood priorities are identified as:

Growing the economy

Providing high quality care for older people

Tackling poverty and inequality

Raising educational attainment and achievement

Providing activities and facilities for younger people

More households in the Scottish Borders are fuel poor in comparison to Scotland.

Domestic Abuse / Gender Based Violence are increasing in the Scottish Borders although the rate is

lower than the Scottish average.

The Scottish Borders has a higher rate of accidents in the home amongst under 5s, and more falls

amongst over 75s, when compared to Scotland, and both rates are increasing.

The Scottish Borders has a higher rate of road traffic accident casualties compared to Scotland,

although the rate has dropped between 2005 and 2013 for the Scottish Borders.

Environmental Findings:

The rural nature of the Scottish Borders makes access to services and amenities difficult for many.

30% of A-roads and 40% of B-roads ‘should be considered for maintenance treatment’.

Domestic Gas and Electricity consumption per meter has decreased in the Scottish Borders, and in

Scotland, between 2005 and 2014.

The Scottish Borders experiences lower carbon dioxide emissions per capita compared to Scotland

and the UK.

Total tonnes of household waste decreased by 7.2% between 2011 and 2014, compared to

Scotland (decrease of 5.6%). However, the proportion of waste going to landfill increased from

53.3% to 61.4% in the same period.

Approximately 25% of the buildings in the Scottish Borders would receive an energy efficient rating

of A, B or C.

There has been a lower take up of ECO measures in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland and

Great Britain.


Strategic Assessment 2016 Development

Know Borders: Strategic Assessment 2016 provides the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership

an opportunity to evaluate how the Scottish Borders is meeting the 16 National Outcomes and identify the

priorities for the Scottish Borders’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) and Locality Plans.

For each theme (Economy and Income, Education and Learning, Life Stages / Health and Wellbeing,

Community and Environment, and Public Services), accommodating the 16 national outcomes, the national

and local drivers have been identified as has evidence to show how the Scottish Borders is contributing to

the national outcomes. The table below show the themes and the associated national outcomes.

Theme No. National Outcome Description

Demographic and

Household Profile 0 Population and Household Profile with Deprivation 'baseline' SIMD2012

Economy and Income

1 We live in a Scotland that is the most attractive place to do business in

Europe

2 We realise our full economic potential with more and better employment

opportunities for our people

Education and

Learning

3 We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for

our research and innovation

4 Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective

contributors and responsible citizens

Life Stages / Health

and Wellbeing

5 Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed

6 We live longer, healthier lives

7 We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society

8 We have improved the life chances for young people and families at risk

15 Our people are able to maintain their independence as they get older and

are able to access appropriate support when they need it

Community and

Environment

9 We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger

10 We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access

amenities and services we need

11 We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take

responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others

12 We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect and

enhance it for future generations

13 We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity (Local identity)

14 We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption

and production

Public Services 16 Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and

responsive to local people's needs

On 22 April 2016, there was a workshop with professionals of the Community Planning Partnership to

review the draft Strategic Assessment 2016. The aims of the workshop were to confirm the national and

local drivers, review the evidence presented and categorise the evidence and to create a summary position

for each of the themes. During the workshop, the group also identified those areas or indicators that are

key / important to watch, regardless of their classification.


Evidence Classification

Status /Symbol Meaning Red E.g. trend is negative, Scottish Borders is worse than Scotland.

Amber E.g. trend is favourable but not as good as Scotland, trend is negative but better

than Scotland, Scottish Borders better than Scotland but there are still issues.

Green E.g. trend is favourable and better than Scotland.

Blue E.g. a statement of fact and judgement favourable / negative is not appropriate. Key A key indicator –high priority area – important to watch


Scottish Borders: Area Profile

Area Overview

The Scottish Borders area is 473,614 hectares (1,827 square miles) and is located in the South East of

Scotland. It has Edinburgh and the Lothians to the North, Northumberland to the South and Dumfries and

Galloway to the West.

Scottish Borders is a rural local authority where 30% of the population lives in settlements of under 500

people or in isolated hamlets. The largest town is Hawick with a 2014 estimated population of 14,003,

followed by Galashiels with 12,670 – although, if neighbouring Tweedbank were included, Galashiels would

be the largest town in Scottish Borders. The only other towns with a population of over 5,000 people are

Peebles, Kelso and Selkirk. Scottish Borders Council Area is the fourth most sparsely-populated mainland

Local Authority areas in Scotland after Highland, Argyll and Bute and Dumfries and Galloway.

The estimated 2014 population for Scottish Borders was 114,030: an increase of 0.1 per cent from 113,870

in 2013. The population of Scottish Borders accounts for 2.1 per cent of the total population of Scotland.

Since 1988, Scottish Borders's total population has risen overall. Scotland's population has also risen over

this period.

In Scottish Borders, 13.5 per cent of the population are aged 16 to 29 years. This is smaller than Scotland,

where 18.3 per cent are aged 16 to 29 years. Persons aged 60 and over make up 30.2 per cent of Scottish

Borders. This is larger than Scotland where 24.0 per cent are aged 60 and over.

Population and Vital Events (Births / Deaths)

Age and Gender Distribution: Scottish Borders and Scotland

In Scotland as a whole, the number of births reached a peak around 50 years ago, corresponding with the

post-Second World War “baby-boom” which eventually declined in the 1970s. This generation is now

reaching retiring age, leading to a large increase in the proportion of older working-age and young retiring-

age people. There are significant minorities of single and widowed people, particularly women, who are

surviving into extreme old age. This trend is likely to accelerate in the next two decades.

The images below show the age-gender distribution of the 2014 population in Scottish Borders and

Scotland. The Scottish Borders pattern on the left broadly reflects the Scottish pattern on the right but

with more gaps in the working-age section, representing population loss through outmigration from the

region. There is a sizeable gap in both genders throughout the younger working-age population,

representing those who have left in recent years, and a spike in the number of people in their mid-sixties

who arrived or returned, to enjoy their retirement in the region.


Population Projections

The overall population of Scotland is expected to increase by 8.8% between 2012 and 2037 but the overall

population of Scottish Borders is not expected to change significantly in the same period. However, the

constitution of the population by banded age group is expected to change significantly, with a drop in the

proportions of children and working-age people and an increase in the proportion of pensioners. These

changes are expected to be more marked in Scottish Borders than in Scotland as a whole. In particular,

proportions of the 75+ age group in Scottish Borders are projected to increase by almost 100%, which is

even higher than the projected Scottish increase.

The graph below shows percentage change in population in Scottish Borders and Scotland, 2012-2037

(2012-based populations).

The graph below shows the projected population changes for the Scottish Borders by age group between

2012 and 2037.

0-15 16-29 30-49 50-64 65-74 75+ All Ages

Scottish Borders -7.5% -12.6% -22.6% -20.3% 32.7% 95.2% 0.0%

Scotland 5.5% -3.8% -1.8% -6.5% 36.9% 86.1% 8.8%

-40.0%

-20.0%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

120.0%

Percentage Change in Projected population for 2012 and 2037 by age group in the Scottish Borders (2012-based), NRS

19,132 15,370 28,886 25,386 13,864 11,07217,706 13,430 22,349 20,227 18,403 21,6100

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

0-15 (-7.5%) 16-29 (-12.6%) 30-49 (-22.6%) 50-64 (-20.3%) 65-74 (32.7%) 75+ (95.2%)

Projected population from 2012 to 2037 by age group in the Scottish Borders (2012-based), NRS

2012 2037

The percentage in brackets following the age group is the projected change between 2012 and 2037.


Births

The overall Birth Rate in Scottish Borders has remained consistently below, but roughly in line with, the

Scottish trend since 1991. This is because a higher proportion of the Scottish Borders population is above

childbearing age than is normal for Scotland. The “Standardised” rate removes the effects of age and

shows that, considering just the population which is of childbearing age, Scottish Borders actually has a

higher than average birth rate than the Scottish average. This seems counter-intuitive considering that the

numbers and proportion of children in the region are projected to decrease but it does indicate that

Scottish Borders will continue to have sustainable numbers of children, despite the larger proportion of

older people in the region. This is important for sustaining communities and services into the future.

However, the birth rate varies by locality and is currently undergoing a downward fluctuation. The most

recent guidance from NRS states that between 2013 and 2014, Scottish Borders experienced a 5.0 per cent

decrease in the number of births, dropping from 1,138 in 2013, to 1,081 in 2014. The number of births in

Scotland rose by 1.3 per cent. Fertility in Scottish Borders decreased from 62.5 births per 1,000 women

aged 15 to 44 in 2013, to 60.3 in 2014. For Scotland as a whole, the general fertility rate increased from

53.7 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2013, to 54.7 in 2014.

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scotland 13.2 12.9 12.4 12.1 11.8 11.6 11.7 11.3 10.9 10.5 10.4 10.1 10.3 10.6 10.6 10.8 11.2 11.5 11.3 11.2 11.1 10.9 10.5 10.6

Scottish Borders: Overall 12.1 11.4 10.8 10.9 11.1 10.7 10.7 9.8 10.0 10.1 10.0 9.5 9.7 9.6 9.5 10.0 10.4 10.0 10.2 10.2 9.7 10.0 10.0 9.5

Scottish Borders: Standardised 14.0 13.2 12.5 12.5 12.8 12.4 12.4 11.4 11.8 11.9 11.9 11.5 11.8 11.8 11.6 12.4 13.1 12.6 13.0 13.1 12.7 13.3 13.3 12.8

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

15.0

Bir

ths

Pe

r 1

,00

0 P

op

ula

tio

n

Timeline of Birth Rates in Scottish Borders 1991 - 2014: Overall and Age/Sex Standardised, NRS


Marriages and Civil Partnerships

There were 666 marriages in Scottish Borders in 2014; an increase of 14.0 per cent from 2013. The 2011

Census showed that over half of all people in Scottish Borders were married or in a civil partnership, which

is a higher proportion than the Scottish average. This is due to the older age structure of the Scottish

Borders population. The proportions of divorced and widowed people, although much more in the

minority, were also higher in Scottish Borders than the Scottish average. The proportion of single people

who had never married were correspondingly lower in Scottish Borders.

In Scottish Borders, an above-average 23.8 per cent of people marrying in 2014 were aged over 45.

Proportions in all other age groups were slightly below the Scottish average.

Since 2004 the number of marriages in Scottish Borders has fallen by 23.5 per cent. Scotland has seen an

increase during the same period of time.

Number of people marrying in Scottish Borders and Scotland by 10-year age group, 2014

Age group No. of people

marrying in Scottish Borders

No. of people marrying in Scotland

% of people marrying in Scottish Borders

% of people marrying in Scotland

16-24 98 4,527 7.4% 7.8%

25-34 629 28,227 47.2% 48.6%

35-44 288 12,912 21.6% 22.2%

45+ 317 12,472 23.8% 21.5%

All ages 1,332 58,138 100.0% 100.0% Source: NRS

27.1

52.4

39.1 8.4

35.4

45.4

3.28.2 7.8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

% Single (never marriedor had civil partnership)

% Married or in aregistered same-sex civil

partnership

% Separated (but stilllegally married or still

legally in a same-sex civilpartnership)

% Divorced or formerly ina same-sex civil

partnership which is nowlegally dissolved

% Widowed or survivingpartner from a same-sex

civil partnership

Percentage of People Aged 16+ By Marital Status, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Deaths

Overall, death rates in Scotland have decreased between 1991 and 2014 as people continue to live longer,

with Scottish Borders mirroring the national trend. However, the overall death rate has been consistently

higher in Scottish Borders than the Scottish average and the crude number of deaths in Scottish Borders

increased from 1,222 in 2013 to 1,335 in 2014. This is due to the above-average age of the population in

the region.

The overall death rate is higher for Scottish Borders, particularly for females, due to the higher numbers

and proportions of older people, particularly women, in the population. When the Death Rate is

standardised for the effects of age and recalculated as if the region had an average Scottish age-gender

structure, the Death Rate in Scottish Borders is actually lower than average as older people are living longer

now than at any time in history.

Early Deaths

All-cause mortality amongst 15-44 year olds is another ‘overall’ indicator of inequalities. The Scottish

Borders has consistently had lower rate of early deaths compared to Scotland. However there are areas in

the Scottish Borders with higher rates.

The graph below shows the rate of ‘early deaths’ per 100,000 on a 3-year rolling average for Scotland, the

Scottish Borders the five Scottish Borders localities (Berwickshire, Cheviot, Eildon, Teviot & Liddesdale and

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013

2012-2014

Scottish Borders 94 99 92 99 102 108 104 103 99 91 82

Scotland 119 115 115 116 119 118 115 112 108 105 101

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Deaths from all causes (15-44): 3-year rolling average age-sex standardised rate per 100,000 , NRS

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scotland 12.0 12.0 12.6 11.6 11.9 11.9 11.7 11.7 11.9 11.4 11.3 11.5 11.5 11.1 10.9 10.7 10.8 10.7 10.3 10.3 10.1 10.3 10.3 10.1

Scottish Borders: Overall 13.8 13.0 13.3 12.8 13.2 12.8 12.9 12.6 12.5 12.3 12.0 12.9 13.1 11.9 11.9 11.7 11.6 11.2 11.1 11.2 10.8 11.3 10.7 11.7

Scottish Borders: Standardised 11.2 10.5 10.6 10.3 10.7 10.5 10.6 10.4 10.3 10.1 10.0 10.7 10.9 9.9 9.9 9.8 9.7 9.4 9.2 9.2 8.8 9.2 8.7 9.5

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

15.0

De

ath

s P

er

1,0

00

Po

pu

lati

on

Timeline of Death Rates in Scottish Borders 1991-2014: Overall and Age/Sex Standardised, NRS


Tweeddale) along with the range within the Scottish Borders Intermediate Zones1 (lowest and highest). The

localities with the lowest level of early deaths are Cheviot and Tweeddale.

Life Expectancy

Life expectancy is a key indicator for reducing inequalities as it estimates the average life expectancy (for

males and females) at birth in years at a localised level of detail. In Scottish Borders, Female life expectancy

at birth (82.5 years) was higher than male life expectancy (79.3 years) and both were greater than the

Scottish average, according to National Registers of Scotland (NRS).

Male Life Expectancy

Male life expectancy at birth is improving more rapidly than female life expectancy at birth. The chart

below shows how male Life Expectancy At birth is better in Scottish Borders than the Scottish average and

has improved since 2001.

1 Intermediate Zone (IZ) is an area with a population of between 2,500 and 6000, there were 29 IZ in the Scottish

Borders using the 2001 Census as a base.

0 100 60 108 100 71 199

Scottish Borders, 91

Scotland, 105

0

50

100

150

200

250

Lowest Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot &Liddesdale

Tweeddale Highest

Deaths from all causes (15-44 years) age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3- year rolling average 2011-2013, NRS

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

Scottish Borders 75.4 75.3 76.6 77.3 77.8 78.7

Scotland 73.3 73.8 74.6 75.1 75.9 76.6

70

72

74

76

78

80

Male Life Expectancy, NRS


Female Life Expectancy

In Scottish Borders, female life expectancy at age 65 (20.6 years) is greater than male life expectancy at 65

(18.4 years).

The chart below shows how female Life Expectancy At Birth has been consistently greater than that for

Scotland.

Inequalities in Life Expectancy Within Scottish Borders

Within the Scottish Borders, the male life expectancy by Intermediate Zone ranges from 74.7 years and

83.6 years, a difference of 8.9 years. The chart below shows disparities in male Life Expectancy at Birth

between the 29 Intermediate Zones in Scottish Borders.

Within the Scottish Borders, the female life expectancy by Intermediate Zone ranges from 79.1 years and

89.1 years, a difference of 10.5 years.

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011


Scotland 78.8 79.0 79.5 79.9 80.4 80.8

76.0

78.0

80.0

82.0

84.0

Female Life Expectancy, NRS

74

.7

75

.6

75

.8

75

.8

77

.0

77

.3

77

.3

77

.4

77

.4

77

.5

77

.6

77

.7

78

.3

78

.5

78

.5

78

.6

78

.7

78

.8

79

.6

79

.7

80

.4

80

.4

80

.5

80

.6

81

.2

81

.8

82

.0

82

.5

83

.6Scottish Borders , 78.1

Scotland, 76.6

70.0

72.0

74.0

76.0

78.0

80.0

82.0

84.0

86.0

Gal

ash

iels

Wes

t

Lan

glee

Gal

ash

iels

So

uth

Gal

ash

iels

No

rth

St B

osw

ells

an

d N

ewto

wn

are

a

Haw

ick

Wes

t En

d

Bu

rnfo

ot

and

are

a

Selk

irk

Kel

so S

ou

th

Haw

ick

No

rth

Pe

eble

s N

ort

h

New

cast

leto

n a

nd

Tev

iot

are

a

Eyem

ou

th

Haw

ick

Cen

tral

Du

ns

Co

ldst

ream

an

d a

rea

Jed

bu

rgh

Ch

evio

t Ea

st

Mel

rose

an

d T

we

edb

ank

are

a

Earl

sto

n, L

aud

er

and

Sto

w a

rea

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

East

Wes

t Li

nto

n a

nd

Bro

ugh

ton

are

a

Kel

so N

ort

h

Pe

eble

s So

uth

Inn

erle

ith

en

an

d W

alke

rbu

rn a

rea

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

We

st

Ch

evio

t W

est

Ettr

ick,

Yar

row

an

d Y

air

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

Cen

tral

Male Life Expectancy (5 year average 2009-2013), NRS


Migration, Ethnicity and National Identity

Migration

Information on migration is scarce but National Registers of Scotland recorded that, on a 3-year average

between 2012-14, 4,047 people per year entered the Scottish Borders and 3,845 left. This meant there was

a net inflow of 202 people into Scottish Borders per year. The 16-29 age-group accounted for the largest

group of movers, both in and out of the region.

Ethnicity

The 2011 Census shows that the population of Scottish Borders is overwhelmingly White Scottish or White

Other British, with the latter (English, Welsh or Northern Irish) making up a significantly above-average

16.4% of the population. A below-average minority (3.5%) are White Non-British, and a further 1.2% are

from non-White groups, again well below the Scottish average.

79

.1

79

.5

79

.9

80

.0

80

.6

80

.9

81

.1

81

.4

81

.4

81

.5

81

.7

82

.2

82

.3

82

.3

82

.4

82

.5

82

.7

82

.9

83

.3

83

.5

84

.1

84

.2

84

.5

85

.0

85

.3

85

.5

85

.8

87

.5

89

.5

Scottish Borders, 82.0

Scotland, 80.8

72.0

74.0

76.0

78.0

80.0

82.0

84.0

86.0

88.0

90.0

92.0G

alas

hie

ls N

ort

h

Selk

irk

Bu

rnfo

ot

and

are

a

Lan

glee

Gal

ash

iels

Wes

t

Pe

eble

s N

ort

h

Haw

ick

Wes

t En

d

St B

osw

ells

an

d N

ewto

wn

are

a

Haw

ick

Cen

tral

Eyem

ou

th

Co

ldst

ream

an

d a

rea

Ch

evio

t W

est

Earl

sto

n, L

aud

er

and

Sto

w a

rea

Gal

ash

iels

So

uth

Ch

evio

t Ea

st

Du

ns

Jed

bu

rgh

Haw

ick

No

rth

Mel

rose

an

d T

we

edb

ank

are

a

Inn

erle

ith

en

an

d W

alke

rbu

rn a

rea

New

cast

leto

n a

nd

Tev

iot

are

a

Wes

t Li

nto

n a

nd

Bro

ugh

ton

are

a

Pe

eble

s So

uth

Kel

so S

ou

th

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

East

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

We

st

Kel

so N

ort

h

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

Cen

tral

Ettr

ick,

Yar

row

an

d Y

air

Female Life Expectancy (5 year average 2009-2013), NRS

78.8

16.4

0.7 1.1 1.7 0.6 0.6

84.0

7.91.0 1.2 2.0 2.7 1.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

% White - Scottish % White - OtherBritish

% White - Irish % White - Polish % White - Other % Asian, AsianScottish or Asian

British

% Other ethnicgroups

Percentage of all people by Ethnicity, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Country of Birth

The 2011 Census found that the Scottish Borders population’s country of birth corresponds with its

ethnicity, with the vast majority of the population coming either from Scotland or England. A small but

around average minority were born elsewhere in the UK and the proportion born in other EU countries is

also around average. The proportion coming from outside the EU is smaller than average.

Length of Residence in UK

5,958 people in Scottish Borders recorded in the 2011 Census that they were born outside the UK. Of

these, almost half have been resident in Scottish Borders for more than 10 years, well above the Scottish

average. Only around 600 have been resident in the UK for less than 2 years which is a much lower

proportion than the Scottish average. This suggests that, on the whole, people who arrived in the Scottish

Borders as migrants are more integrated and more likely to be long-term residents in the community than

on the Scottish average.

75.0

18.6

0.5 0.7 0.4 2.5 2.4

83.3

8.7

0.3 0.7 0.4 2.6 4.0

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

% Scotland % England % Wales % NorthernIreland

% Republic ofIreland

% Other EUcountries (inc UK

part not specified)

% Other countries

Percentage of All People By Country Of Birth, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland

11.9

21.519.4

47.3

22.1 21.718.8

37.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

% Resident in UK for less than 2years

% Resident in UK for 2 years ormore but less than 5 years

% Resident in UK for 5 years ormore but less than 10 years

% Resident in UK for 10 years ormore

Percentage of People by Length of Residence In UK, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders Scotland


National Identity

The findings on National Identity mirror the ethnicity of the region, with the vast majority identifying with a

UK identity. A below average proportion identified as Scottish only and an above-average proportion

identified as English only. Scottish Borders has a stronger Anglo-Scottish identity than other parts of

Scotland, reflecting the region’s location on the Scotland-England border.

Religion

The 2011 Census revealed differences in religious identity between Scottish Borders and the Scottish

average, with “Church of Scotland” beating “No Religion” as the most popular response, in reversal of the

Scottish average. Proportions of “Roman Catholic” respondents are much lower in Scottish Borders than on

average although proportions of “Other Christian” respondents are slightly higher. Only 0.2% identified as

“Muslim”.

57.7

10.7

16.9

2.65.6

3.3 2.90.3

62.4

8.4

18.3

1.9 2.3 2.04.4

0.30

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

% Scottishidentity only

% British identityonly

% Scottish andBritish identities

only

% Scottish andany otheridentities

% Englishidentity only

% Any othercombination of

UK identities (UKonly)

% Other identity % Other identityand at least one

UK identity

Percentage of All People By National Identity, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland

39.4

6.3 7.6

0.2 0.7

37.8

8.0

32.4

15.9

5.5

1.4 1.1

36.7

7.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

% Church ofScotland

% Roman Catholic % Other Christian % Muslim % Other religions % No religion % Not stated

Percentage of All People By Religion, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Use of English and Scottish languages

The vast majority of people in Scottish Borders said in the 2011 Census that they spoke English very well,

although around 1,000 people said that they did not speak it well and 100 or so did not speak it at all. This

information at community level can provide useful pointers as to where services aimed at helping migrants

from overseas settle into the region are most needed. 300 or so residents in Scottish Borders are able to

speak Gaelic.

Household Profile

Household Composition

Of the 52,498 households that were recorded in the 2011 Census, the most typical household structure was

of the married couple with no dependent children, followed by the single, working-age householder. This

differs from the Scottish average, which is the other way round; the higher proportion of couples with or

without non-dependent children in Scottish Borders reflects the older age structure in the region.

Other differences between Scottish Borders and Scotland include the higher proportion of single pensioner

households and the higher proportion of households where everybody in the household is aged over 65,

again reflecting the older age structure.

98.9

1 0.1 0.3

33.1

3.3

98.6

1.2 0.2 1.1

30.1

3.9

0

20

40

60

80

100

% Speaks English wellor very well

% Does not speakEnglish well

% Does not speakEnglish at all

% Able to speak Gaelic % Able to speak Scots % Uses a languageother than English at

home

Percentage of People aged 3 and Over By Use of English/ Scottish Language, 2011 Census


15.2

19.2

5.3

2.8

14

21.2

3.95.2

0.2

10.4

2.5

13.1

21.6

7.2

3.9

13.6

18.4

3.75.5

0.9

7.8

4.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

% One personhousehold -Aged 65 or

over

% One personhousehold -

Aged under 65

% One familyonly: Lone

parent: Withdependent

children

% One familyonly: Loneparent: All

children non-dependent

% One familyonly: Marriedor same-sex

civilpartnership

couple: Withdependent

children

% One familyonly: Marriedor same-sex

civilpartnershipcouple: Nodependent

children

% One familyonly:

Cohabitingcouple: Withdependent

children

% One familyonly:

Cohabitingcouple: Nodependent

children

% Otherhouseholds: All

full-timestudents

% Otherhouseholds: All

aged 65 andover

% Otherhouseholds:

Other

Percentage of Households By Composition, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Household Size

Scottish Borders has a slightly higher proportion of 2-person households than the Scottish average,

confirming that the married couple with no children living at home is the most typical household structure

in the region. All other household sizes are correspondingly slightly below average.

Tenure of Households

61.5% of households in Scottish Borders are owner-occupiers: this is the most typical tenure type in the

region, although around average for Scotland. Scottish Borders has a more active private rented sector

than the Scottish average and also a higher proportion who live “rent free”, according to the 2011 Census.

This includes those in tied housing, whose accommodation is provided with their job; this arrangement is

typically found in the agricultural and rural estate communities that are more common in Scottish Borders

than elsewhere in Scotland. Both “tied” and “private rented” tenure types tend to be less secure and offer

fewer safeguards against repossession and eviction than those offered to owner-occupiers or social housing

tenants.

34.437.2

13.310.9

3.40.8

34.7 34

15.1

11.5

3.71.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

% 1 person % 2 people % 3 people % 4 people % 5 people % 6 or more people

Percentage of Households With Residents By Household Size, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland

61.5

21.8

13.7

2.9

62.0

24.3

12.4

1.3

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

% Owned % Social/ Local Authority Rented % Private rented % Living rent free

Percentage of Households By Tenure, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Household Projections

In July 2014, The National Records of Scotland (NRS) produced the household projections (2012 based) for

Scotland and local authorities. The number of households in Scotland is projected to increase by 17%

whereas there is a 7% projected increase for the Scottish Borders. For both the Scottish Borders and

Scotland the NRS projects that there will be a greater change in the number of households compared to

population (0% for the Scottish Borders and 9% for Scotland).

The graph below shows the projected change in households by type for the Scottish Borders compared to

Scotland; note the dramatic differences for households with 2+ adults with children and 3+ adult

households.

The graph below shows the projected number of households for the Scottish Borders and the average

household size for both the Scottish Borders and Scotland. In 2012, the average household size in the

Scottish Borders was 2.14 people compared to 2.18 for Scotland. By 2037, the average household size for

both Scottish Borders and Scotland is to drop to 1.98 and 2.03 persons per household respectively.

1 adult:male

1 adult:female

1 adult, 1+children

2 adults2+ adults,

1+ children3+ adults

Allhouseholds

Scottish Borders 32% 17% 23% 11% -23% -30% 7%

Scotland 49% 24% 27% 19% -11% -17% 17%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Change in Projected Households by Type 2012 and 2037, NRS

2012 2017 2022 2027 2032 2037

Scottish Borders: Households 52,671 54,003 55,249 56,042 56,418 56,575

Scotland: Avg size 2.18 2.14 2.11 2.08 2.06 2.03

Scottish Borders: Avg size 2.14 2.09 2.06 2.03 2.01 1.98

1.85

1.90

1.95

2.00

2.05

2.10

2.15

2.20

50,000

51,000

52,000

53,000

54,000

55,000

56,000

57,000

Ave

rage H

ou

seh

old

Size

Households

Projected Number of Households in the Scottish Borders 2012 to 2037 and the Average Household Size for Scottish Borders and Scotland, NRS


Within the Scottish Borders, it is projected that there will be more single person households and 2 adults

home.

Central Heating Type

Although the vast majority of domestic homes in Scotland now have some form of Central Heating, the

choice of fuels available to householders differs greatly between urban and rural parts of the country and

can significantly affect the affordability of the household to adequately heat their home.

Gas central heating is the fuel of choice for 75% of Scottish households as it is the cheapest and most

convenient to run. It is generally available in urban areas but, in smaller settlements, tends to be restricted

to the main streets and older parts of the settlement. In Scottish Borders, only 60% of households use

mains gas, reflecting the larger proportion of households that are not on the mains gas network.

For the remaining 40%, the choice is split predominantly between electric and oil-fired heating: oil, in

particular, is more than twice as commonly used in Scottish Borders than elsewhere in Scotland. Electric

heating, although the cheapest to install, is the most expensive heating type to run, even on an economy

tariff.

A higher-than average minority of households in Scottish Borders are increasingly investing in other types

of heating such as wood, biofuels and solar or wind power, sometimes in combination with more

traditional fuels, in an effort to reduce their heating bills and their consumption of fossil fuels.

A small minority of households in Scottish Borders have no central heating and rely on portable heaters or

coal fires to heat individual rooms in their home, which is a more expensive and less adequate method of

heating the house and protecting it from damp than central heating.

1 adult: male 1 adult: female1 adult, 1+

children2 adults

2+ adults, 1+children

3+ adults

2012 8,117 10,207 2,503 18,744 9,698 3,401

2037 10,744 11,991 3,070 20,888 7,500 2,382

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000Projected Households by Type 2012 and 2037, NRS

2.6

60.0

14.9 14.3

3.4 1.2 3.62.3

74.2

13.4

5.71.1 0.7 2.6

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

% No centralheating

% Gas centralheating

% Electric centralheating

% Oil centralheating

% Solid fuelcentral heating

% Other centralheating

% Two or moretypes of central

heating

Percentage of Households By Central Heating Type, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Scottish Borders and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) identifies small area concentrations of multiple

deprivation in Scotland.

The SIMD uses administrative units of geography called “datazones” as a standard measure to count the

population at a neighbourhood level of detail. A datazone is a neighbourhood containing around 750

people and there is a complete network of 6,505 datazones which cover all parts of Scotland, meaning that

every neighbourhood in Scotland can be measured with equal parity. 130 of these datazones are in the

Scottish Borders. The datazone geography and the SIMD are in the process of being updated for 2016, so

the 2012 SIMD based on the original 2001 datazones is still in current use.

The 2012 SIMD collected 38 demographic indicators associated with all measurable aspects of social

deprivation across 7 domains: Income Deprivation, Employment Deprivation, Health Deprivation, Education

Deprivation, Geographic Access to Services Deprivation, Housing Deprivation and Deprivation Due to Crime.

The data were collected, scored and combined for each domain, then the combined scores were factored

down to a single weighted Overall Deprivation score. Some of the domains were comparable with previous

releases of SIMD, although some were not, due to changes in methodology as the SIMD has evolved since

2002.

The summarised, weighted scores for each datazone in Scotland, for Overall Deprivation and for each of the

7 domains, were then ranked between 1 and 6,505, where the most deprived datazone in Scotland is

ranked 1 and the least deprived datazone is ranked 6,505. The rankings reflect only relative deprivation

and the SIMD cannot be used to determine how much more deprived one data zone is than another: for

example, it is not necessarily true to say that datazone X, ranked 50, is twice as deprived as data zone Y,

ranked 100.

The results of this process, although condensed, nevertheless yield a large quantity of data for each

datazone. In order to manage this further, the rankings are grouped into fifths (quintiles), tenths (deciles)

or twentieths (vigintiles) and Local Authority areas are summarised in terms of their share of the most-

deprived vigintiles, deciles and quintiles (or multiples thereof) in Scotland.

Using this process, the 2012 SIMD showed that the most deprived areas in Scottish Borders were still as

deprived as they were in 2009, relative to the rest of Scotland. Furthermore, as other regions in Scotland

succeed in decreasing inequality in their more deprived localities (particularly in Glasgow City), this had a

displacement effect that can make localities in Scottish Borders appear relatively more deprived than

before. As relative deprivation in other regions has decreased, relative deprivation in a number of Scottish

Borders localities has shown a small increase since the SIMD started in 2002. In 2012, Scottish Borders had

5 (or 0.5%) of Scotland’s “most-deprived 15%” data zones, compared with 5 (0.5%) in 2009, 3 (0.3%) in

2006 and 2 (0.2%) in 2004.

This concept of relative deprivation adds impetus for Scottish Borders to tackle deprivation and reduce

inequalities with at least the same level of commitment as is being deployed in other regions. The most

deprived data zone in Scottish Borders is still S01005382 (Central Burnfoot, Hawick). The other 4 “15% most

deprived in Scotland” datazones in Scottish Borders are also in Burnfoot, Hawick and in Langlee, Galashiels.

This is the same as SIMD 2009.

The table below lists the most deprived data zones in the Scottish Borders. As a guide, datazones in Decile 1

are within the 10% most-deprived in Scotland, datazones in Vigintile 1 are within the 5% most-deprived in

Scotland and datazones in vigintiles 1-3 are within the 15% most-deprived in Scotland. Most notable are


the 5 datazones in the Scottish Borders that are recognised by Scottish Government as being amongst the

15% most deprived in Scotland. These 5 datazones account for 3.2% of the Scottish Borders population.

Data Zone (2001 Based)

Data Zone Name SIMD 2012 Rank

SIMD 2012 - Decile

SIMD 2012 - Vigintile

Total Census Pop-ulation : 2011

S01005382 Hawick - Central Burnfoot* 279 1 1 834

S01005426 Galashiels - Langlee Dr* 481 1 2 769

S01005425 Galashiels - Kenilworth Ave Langlee* 487 1 2 980

S01005378 Hawick - South Burnfoot* 607 1 2 808

S01005381 Hawick - West Burnfoot* 694 2 3 641

S01005369 Hawick - Drumlanrig/ Wellogate 1012 2 4 974

S01005380 Hawick - East Burnfoot 1199 2 4 671

S01005400 Selkirk – Bannerfield 1305 3 5 1078

S01005427 Galashiels – Huddersfield 1596 3 5 779

S01005373 Hawick - Princes St / Wilton 1639 3 6 724

S01005367 Hawick - The Motte 1653 3 6 751

S01005428 Galashiels - Hawthorn Rd 1669 3 6 1049

S01005431 Galashiels - Balmoral Rd 1681 3 6 667

S01005429 Galashiels - Old Town 1770 3 6 719

S01005368 Hawick – Crumhaugh 1860 3 6 675

S01005377 Hawick - Silverbuthall Rd 1970 4 7 863

S01005487 Eyemouth - Seafront/ harbour 2097 4 7 733

S01005416 Kelso - Poynder Park 2188 4 7 978

S01005434 Galashiels - Town Centre 2229 4 7 807

S01005374 Hawick – Trinity 2329 4 8 870

S01005488 Eyemouth - Haymons Cove 2378 4 8 792

S01005485 Eyemouth – Gunsgreen 2396 4 8 851

S01005372 Hawick - Bridge St/ Town Centre 2464 4 8 864

S01005458 Peebles - Dalatho St 2493 4 8 716

S01005408 Newtown St Boswells - East 2575 4 8 579

S01005433 Galashiels - Thistle St 2578 4 8 850

* Part of the 15% most deprived data zones in Scotland

The table below shows the number of data zones and 2011 Census population by each of the deciles in the

Scottish Borders. It shows that 5.4% of the datazones in Scottish Borders and 5% of the Scottish Borders

population are located within the 20% most-deprived in Scotland. This does not necessarily mean that

everyone in these deprived areas is deprived but it gives an indication of the size and scale of the areas in

Scottish Borders that could be targeted in interventions aimed at reducing inequality in the region.


SIMD 2012 Data zones 2011 Census Population

Decile Count % Number %

1 (most deprived) 4 3.10% 3,391 3.0%

2 3 2.30% 2,286 2.0%

3 8 6.20% 6,442 5.7%

4 11 8.50% 8,903 7.8%

5 19 14.60% 16,804 14.8%

6 24 18.50% 20,484 18.0%

7 26 20.00% 23,970 21.1%

8 26 20.00% 24,320 21.4%

9 8 6.20% 6,371 5.6%

10 (least deprived) 1 0.80% 899 0.8%

Scottish Borders 130 100.00% 113,870 100.0%

The graph below shows the distribution of the population by each decile.

The map on the following page shows the 130 data zones in the Scottish Borders by their SIMD decile

ranking within the Scottish context.

3,3912,286

6,442

8,903

16,804

20,484

23,970 24,320

6,371

899

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

1 (4) 2 (3) 3 (8) 4 (11) 5 (19) 6 (24) 7 (26) 8 (26) 9 (8) 10 (1)

SIMD Decile (Number of Data zone in decile)

2011 Census Population in the Scottish Borders by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2012 Decile

Most Deprived Least Deprived


Economy and Income

National Outcomes:

01 We live in a Scotland that is the most attractive place to do business in Europe

02 We realise our full economic potential with more and better employment opportunities for our

people

Summary of the Borders Situation

Overall:

The usage of the Borders Railway for the first six months has been 22% above forecast, nearly 700,000 people travelling.

The Gross Value Added (GVA) per capita is significantly lower in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland and the UK; however, the GVA increased more in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland and the UK.

Between 2010 and 2015 the Scottish Borders economic turnover increased by £313 million a 10.9% increase above the 1.3% increase for Scotland. (Note this excludes financial and insurance enterprises)

The Scottish Borders has a similar proportion of micro/small businesses compared to Scotland (64% vs. 96%), however micro/small enterprises account for 47% of turnover compared to 24% for Scotland.

Scottish Borders needs to continue to strengthen the key sectors of food and drink, tourism, textiles, creative and digital arts.

The Scottish Borders has consistently had a low wage economy with low levels of unemployment.

The Scottish Borders needs to work in partnership for inward investment and asset development (e.g. Tweed valley – Forestry Commission, Borders Railway – Abellio, CGI)

Issues:

Changing political landscape (e.g. Scottish Parliament Election May 2016, EU Referendum June 2016).

Need to improve connectivity: digital through broadband and mobile and physical through the road network.

Need to improve the tourism product

Need for additional extra-care housing (linked to the increase in number of older people, health and wellbeing and community)

Decrease in the number of working-age population in the Scottish Borders combined with the increase in the number of older people.

The low wage economy increases the need for in-work benefits

The change in welfare reform and the wider impact on the local economy.

Need to ensure that the skills and knowledge of the workforce in the Scottish Borders to meet the challenges for developing and diversifying the local economy.

Highlights/Opportunities:

Opportunities to develop social enterprises.

Opportunities to extend seasonal work to full year employment (tourism product)

Opportunities for inward investment like CGI and the railway development.

Drivers:

National: Scottish Government Economic Strategy (2011)

Europe 2020: European Union’s ten-year growth strategy (2010)

Strategic Development Plan for Edinburgh & South East Scotland (2013)

National Transport Strategy

Regional transport Strategy


National Planning Framework 3

Tourism Scotland 2020- “The future of our industry, in our hands”

City Deal (not sure if it should go here or below or anywhere)

Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in

Scotland (2008)

Scottish Government’s Town Centre Action Plan (2013)

Achieving a Sustainable Future: Regeneration Strategy (2011)

Welfare Reform Programme

Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy (2014)

Local: Scottish Borders Council’s Ambition for the Borders

Scottish Borders Economic Strategy 2023

South of Scotland Competitiveness Strategy / Alliance

Scottish Borders Tourism Strategy (2013)

Local Access and Transport Strategy (in development)

Local Development Plan

Borders Railway Blueprint (and Action Plan – Central Borders Business Park)

City Region Deal

Borderlands

SBC Work Opportunities Policy

Local Housing Strategy

Tackling Poverty and Achieving Social Justice Strategy 2013

Fuel Poverty Delivery Plan 2013-2016)

Evidence Summary:

Indicator Status Key

Strategic Economic Partnerships South of Scotland Alliance

Borderlands

City Deal

Infrastructure / Digital Connectivity Broadband Coverage

Mobile Coverage Links to Airports

Links to Ports

Road Network Road Conditions

Rail Electric Car Charge Point Network

Commercial and Industrial Floor Space and Rental Value

Gross Value Added (GVA) and Business Activity

Gross Value Added (GVA)

Business Size

Business Turnover in 2015

Sector Turnover in the Scottish Borders and Compared to Scotland


Business Demography Enterprise ‘Births’ and ‘Deaths’

Change in Active Enterprises

3 Year Survival

Town Centre Retail Activity

Footfall

Retail Vacancies

Retail Mix

Tourism

Tourism Employment and GVA

Top Visitor Attractions

Visitor Numbers

Occupancy Rates

Visitor Spend (£)

Renewable Employment Housing

Housing Market Housing Development

Wages and employment Workplace Based Gross Median Weekly Pay

Gender Pay Gap

Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI)

Gross Median Weekly Pay: Residence Based Compared to Workplace Based

Unemployment Rate 16+

Claimant Count

Economic Inactivity Rate (Working Age)

Job Density

Public View of Scottish Borders Employment Opportunities

Economic Inequalities

Income Deprived

Employment Deprived

Out of Work Benefits

Child Poverty

Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET)

Adults claiming incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance/ employment

and support allowance

Pension Credit

Economic Support Managing Financially

Fuel Poverty


Strategic Economic Partnerships

South of Scotland Alliance

The South of Scotland Alliance was launched in 2003. It is a mature partnership between Scottish Borders

Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Enterprise. The alliance seeks to raise the profile of

the South of Scotland, and the issues faced by the local economy. The South of Scotland Rural Regional

Economic Development Programme 2014-16 identified 4 strategic projects for the Alliance:

Borders Railway/Central Borders Business Park

Mountain Biking - Refreshing a world class product

Strategic Masterplan for the M74 Corridor

Stranraer Waterfront

Borderlands

Borderlands is an economic partnership to improve transport and communication links, economic growth

and employment for the councils along the Scottish-English border. The members of Borderlands are:

Scottish Borders Council, Dumfries and Galloway, Carlisle City, Cumbria and Northumberland.

Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal

On 16 March 2016, the Chancellor George Osborne announced a City Region Deal for Edinburgh and South

East Scotland. The six local authorities that make up the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region are

Edinburgh, Fife, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and the Scottish Borders. The ‘Accelerating Growth’

website2 describes the City Region deal as:

“a mechanism for accelerating growth by pulling in significant government investment. By investing

this funding in infrastructure, skills and innovation our economic performance will be significantly

improved, which will not only generate funds to pay back this initial investment but also draw in

significant additional funding from the private sector. It is also about greater autonomy and

decision making powers for the region to help us deliver public services more effectively and to

tackle inequality and deprivation.”

Infrastructure / Digital Connectivity

Broadband Coverage

Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report 2015 shows that Superfast broadband offering download (that is, when

the modem communicates with the internet service provider’s equipment in the exchange) speeds of 30

megabytes per second (Mbit/s) or more, was available to 83% of UK premises and 73% of Scottish

premises. In the Scottish Borders, 52% of premises were covered. The situation has improved in rural areas

where broadband coverage has always tended to be lower than in urban areas. Superfast broadband

coverage in rural areas was 31% across Scotland and 37% across the UK. Average Superfast broadband

2 http://www.acceleratinggrowth.org.uk/

http://www.acceleratinggrowth.org.uk/


speeds in urban and rural premises in the Scottish Borders were 49% and 46% respectively. (Only 25 per

cent of the Scottish Borders population live in urban areas. Twenty percent of the population live in

settlements with less than 100 people.)

However, there were still 2.4 million, or 8% of, premises in the UK that were connected by lines that were

unable to receive broadband speeds above 10Mbit/s. This measure has been confirmed as a universal

service obligation by the UK Government. In the Scottish Borders, 24% of premises are unable to receive

connections with this speed. Moreover, 8% of premises in the Scottish Borders cannot receive speeds

above 5Mbit/s and 4% cannot receive speeds above 2Mbit/s. It should be noted that the Superfast

broadband rollout programme is ongoing and some of these premises will be included in the planned

phased rollouts.

The roll –out of the Scottish Government’s Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme has so far

installed 70 new superfast broadband cabinets across the Scottish Borders. The roll-out will be completed

by the end of 2017, by which time approximately 94% of all premises in the area will have been covered.

Wi-fi hotspots are physical locations that offer internet access over a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

normally using Wi-fi technology. In 2015, there were 51 Wi-fi hotspots in the Scottish Borders, 1.7% of the

total across Scotland.

Mobile Coverage

The underlying data from the Ofcom Connected Nations Report (2015)3 shows that 79.2% of premises in

the Scottish Borders receive 2G coverage (voice call and SMS coverage) from all four of the main mobile

network operators (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone). In 3.1% of premises there was no reliable 2G coverage at

all. Only 37.2% of the geographical area of the Scottish Borders received 2G coverage from the four main

mobile operators. 29.8% of the geographic area of the Scottish Borders still had no reliable 2G coverage in

2015.

3G coverage maps in 2015 show that 28% of the premises in the Scottish Borders received 3G (mobile

internet) coverage from the four main mobile operators. In 5.5% of premises in the Scottish Borders there

is no reliable 3G coverage at all. Only 6% of the geographical area of the Scottish Borders received 3G

coverage from the four main operators, while 39.1% of the geographical area in the Scottish Borders has no

3G coverage.

In recent years, 4G mobile signal has begun to be rolled out in the Scottish Borders. This is the next

generation of mobile internet technology and provides faster mobile internet download speeds than 3G. In

2015 51.5% of premises in the Scottish Borders had 4G mobile signal from one of the four mobile network

operators, while 47.8% of Scottish Borders premises have no 4G signal. In geographical coverage this

equates to only 15.8% of the geographic area of the Scottish Borders having 4G signal from 1 mobile

operator, while 83% of the Scottish Borders geographic area has no reliable 4G coverage from any of the

operators.

3 Source : http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/infrastructure/connected-

nations-2015/downloads/ (Mobile Local Authority Data)

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/infrastructure/connected-nations-2015/downloads/

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/infrastructure/connected-nations-2015/downloads/


Links to Airports

Although the Scottish Borders does not have an international airport, people in the Scottish Borders have

relatively easy access to 3 airports within a two and half hour drive (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle).

The table below shows direct destinations for each of the 3 airports.

Airport destinations – Direct flights to key cities

City / Airport Edinburgh Glasgow Newcastle International

Amsterdam √ √ √

Barcelona √ √ √

Berlin √ √

Brussels √ √

Dubai √ √

Frankfurt √

Geneva √ √ √

London √ √ √

Milan √ √

New York √ √ √

Paris √ √ √

Rome √ √ √

Toronto √ √

Vienna √ Source: Websites for Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle International Airports

Links to Ports

There are 4 ports within two and a half hours on Scottish Borders towns, Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth and

Port of Tyne in Newcastle. The table below shows the road distance and duration from towns in the

Scottish Borders to each of the ports.

Drive time table from the Borders to local Ports

Town/ Port

Leith Grangemouth Rosyth Port of Tyne

(Newcastle) Dist* Dur** Dist* Dur** Dist* Dur** Dist* Dur**

Galashiels 36.5m 1hr 5min 56.5m 1hr 20min 47.3m 1hr 17min 83.0m 1hr 58min

Hawick 52.6m 1hr 27min 73.7m 1hr 50min 64.5m 1hr 45min 70.4m 1hr 41min

Peebles 28.5m 51min 44.8m 1hr 5min 35.5m 1hr 102.0m 2hr 25min

Eyemouth 48.7m 1hr 5min 75.5m 1hr 54min 66.3m 1hr 30min 75.2m 1hr 31min Source: Google maps *Distances are measured in miles and are approximate **Durations are estimated journey times required


Road Network

A key objective for the Council is to make the Scottish Borders more accessible and permeable. Improving

our links with the rest of the UK and ensuring that the area is open for business is therefore a key objective

for the Council.

Scottish Borders Council has been lobbying for strategic improvements to road infrastructure such as the

complete dualling of the A1 between Edinburgh and Newcastle and the delivery of an A7 Selkirk Bypass for

a number of years. Other selected improvements to the Trunk Road Network such as potential

improvements on the A68 (Pathhead and Oxton) and the A7 south of Galashiels are also priorities.

The key strategic road network that travels through the Scottish Borders, primarily runs from north to

south. The Council has gradually improved the east to west linkages throughout the region, but further

improvements are required to roads such as the A72 in Tweeddale and selected improvements on the

A6105 in Berwickshire.

Road Conditions

The proportion of road network that should be considered for maintenance treatment is one of the

indicators used in the Local Government Benchmarking Framework. In the Scottish Borders, there are

nearly 3,000 km of road. Between 2009 and 2015 the proportion of road that should be considered for

maintenance treatment in the Scottish Borders has been greater than the proportion for Scotland for all

road types. Between 2009-10 and 2013-15, the proportion of A class roads that should be considered for

maintenance treatment in the Scottish Borders increased by 4.9% compared to a 1.3% decrease for

Scotland. There was a 1.2% increase in the proportion of B class roads that should be considered for

maintenance treatment in the Scottish Borders compared to a 0.3% increase for Scotland. There was a 4.2%

increase for C class roads and 13.2% increase for unclassified road in the Scottish Borders compared to

2.3% increase and a 2.6% decrease for Scotland respectively.

ScottishBorders

ScotlandScottishBorders



Scotland

A Classs B Class C Class Unclassified

2009-11 25.5% 30.3% 38.0% 35.8% 38.0% 35.0% 44.1% 41.9%

2010-12 26.5% 30.5% 38.6% 36.3% 39.5% 36.0% 47.2% 38.3%

2011-13 28.9% 29.4% 38.1% 35.0% 37.7% 34.8% 51.6% 40.1%

2012-14 29.4% 28.7% 38.9% 35.2% 38.8% 36.6% 54.9% 39.4%

2013-15 30.5% 29.0% 39.2% 36.1% 42.2% 37.3% 57.3% 39.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Percentage of roads that should be considered for maintenance treatment, LGBF


The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 found that almost 70% of the respondents were ‘Very

Dissatisfied / Fairly Dissatisfied’ with the speed of repair to their local damaged roads. Within the Scottish

Borders, respondents in Tweeddale were the most dissatisfied.

Rail

On Wednesday 09 September 2015, HM The Queen officially opened the Borders Railway, which operates

from Edinburgh to Tweedbank. On 31 May 2016, Transport Scotland released ScotRail figures for the first

six months of Borders Railway usage4. Overall, the Borders Railway has had 22% more usage than expected;

the forecast single trips were 568,023 and the actual single trips were 697,373. The graph below shows the

forecast and actual single trips for each of the three Scottish Borders stations (Tweedbank, Galashiels and

Stow) and a summary position for stations in the Scottish Borders compared to the stations in Midlothian

and Edinburgh. The figures for the first six months show that the stations in the Scottish Borders have had

significantly more usage than forecasted (600%).

Scottish Borders Council along with East Lothian Council and SEStran are working with the Scottish

Government and Network Rail to assess the potential of reinstating Reston station as part of a local rail

service to serve Eastern Berwickshire between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Scottish Borders Council is working with partners to see the future extension of the Borders Rail Line to

Hawick and Carlisle and is proposing to work with the Scottish Government to initiate feasibility work that

will look at extending the line south to Cumbria.

4 http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/borders-railway-22-ahead-target-first-6-months

Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot Tweeddale Scottish Borders

Very Satisfied / Fairly Satisfied 21.8% 26.8% 20.3% 19.1% 17.2% 21.1%

Very Dissatisfied / Fairly Dissatisfied 68.8% 64.5% 69.3% 71.7% 74.7% 69.7%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

Satisfaction with: Speed of repair to

your local damaged roads

Source: SBHS 2015

Tweedbank Galashiels StowScottish Borders

StationsMidlothian

StationsEdinbrughStations

Forecast single trips 18,978 20,567 5,129 44,674 294,329 229,021

Actual single trips 183,918 104,593 24,365 312,876 164,950 216,547

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

Borders Railway first six months' usage figures, ScotRail

http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/borders-railway-22-ahead-target-first-6-months


Electric Car Charge Point Network

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of electric vehicles, contributing to the low-carbon

agenda.

The Zap Map (https://www.zap-map.com/) is a website that covers all aspects of charging points and

electric vehicles in the UK. There are four main electric vehicle charging types: Slow (up to 3kW) which is

best suited for 6-8 hours overnight; Fast (7-22kW) which can fully recharge some models in 3-4 hours; and

Rapid AC and DC (43-50kW) which are able to provide an 80% charge in around 30 minutes.

In the Scottish Borders, there are currently5 35 public charging points located across the area of which

seven are Rapid. The table below has the number of public charge points by Scottish Borders locality and

the map provides an understanding the distribution and the wider charge point network. Further sites are

being considered to increase the electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Locality Public Charge Points

Berwickshire 9

Cheviot 6

Eildon 13

Teviot and Liddesdale 2

Tweeddale 5

Scottish Borders 35 Source: Zap Map

5 March 2016

https://www.zap-map.com/


Commercial and Industrial Floor Space and Rental Value

The data below shows that the Scottish Borders is competitively priced compared to other areas for

commercial and industrial floor space.

PRIME OFFICE RENTS AS AT SEPTEMBER 2015

Location / Rental Level £/sq.ft./yr. €/sq.m./yr.

Reading 33.50 489

Manchester 32.00 467

Birmingham 30.00 438

Bristol 29.50 431

Leeds 27.00 394

Newcastle 21.50 314

Cardiff 22.50 329

Edinburgh 30.00 438

Glasgow 29.00 424

Scottish Borders 13.50 197 Source: Cushman & Wakefield UK Quarterly Marketbeat, December 2015 and SBC Estates

PRIME RETAIL RENTS AS AT SEPTEMBER 2015

Location / Rental Level Zone A £/sq.ft./yr. €/sq.m./yr.

London – West End 1,400 12,270

London – City 260 1,937

London – Croydon 170 1,266

Manchester 265 1,974

Birmingham 225 1,676

Bristol 150 1,117

Leeds 240 1,788

Newcastle 225 1,676

Cardiff 220 1,639

Edinburgh 200 2,009

Glasgow 260 2,611

Scottish Borders 10.00-30.00 146-438 Note: Zoning bases differ between cities Source: Cushman & Wakefield UK Quarterly Marketbeat, December 2015 and SBC Estates

PRIME INDUSTRIAL RENTS AS AT SEPTEMBER 2015

Location / Rental Level for

2,000 sq. m. unit

£/sq.ft./yr. €/sq.m./yr.

London – Heathrow 13.50 197

London – Croydon 11.00 161

Manchester 5.75 84

Birmingham 6.35 93

Bristol 7.75 113

Leeds 5.25 77

Newcastle 4.50 66

Cardiff 5.50 80

Edinburgh 7.25 110

Glasgow 6.25 91

Scottish Borders 4.00-5.00 58-73 Source: Cushman & Wakefield UK Quarterly Marketbeat, December 2015 and SBC Estates


Gross Value Added (GVA) and Business Activity

Gross Value Added (GVA)

A key measure of a strong economy is Gross Value Added (GVA). The Scottish Borders has consistently had

a lower GVA per capita compared to Scotland and the UK. In 2014, the GVA per capita for the Scottish

Borders was £17,180 compared to £23,102 for Scotland and £24,958 for the UK. Between 2004 and 2014

the GVA per capita for the Scottish Borders was an average of £5,593 less compared to Scotland or 72.8%.

However, the GVA per capita in the Scottish Borders increased by 36.4% from £12,592 to £17,180

respectively. The increase in GVA was greater for the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland (34.1%) and

the UK (33.2%) for the same period.

Business Size

Recently (November 2015) the Scottish Government published “Businesses in Scotland 2015”6 which

contains information about Scottish business stock is broken down by various dimensions including

industry, business size, local authority area covering 2010 to 2015. All industry sector data are based on the

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007. It is important to note that the turnover for ‘financial and

insurance activities’ enterprises are not available and that totals exclude turnover of such enterprises. In

addition, it does not include sole traders and partnerships that are not registered for PAYE or VAT.

The graph below shows the differences between Scottish Borders and Scotland in relation to the proportion

of enterprises, employment and turnover by business size in 2015. Compared to Scotland has

proportionally more employees in small and medium size enterprises. Within the Scottish Borders, small

enterprises contribute the most to Scottish Borders turnover compared to medium and large enterprises.

Whereas for Scotland, large enterprises make the greatest turnover contribution.

6 http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders (GVA per Capita) £12,592 £13,034 £14,124 £14,728 £14,944 £14,493 £14,927 £15,460 £15,424 £16,318 £17,180

Scotland (GVA per Capita) £17,229 £18,263 £19,377 £20,212 £20,661 £20,679 £20,458 £20,809 £21,190 £22,174 £23,102

UK (GVA per Capita) £18,732 £19,744 £20,745 £21,708 £22,152 £21,659 £22,271 £22,806 £23,323 £24,131 £24,958

£0

£5,000

£10,000

£15,000

£20,000

£25,000

£30,000

GVA per Capita

Gross Value Added (GVA) per Capita 2004 to 2014 for Scottish Borders, Scotland and UK, ONS

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate


The graph below shows by business size the number of enterprises, employment and turnover for the

Scottish Borders in 2015. Of the 5,315 enterprises, 5,005 (94%) are micro or small enterprises (0 to 49

employees) accounting for over 20,000 employees (58%) and 47% of the turnover in the Scottish Borders.

Llarge enterprises (250+ employees) account for 3.5% of the enterprises in the Scottish Borders 18% of the

employment and 30% of the turnover.

The table on the following page shows for 2015 the number of enterprises in the Scottish Borders by size

and sector. The majority of the micro / small businesses are micro businesses with less than 10 employees.

Compared to Scotland the Scottish Borders has significantly more enterprises in the ‘Agriculture, Forestry

and Fishing’ sector and significantly less enterprises in the ‘Professional, scientific and technical activities’

sector. The Scottish Borders has a similar proportion of enterprises in ‘Manufacturing’, ‘Construction’, and

‘Wholesale and retail trade; Repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’ compare to Scotland.

Micro / Small(0-49

employees)

Medium (50-249 employees)

Large (250+employees)

Mirco /Small (0-49 employees)

Medium (50-249 employees)

Large (250+employees)


Enterprises 94.2% 2.4% 3.5% 96.4% 2.3% 1.3%

Employment 58.1% 18.4% 23.5% 36.7% 14.0% 49.4%

Turnover 47.4% 22.9% 29.6% 24.3% 13.7% 62.0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

% of Enterprises, Employment and Turnover by Business Size 2015 for Scottish Borders and Scotland, SG

Micro / Small (0-49employees)

Medium (50-249employees)

Large (250+ employees)

Enterprises 5,005 125 185

Employment 20,070 6,360 8,120

Turnover £1,514 £732 £945

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Enterprises, Employment and Turnover by Business Size 2015 for Scottish Borders, SG


Number and Percent of Enterprises in the Scottish Borders by Employee Size Band and Percent of Enterprises in Sector Compared to Scotland Employee size band 0 - 49 50 - 249 250+ 0 - 49 50 - 249 250+ Total Sector % Scotland Sector % A Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 1,250 5 0 99.6% 0.4% 0.0% 1,255 23.6% 10.2% B Mining and Quarrying 5 0 0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5 0.1% 0.2% C Manufacturing 240 20 10 88.9% 7.4% 3.7% 270 5.1% 5.2% D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 10 0 0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10 0.2% 0.3% E Water supply; Sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 5 0 0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5 0.1% 0.3% F Construction 610 5 0 99.2% 0.8% 0.0% 615 11.6% 10.9% G Wholesale and retail trade; Repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 680 35 80 85.5% 4.4% 10.1% 795 15.0% 14.5% H Transportation and storage 120 0 5 96.0% 0.0% 4.0% 125 2.4% 3.0% I Accommodation and food service activities 355 10 15 93.4% 2.6% 3.9% 380 7.1% 7.8% J Information and communication 180 0 5 97.3% 0.0% 2.7% 185 3.5% 5.4% K Financial and insurance activities 40 0 10 80.0% 0.0% 20.0% 50 0.9% 1.2% L Real estate activities 120 5 5 92.3% 3.8% 3.8% 130 2.4% 3.1% M Professional, scientific and technical activities 560 5 5 98.2% 0.9% 0.9% 570 10.7% 18.7% N Administrative and support service activities 310 0 15 95.4% 0.0% 4.6% 325 6.1% 6.8% P Education 50 0 0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50 0.9% 1.1% Q Human health and social work activities 140 25 25 73.7% 13.2% 13.2% 190 3.6% 4.0% R Arts, entertainment and recreation 150 5 5 93.8% 3.1% 3.1% 160 3.0% 2.4% S Other service activities 185 5 0 97.4% 2.6% 0.0% 190 3.6% 5.0% Grand Total 5,005 125 185 94.2% 2.4% 3.5% 5,315 100.0% 100.0%

Source: Scottish Government - http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate/LocalAreaTables

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate/LocalAreaTables


Business Turnover

The graph below shows the 2015 turnover (£ millions) by Scottish Local Authority area. In 2015, the Scottish

turnover was £260,948M the average for Scottish Local Authorities was £8,155M, skewed by Aberdeen,

Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Scottish Borders turnover of £3,191M accounts for 1.2% of the Scottish

turnover.

£3,191

£8,155

£0

£5,000

£10,000

£15,000

£20,000

£25,000

£30,000

£35,000

£40,000

£45,000

£50,000

2015 Turnover (£ millions) by Local Authority area, SG


Sector Turnover in the Scottish Borders and Compared to Scotland

The graph below and on the following page shows the change in turnover (£ millions) by sector in the

Scottish Borders between 2010 and 2015 and the proportional change in each sector compared to

Scotland.

Between 2010 and 2015, the Scottish Borders turnover increased by £313 million the sectors that

had the greatest increase were ‘Primary Industries’ and ‘Wholesale, retail and repairs’. This

equated to a 10.9% increase in turnover for the Scottish Borders compared to a 1.3% increase for

Scotland. Note that turnover for financial and insurance activities enterprises are not available,

totals exclude turnover of such enterprises.

In the manufacturing sector, employment contracted by 450 (-8.4%) of employees in the Scottish

Borders compared to -2.2% for Scotland.

Manufacturing in the Scottish Borders has also seen a consequent decrease in its overall turnover

from by £27M (-5.6%); however the decrease in turnover for Scotland was far greater (-23.4%).

The Scottish Borders has seen growth in the numbers of employees working in professional,

scientific and technical activities by 540 people (33.3%) compared to a 0.9% increase for Scotland.

The sector’s turnover increased in the Scottish Borders by £33M (23.6%) compared to a 15%

increase for Scotland between 2010 and 2015.

Between 2010 and 2015 the number of employees in primary industries in the Scottish Borders

increased by 250 (5.7%) compared to an increase of 11.6% for Scotland. During the same period,

the turnover for the Scottish Borders increased by £154M (37.0%) compared to 2.1% for Scotland.

Wholesale, retail and repairs accounted for the largest share of the Borders workforce had a slight

reduction in employment of 70 people (-1.0%) but an increased turnover of £101M (10.2%)

compared to a 1.3% increase in employment and a 4.4% increase in turnover for Scotland.

PrimaryIndustries

Manufacturing

Construction

Wholesale, retail and

repairs

Transportand

storage

Accommodation and

foodservice

activities

Information and

communication

Financialand

insuranceactivities*

Realestate

activities

Professional,

scientificand

technicalactivities

Administrative andsupportservice

activities

Education,human

health andsocialwork

activities

Arts,entertainment andrecreation

Otherservice

activities

2010 £416 £481 £253 £991 £77 £123 £38 £53 £140 £79 £110 £91 £27

2015 £570 £454 £230 £1,092 £75 £112 £39 £71 £173 £112 £136 £83 £42

£0

£200

£400

£600

£800

£1,000

£1,200

TURNOVER (£ Millions) by Sector for the Scottish Borders 2010 to 2015, SG

* Turnover for financial and insurance activities enterprises are not available. Totals exclude turnover of such enterprises.


Business Demography

Enterprise ‘Births’ and ‘Deaths’

Business demography is a way to describe the creation, demise and continuation of business enterprises.

The graph with table below shows the number of enterprise ‘births’ and ‘deaths’ in the Scottish Borders

between 2009 and 2014 and the number that were active after the ‘birth and ‘death’ of each year.

Between 2009 and 2014, there was a modest 2% increase in the number of active enterprises in the

Scottish Borders. There was an increase in the number of enterprise births in the Scottish Borders in 2013

and 2014.

PrimaryIndustries

Manufacturing

Construction

Wholesale, retail

andrepairs

Transportand

storage

Accommodation

and foodservice

activities

Information and

communication

Financialand

insuranceactivities*

Realestate

activities

Professional,

scientificand

technicalactivities

Administrative andsupportservice

activities

Education, humanhealth

and socialwork

activities

Arts,entertainment andrecreatio

n

Otherservice

activities

Scotland 2.1% -23.4% -21.1% 4.4% 15.2% 4.8% 64.2% 0.0% 15.6% 15.0% 31.7% 20.6% 2.1% 0.9%

Scottish Borders 37.0% -5.6% -9.1% 10.2% -2.6% -8.9% 2.6% 0.0% 34.0% 23.6% 41.8% 23.6% -8.8% 55.6%

-30.0%

-20.0%

-10.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

% Change in Sector TURNOVER between 2010 and 2015:Scotland and Scottish Borders, SG

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Active 4115 4150 4080 4060 4085 4195

Births 305 315 315 315 395 450

Deaths -385 -330 -300 -350 -325 -345

-1000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Business Demographics for the Scottish Borders 2009 to 2014, ONS


Change in Active Enterprises

Between 2009 and 2014, the Scottish Borders followed a similar pattern to Scotland and the United

Kingdom in regard to the proportional changed in active enterprises. However, note that the change in the

Scottish Borders less positive compared to both Scotland and the United Kingdom.

3 Year Survival

The proportion of new enterprise that ‘survives’ 3 years is used as indicator or a stronger / stable economy.

Looking at the enterprises that started in 2009, 2010 and 2011 a greater proportion in the Scottish Borders

‘survived’ 3 years compared to Scotland and the UK.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 0.9% -1.7% -0.5% 0.6% 2.7%

Scotland 3.2% 0.0% 1.7% 2.5% 3.5%

United Kingdom 0.4% -0.4% 1.3% 3.2% 4.2%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

Proportional Annual Change in Active Enterprises 2009 to 2014, ONS

2009 2010 2011

Scottish Borders 67.2% 58.7% 66.7%

Scotland 60.1% 57.1% 62.8%

United Kingdom 59.6% 57.1% 60.5%

50.0%

55.0%

60.0%

65.0%

70.0%

3 Year Survival Rate of New Enterprises 2009 to 2011, ONS


Town Centre Retail Activity

Scottish Borders Council has undertaken a range of work to support our town centres, including investing in

recent major projects such as the Selkirk Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme, Kelso Townscape

Initiative, and the Galashiels Inner Relief Road project. The Council also undertakes a range of monitoring

work, and some of the results of our monitoring are set out below.

Whilst retail is a key component of our town centres’ offer, other uses are key to town centre vitality. To

reflect this, the council has recently reviewed its town centres policies to support a mix of footfall

generating uses.

Footfall

The Scottish Borders Council conducts an annual survey of footfall7 in the main towns within the Scottish

Borders. The table below shows weekly footfall between 2012 and 2015 for Galashiels, Peebles, Kelso,

Hawick, Melrose, Jedburgh, Selkirk, Eyemouth and Duns. Between 2015 and 2015, the footfall in town

centres dropped by 7%. The greatest changes were in Kelso with an increase of 27%, this may be due to

major town centre generation, the and in Hawick with a drop of 42%. In 2014, Melrose experienced a

significant drop in footfall, which recovered in 2015.

The graph below shows the weekly footfall as a rate per 1000 town population for 2015. The average for

Scottish Borders towns was 713 in 2015. The graph shows that Melrose had the highest higher footfall rate

per 1000 (1,445) and that Hawick experienced the lowest rate (311). The towns with the highest rates,

Melrose, Peebles and Kelso are associated with tourist activity.

7 https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20051/plans_and_guidance/124/planning_research

Galashiels Peebles Kelso Hawick Melrose Jedburgh Selkirk Eyemouth Duns

2012 8380 7940 4360 7480 3430 2900 2660 2220 1710

2013 8220 7140 4130 6200 3390 2700 2420 1880 1600

2014 7930 7610 4980 3750 990 2610 2090 2150 1780

2015 8180 7930 5550 4360 3550 2460 2350 2270 1630

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

Average Weekly Footfall 2012-2015, SBC


The table below shows the annual proportional change in footfall for towns in the Scottish Borders

compared to the change in Scotland. Between 2012 and 2015, there was less fluctuation for Scotland

compared to Scottish Borders. Much of the fluctuation in the Scottish Borders can be explained by the

2014 result for Melrose.

Total Weekly Footfall – Year on Year Percentage Change

Area 2012 to 2013 2013 to 2014 2014 to 2015

Scotland 2% 2% -1%

Scottish Borders -8% -10% 13%

Retail Vacancies

Scottish Borders Council conducts a bi-annual survey of retail vacancies8 for the towns with a population of

1,000 or more. In summer 2015 there were 152 vacant units out of 1,434 in the Scottish Borders, equal to

11%. This was a slight improvement in the vacancy rate compared to the 12% vacancy rate recorded in the

winter 2014 survey. In summer 2015 Chirnside had the highest vacancy rate of 30% whereas Earlston, West

Linton, St. Boswells and Tweedbank had no vacancies. For both winter 2014 and summer 2015, the largest

towns, Hawick and Galashiels, had a vacancy rate of 11% or more.

8 https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20051/plans_and_guidance/124/planning_research

1,445 924 814 646 641 621 599 421 311

Town Average: 713

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Melrose Peebles Kelso Galashiels Eyemouth Jedburgh Duns Selkirk Hawick

Average Weekly Footfall in 2015 per 1000 Town Population, SBC and NRS


Settlement Number of

units

Number of

vacant units

Summer 2015

retail unit

vacancy rate

Winter 2014

retail unit

vacancy rate

Chirnside 10 3 30% 27%

Galashiels 243 43 18% 18%

Newtown St Boswells 11 2 18% 25%

Galashiels 2nd * 45 7 16% 11%

Hawick 251 35 14% 16%

Duns 63 6 13% 8%

Coldstream 48 6 12% 12%

Jedburgh 91 10 11% 9%

Selkirk 91 10 11% 16%

Lauder 19 2 11% 11%

Eyemouth 70 5 7% 9%

Peebles 145 9 6% 7%

Kelso 165 9 5% 9%

Melrose 83 3 4% 3%

Innerleithen 51 2 4% 4%

Earlston 22 0 0% 0%

West Linton 12 0 0% 0%

St Boswells 11 0 0% 0%

Tweedbank 3 0 0% 0%

TOTAL 1434 152 11% 12%

* Two centres are monitored in Galashiels, the town centre, and a second centre at Wilderhaugh.

The graph below shows the number of retail units in the Scottish Borders and the number of vacant units

from winter 2010 to summer 2015 along with the vacancy rate for the Scottish Borders compared to the

vacancy rate for the United Kingdom. Between 2010 and 2015 the vacancy rate in the Scottish Borders has

consistently been lower than the rate experienced for the United Kingdom.

2010 - W 2011 -S 2011 - W 2012 - S 2012 - W 2013 -S 2013 - W 2014 - S 2014 - W 2015 - S

Retail Units - SB 1445 1448 1445 1446 1450 1440 1435 1440 1436 1434

Vacant Units - SB 160 160 157 144 159 156 149 153 166 152

Vacancy Rate - SB 11% 11% 11% 10% 11% 11% 10% 11% 12% 11%

Vacancy Rate - UK 14% 14% 15% 15% 14% 14% 14% 13% 13% 13%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Retail Units

Retail Units and Vacancy Rate in the Scottish Borders Compared to the United Kingdom, SBC and LDC


Retail Mix

In summer 2015, 187 of the 809 (23%) shops in the towns of the Scottish Borders were part of retail chains.

The graph and table below show the number of shops and retail shops and the proportion of shops that are

retail chains. The locations with the highest proportion of retail chains are Tweedbank and Galashiels 2nd

(Wilderhaugh). Retail chains make up less than 10% of the shops in Lauder and Innerleithen.

Tourism

In 2015, Midlothian and Scottish Borders Council commissioned a tourism destination audit9. Below is an

extract of the report.

Trends in Volume & Value

Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM), figures for the economic impact of tourism in

Scottish Borders indicate that combined direct and indirect visitor spend in the region rose from

£166.94 million in 2009 to £183.59 million in 2013 – a rise of 10% over a period when national

inflation rose by 15.3%, resulting in a small reduction in visitor spend in real terms. Over the same

period, the number of visitors to Scottish Borders fell by 2.9% and the number of visitor days spent

in the area fell by 7.1%.

These figures are broadly in line with national trends that show a small drop in visitor numbers, a

larger decline in the number of visitor days, and a small drop in the real term value of tourism

across Scotland between 2009 and 2013. As previously stated, this largely reflects the sustained

national economic downturn which has affected all industrial and commercial sectors.

While there has been a modest drop in the annual number of day visitors between 2009 and 2013

(down by 1.7%), there is a much more pronounced drop in the number of overnight visitors (down

by 5.1%) and the number of days they spend in the region (down by 9.7%).

9 https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/2186/tourism_destination_audit_2015

Hawick

Galashiels

KelsoPeebl

esMelrose

Selkirk

Jedburgh

DunsInnerleithen

Coldstream

Eyemouth

Galashiels2nd

Lauder

Earlston

WestLinto

n

StBoswells

Newtown

StBoswells

Chirnside

Tweedban

k

Shops 137 136 101 94 53 51 48 33 32 27 25 18 12 11 10 8 6 5 2

Chain Shops 25 49 24 22 6 9 9 9 2 6 4 9 1 4 3 2 1 1 1

% Chain Shops 18% 36% 24% 23% 11% 18% 19% 27% 6% 22% 16% 50% 8% 36% 30% 25% 17% 20% 50%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Shops / Chain Shops

Number and Proportion of Shops which are Retail Chains, Summer 2015

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/2186/tourism_destination_audit_2015


The greatest decline in visitor numbers since 2009 has been recorded in the 2nd Quarter of the

year (April – June) and the 4th Quarter of the year (October – December), where December

appears to be a strong month for day visits but day visitor figures for October are particularly poor.

In 2013, day visitors accounted for 66% of visitor numbers to Scottish Borders, 35% of visitor days

and 29% of total visitor spend in the region. Overnight visitors accounted for 34% of visits, 65% of

visitor days and 71% of visitor spend. Overall, overnight visitors represent a more significant

proportion of tourism business in Scottish Borders than in Midlothian.

7% of overnight visitors in Scottish Borders stay with friends or relatives. This compares to 32% of

overnight visitors in Midlothian and indicates that the VFR market is proportionately much less

important in Scottish Borders.

STEAM figures indicate that Scottish Borders has almost 14,000 commercial bedspaces available to

visitors – 14 times the accommodation stock of Midlothian. The non-serviced accommodation

sector is of particular importance to Scottish Borders and represents 58% of all accommodation

establishments and almost 69% of all bed spaces. Self catering properties provide 43% of all

available bedspaces, while camping and caravanning parks provide just over 25%.

In the serviced accommodation sector, the greatest proportion of bedspaces (47%) are provided by

guest houses and B&Bs. However, unlike Midlothian, Scottish Borders does have a number of larger

hotels with hotels with over 50 rooms providing almost 18% of serviced accommodation

bedspaces.

The importance of the non-serviced accommodation sector to Scottish Borders is emphasised by

separate VisitScotland occupancy figures for the region which show that hotels and guest houses

achieve average annual occupancy levels well below the Scottish average, while self catering

properties show an average annual occupancy significantly above the Scottish average.

Visitor Profiles

VisitScotland conducted a major visitor survey across Scotland in July – October 2011. This included

a survey of overnight visitors to Scottish Borders.

The 2011 VisitScotland survey indicated that 50% of overnight visitors to Scottish Borders are from

others parts of the UK, 39% are from other parts of Scotland and 11% are from overseas. Scottish

Borders is more reliant on UK and Scottish visitors than Scotland as a whole.

The age profile of visitor to Scottish Borders is older than Scotland as a whole with 31% of visitors

being aged 55 or over and only 8% being in the 16 – 24 age group.

The top reasons given by visitors for choosing to come to Scottish Borders were –

The scenery and landscape (cited by 35% of visitors)

It’s an area I know well ( cited by 17% of visitors)

To enjoy a specific activity (16% of visitors)

History (16% of visitors)

To visit a particular attraction (16% of visitors).

Mountain biking and hillwalking were the most frequently mentioned activities, while Melrose

Abbey was the attraction most likely to influence a visit to the region.

In terms of the most popular activities on visits to Scottish Borders, they were –

Visiting a historic property (49% of visitors)


Sightseeing (38% of visitors)

Trying local food (38% of visitors)

Visiting an abbey or church (34% of visitors)

Undertaking a short walk (31% of visitors)

Undertaking a long walk (29% of visitors)

Mountain biking (20% of visitors)

These figures highlight the importance of both heritage and outdoor activities to overnight visitors

to Scottish Borders.

The survey also noted that most overnight visitors to Scottish Borders visit the region as part of a

wider visit. 30% are touring Scotland and 24% are visiting both a city location and the surrounding

countryside.

We have been unable to source any robust data that enables us to profile day visitors to Scottish

Borders with any confidence. However, anecdotal evidence collected from stakeholders and local

operators suggest that, as could probably be anticipated, the neighbouring areas of Edinburgh &

the Lothians and North East England are the main sources of day visitors. However, a number of

operators advise us that outdoor activities, and mountain biking in particular, can attract noticeable

numbers of day visitors from further afield in Scotland and Northern England.

Tourism Strategy

Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership, which brings together private and public sector

representatives, has developed and adopted a Scottish Borders Tourism Strategy 2013 – 2020 to

provide a framework to guide and inform activities within the region’s tourism sector. This strategy

aims to mirror the structure, content and aspirations of the national “Tourism Scotland 2020”

strategy. It is intended to revisit and review the Scottish Borders strategy in 2016.

The strategy sets out a vision to,

“Grow tourism visits and spend in the Scottish Borders, through positioning and promotion as a

sustainable, year-round destination, which capitalises on its unique geography, heritage, natural

environment and people”.

The strategy incorporates the following strategic targets –

To increase accommodation annual occupancy levels across the Scottish Borders by 10 –

15% by 2020.

To increase visits to visitor attractions by 5% and visits to activity venues by 10%.

To increase incremental spend in visitor attractions by 5%.

To increase accommodation occupancy levels between October and May by 10%.

To increase average overnight visitor spend by 10% above inflation by 2020.

Overall, these targets combine to produce a 2020 targeted growth in the Scottish Borders tourism

economy of circa 20 – 30%, which is in line with national growth aspirations.

Tourism Employment and GVA

According to Visit Scotland, both the number of people employed in sustainable tourism and the

sustainable tourism GVA for the Scottish Borders has declined between 2010 and 2012. This is different to

the experience for Scotland where the number of people employed dropped but the GVA increased.


Year

Sustainable Tourism Employment Sustainable Tourism GVA (£m)

Scottish Borders -

Employment

% Change - Scottish Borders

% Change - Scotland

Scottish Borders - GVA

% Change - Scottish Borders

% Change - Scotland

2010 3,400

64.7

2011 3,600 5.9% -6.5% 57.0 -11.9% 7.2%

2012 3,200 -11.1% 2.5% 51.2 -10.2% 4.8% Source: Visit Scotland

Top Visitor Attractions

In 2014, the Tweed Valley Forest Park was the top visitor attraction within the Scottish Borders according to

Visit Scotland.

Visitor Numbers

Tourist visitor numbers in the Scottish Borders fell by 2.8 per cent between 2013 and 2014 while day rates

fell by 0.8 per cent. The uptake in non-serviced accommodation holidays, however, increased significantly

in 2014 by 6.2 per cent. This increase was accompanied by a 1.9 per cent increase in tourist days. There was

a 3 per cent decrease in serviced accommodation visitor numbers, but a slight increase (0.1 per cent) in

serviced accommodation visitor days.

Tourist numbers (thousands) generated by:

Accommodation Type 2013 2014 % Change

Serviced (e.g. Hotel) 323.53 313.98 -3.0

Non-serviced (e.g. Self-Catering) 190.82 202.59 6.2

Staying with Friends / Relatives 129.38 131.19 1.4

Day visitors 1,251.0 1,194.0 -4.6

TOTAL 1,894.73 1,841.76 -2.8 Source: Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd.

Tourist days (thousands) generated by:

Accommodation Type 2013 2014 % Change

Serviced (e.g. Hotel) 576.0 576.5 0.1

344,198

160,662137,523

59,408 44,423

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

Tweed ValleyForest Park

Teviot WaterGardens

Heart of Hawick Abbotsford Melrose Abbey

Top Visitor Attractions in the Scottish Borders in 2014, Visit Scotland


Non-serviced (e.g. Self-Catering) 1,189.1 1,211.2 1.9


Day visitors 1,251.0 1,194.0 -4.6

TOTAL 3,602.8 3,575.3 -0.8 Source: Visit Scotland

Occupancy Rates

The Scottish Borders experienced a decline in bed occupancy of 5 per cent between 2014 and 2015, and 3

per cent in room occupancy rates during the same period. The corresponding rates for Scotland have been

unchanged.

Self-catering occupancy rates in the Scottish Borders increased by 7 per cent between 2014 and 2015,

which was slightly above the Scottish rate of increase (5 per cent).

Occupancy Rates

Occupancy Type Area 2014 2015 % change

Bed Occupancy (%) Scotland 68 68 0

Scottish Borders 68 63 -5

Room Occupancy (%)

Scotland 84 84 0

Scottish Borders 82 79 -3

Self-catering Occupancy (%)

Scotland 75 80 5

Scottish Borders 86 93 7 Source: Visit Scotland

Visitor Spend (£)

The economic impact generated by tourism in 2014 compared to 2013 showed that expenditure had risen

by £3.85 million, an increase of 2.1 per cent.

Analysis by sector of expenditure (£ million)

Sector/ Year 2013 2014 % Change

Accommodation 32.87 33.90 3.1

Food and Drink 33.59 34.06 1.4

Recreation 14.08 14.06 -0.1

Shopping 8.68 8.72 0.5

Transport 24.84 25.46 2.3

Indirect Expenditure 46.72 48.01 2.8

VAT 22.81 23.24 1.9

TOTAL 183.59 187.44 2.1 Source: Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd.


Economic impact (£ million) generated by:

Accommodation Type / Year 2013 2014 % Change

Serviced (e.g. Hotel) 54.27 52.79 -2.7

Non-serviced (e.g. Self-Catering 58.78 64.56 10.7


Day visitors 53.51 52.41 -2.1

TOTAL 183.58 187.43 2.1

Source: Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd.

Renewable Employment

It is difficult to obtain precise information about the numbers of businesses and employees involved in

renewables. Employment in renewables has not had its own Standard Industrial Classification of Economic

Activities (SIC) code; the majority of jobs associated with this sector fall within other classifications such as

‘manufacturing’, ‘construction’, ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’, ‘ professional, scientific

and technical activities’ or ‘ other service activities’ making it difficult to identify renewable jobs within

these sectors.

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme website: http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/ provides

a list of certified installers that offer microgeneration services. These services are air source heat pumps,

biomass, exhaust air heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, ground/water source heat pump, micro CHP,

solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, solar assisted heat pump or wind turbines. Using the installer search

function in May 2016 there were 17 installers within the Scottish Borders (2 in Berwickshire, 4 in Cheviot, 6

in Eildon, 2 in Teviot and Liddesdale and 3 in Tweeddale).

http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/


Housing

Housing Market

According to the Registers of Scotland 10-Year Property Market Report 2005-201510 the average house

price in the Scottish Borders increased by 29.2% from £133,112 to £171,942. However, at the same time

the volume of sales decreased by 36.3% from 2,757 in 2005/06 to 1,755 sales in 2014/15. Overall the

housing market value in the Scottish Borders decreased by 17.8% worse than the decrease of 12.3% for

Scotland.

10-Year Property Market Report 2005-2015

Area / Location 2005/06 2014/15 % Change

Average Price

Scottish Borders £133,112 £171,942 29.2%

Scotland £123,977 £167,396 35.0%

Volume of Sales

Scottish Borders 2,757 1,755 -36.3%

Scotland 142,933 92,798 -35.1%

Total Market Value

Scottish Borders 366,990,108 301,757,907 -17.8%

Scotland 17,720,401,766 15,533,976,270 -12.3% Source: ROS

Housing Development

As well as being critical to well-being and ensuring good living standards, housing and house-building make

a significant contribution to the Border economy. House-building in the Borders has slowed since the

economic downturn due to restricted mortgage availability, and an overall lack of funding for house-

builders, as reflected in the subsequent decline in housing completions.

10

https://www.ros.gov.uk/property-data/property-statistics/the-10-year-report

490

266306 288 272

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Housing Completions in the Scottish Borders 2010/11 to 2014/15, SBC

https://www.ros.gov.uk/property-data/property-statistics/the-10-year-report


Wages and employment

Workplace Based Gross Median Weekly Pay

Workplace based wages (gross median weekly pay) in the Scottish Borders have consistently been below

the level for Scotland and Great Britain; ranging between -11.1% and -22.5% below the Scottish level.

Between 2013 and 2015, the workplace gross median wages in the Scottish Borders has increased by £3

compared to £18 for Scotland.

Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is a key equality indicator. In the Scottish Borders between 1997 and 2015 the

workplace based median pay for both men and women increased by 71% and 110% respectively. In 1997

women in Scottish Borders workplaces earned 74% of what men earned compared to 72% for Scotland. In

2015 the pay gap narrowed and women in Scottish Borders workplaces earned 91% of what men earned

and improvement compared to the 84% for Scotland. From 2011 the pay gap in the Scottish Borders has

reduced where the pay gap for Scotland has stayed the same.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Scottish Borders £266 £255 £277 £279 £289 £288 £306 £324 £329 £346 £381 £370 £381 £418 £398 £403 £452 £456 £455

Scotland £301 £314 £329 £338 £355 £372 £381 £390 £409 £428 £442 £463 £473 £488 £485 £498 £509 £519 £527

Great Britian £322 £336 £346 £360 £377 £392 £405 £420 £432 £445 £459 £479 £490 £500 £500 £508 £518 £520 £529

£200

£250

£300

£350

£400

£450

£500

£550

Workplace Based Gross Median Weekly Pay1997 to 2015, NOMIS

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Scotish Borders - Male £277 £293 £301 £297 £320 £326 £334 £354 £355 £373 £420 £427 £402 £430 £428 £425 £479 £469 £471

Scottish Borders - Female £204 £210 £233 £238 £237 £242 £271 £275 £294 £299 £316 £313 £341 £385 £358 £361 £426 £426 £429

Female as % Male: Scottish Borders 74% 72% 77% 80% 74% 74% 81% 78% 83% 80% 75% 73% 85% 90% 84% 85% 89% 91% 91%

Female as % Male: Scotland 72% 72% 74% 74% 75% 75% 78% 80% 81% 80% 79% 79% 82% 83% 84% 82% 83% 82% 84%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

£0

£100

£200

£300

£400

£500

£600

Workplace BasedGross Median

Weekly Pay1997 to 2015, NOMIS


Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI)

Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that all of the individuals in the

household sector have available for spending or saving after income distribution measures (for example,

taxes, social contributions and benefits) have taken effect11. Between 1997 and 2013 the GDHI per head in

the Scottish Borders increased by 97% from £9,128 to £17,953 this was greater than the 81% increase for

Scotland or the 75% for the United Kingdom.

Gross Median Weekly Pay: Residence Based Compared to Workplace Based

In the Scottish Borders the workplace based gross median weekly wages had consistently been lower than

gross median weekly wages that are residence based. Between 2002 and 2015 workplace based wages

have been an average of £47 less than the residence based. This indicates that the people that live in the

Scottish Borders but work outwith the area earn more than those who work in the area (and most likely live

in the area). It is interesting to note that during this time workplace wages increased by 58% compared to

53% for resident based wages.

11

It should be noted that these estimates relate to totals for all individuals within the household sector for a region rather than to an average household or family unit. GDHI per head are estimates of values for each person, not each household – ONS - https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/bulletins/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomegdhi/2015-05-27#local-area-nuts3-gdhi-estimates

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

United Kingdom £10,030 £10,522 £10,924 £11,694 £12,275 £12,667 £13,141 £13,521 £14,028 £14,561 £15,211 £15,571 £16,058 £16,775 £16,875 £17,378 £17,559

Scotland £9,437 £9,808 £10,066 £10,731 £11,346 £11,849 £12,231 £12,747 £13,228 £13,664 £14,461 £15,099 £15,365 £16,082 £16,269 £16,705 £17,039

Scottish Borders £9,128 £9,563 £10,147 £10,481 £11,034 £11,490 £12,405 £12,932 £13,661 £13,981 £14,834 £15,450 £15,813 £16,800 £16,900 £17,072 £17,953

£5,000

£7,500

£10,000

£12,500

£15,000

£17,500

£20,000Gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head at current basic prices (1997 to 2013), ONS

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Residence Based £329 £343 £356 £370 £385 £423 £450 £437 £460 £453 £451 £508 £490 £503

Workplace Based £288 £306 £324 £329 £346 £381 £370 £381 £418 £398 £403 £452 £456 £455

£0

£100

£200

£300

£400

£500

£600

Gross Weekly Pay for Full Time Workers in the Scottish BordersResidence Based vs Workplace Based, ONS

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/bulletins/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomegdhi/2015-05-27#local-area-nuts3-gdhi-estimates

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/bulletins/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomegdhi/2015-05-27#local-area-nuts3-gdhi-estimates


Unemployment Rate 16+

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) model for unemployment rates, the Scottish

Borders has outperformed the Scottish rate every year since 2004. The economic recession ensured that

the rate of unemployment increased to 6.1 per cent in 2011. Since then, the rate of unemployment has

decreased to 4.4 per cent in 2014. The national rate (6.2 per cent) has also recovered from its peak in 2011.

Claimant Count

The proportion of working age people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and those unemployed people

claiming or transferring on to Universal Credit (UC) in the Scottish Borders has consistently been below the

level for Scotland. It should be noted that the Universal Credit component of the claimant count

commenced in early 2015.

Claimant Count for the Scottish Borders

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Scottish Borders - Number 2,900 3,300 3,400 3,300 3,000 2,700 2,500

Scottish Borders - Rate 5.10% 6.10% 6.10% 5.90% 5.30% 4.40% 4.30%

Scotland - Rate 6.90% 7.70% 8.20% 8.00% 7.70% 6.20% 6.00%

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Estimated Number and Percent of People Aged 16+ Unemployed, APS

Estimates of unemployment for regions and nations have been produced from Annual Population Survey data. Estimates at local and Unitary Authority are from model based estimates.

1.8%

2.3%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

3.5%

4.0%

4.5%

Ap

ril 2

01

3

May

20

13

Jun

e 2

01

3

July

20

13

Au

gust

20

13

Sep

tem

be

r 2

01

3

Oct

ob

er

20

13

No

vem

be

r 2

01

3

De

cem

ber

20

13

Jan

uar

y 2

01

4

Feb

ruar

y 2

01

4

Mar

ch 2

01

4

Ap

ril 2

01

4

May

20

14

Jun

e 2

01

4

July

20

14

Au

gust

20

14

Sep

tem

be

r 2

01

4

Oct

ob

er

20

14

No

vem

be

r 2

01

4

De

cem

ber

20

14

Jan

uar

y 2

01

5

Feb

ruar

y 2

01

5

Mar

ch 2

01

5

Ap

ril 2

01

5

May

20

15

Jun

e 2

01

5

July

20

15

Au

gust

20

15

Sep

tem

be

r 2

01

5

Oct

ob

er

20

15

No

vem

be

r 2

01

5

De

cem

ber

20

15

Jan

uar

y 2

01

6

Feb

ruar

y 2

01

6

Mar

ch 2

01

6

Scottish Borders

Scotland


Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of working age people claiming either JSA or the

unemployment related UC in March 2016 ranged from 0.9% for the Leaderdale and Melrose ward to 2.7%

for Galashiels and District, Hawick and Hermitage and Hawick and Denholm.

Claimant count by multi-member ward, March 2016

Source: ONS

The chart below shows the changes in JSA claimants for each of the localities between 2007 and 2016.

Across the localities the numbers claiming jobseeker’s allowance has fluctuated over the past ten years,

with the highest rates consistently in Teviot and Liddesdale and the lowest in Tweeddale. Unemployment

peaked in 2011-2012 owing to the recession.

Number Rate (%) Number Rate (%)

Galashiels and District 250 2.7 East Berwickshire 105 1.5

Hawick and Hermitage 170 2.7 Mid Berwickshire 90 1.5

Hawick and Denholm 160 2.7 Jedburgh and District 75 1.5

Scottish Borders 1,260 1.8 Tweeddale West 75 1.3

Selkirkshire 110 1.7 Tweeddale East 65 1.0

Kelso and District 100 1.7 Leaderdale and Melrose 55 0.9

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Berwickshire 1.7 1.3 2.2 3.1 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.3 1.5 1.1

Cheviot 1.4 1.1 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.6 1.8 1.1

Eildon 1.4 1.3 2.6 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.5 3.0 1.9 1.4

Teviot and Liddesdale 2.2 1.5 3.2 3.8 4.3 4.3 3.8 3.4 2.7 2.1

Tweeddale 1.0 0.8 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.1 1.8 1.1 1.0

Scottish Borders 1.5 1.2 2.3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.0 2.7 1.8 1.4

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Re

sid

en

ce-b

ase

d p

rop

ort

ion

(%

)

Localities based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants, 2007-2016


Economic Inactivity Rate (Working Age)

Economic inactivity includes people who are students, looking after family/home, temporarily sick, long-

term sick, or retired. The economic inactivity rate for Scotland in 2015 of 22.2 per cent was slightly below

that of 2009 (22.6 per cent). The rate in the Scottish Borders has been more variable going from a high of

24.5 per cent in 2010 to 18.9 per cent in 2014.

Job Density

Jobs density is the number of jobs in an area divided by the resident population aged 16-64. (For example, a

jobs density of 1.0 would mean that there is one job available for each resident aged 16-64.) Jobs density in

the Scottish Borders decreased from 0.77 in 2008 to 0.70 in 2010 before increasing to 0.75 in 2013. This

figure has almost caught up with the national figure, which has remained static since 2010.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Scottish Borders - Number 13,500 17,100 15,700 15,600 15,200 13,000 13,400

Scottish Borders - Rate 19.3% 24.5% 22.6% 22.7% 22.1% 18.9% 19.6%

Scotland - Rate 22.6% 23.0% 23.1% 23.2% 23.1% 22.5% 22.2%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

Number and Percent of People (Working Age) Economically Inactive, APS

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Scottish Borders 0.77 0.74 0.75 0.77 0.72 0.70 0.73 0.72 0.75

Scotland 0.80 0.79 0.80 0.80 0.78 0.76 0.76 0.76 0.76

0.65

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

Job Density for Scottish Borders and Scotland 2005 to 2013, ONS


Public View of Scottish Borders Employment Opportunities

The 2015 Scottish Borders Household Survey12 asked respondents how important they thought certain

actions would be to improving employment opportunities in the Scottish Borders. Over 70% of the

respondents thought that ‘Bringing jobs to the area’ was very important or important and over 60%

thought that ‘Getting more young people into work’ was very important or important.

When asked about the ‘barriers’ to getting a job or securing a better job over 20% of the respondents to

the Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 thought that ‘Lack of job opportunities with decent pay’ and

‘Lack of relevant job opportunities’ were key barriers. ‘Transport problems’ was identified by over 7% of

respondents as a barrier to getting a job or securing a better job.

12

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/householdsurvey

72.8%

61.1%

51.5% 49.8%

30.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Bringing jobs to the area Getting more young peopleinto work

Creating moreapprenticeships

Getting more adults in towork

Assistance with starting upyour own business

Proportion of people who think the following actions are VERY IMPORTANT/ IMPORTANT to improving employment opportunities in the Scottish Borders

Source: SBHS 2015

21.8% 21.4%

7.1%6.1%

5.3%4.4%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Lack of job opportunitieswith decent pay

Lack of relevant jobopportunities

Transport problems Lack of affordablechildcare

Lack of training Lack of qualification

Proportion of people who think the following barriers to you getting a job or securing a better job

Source: SBHS 2015



Economic Inequalities

Income Deprived

The term “Income Deprivation” was coined by SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) to represent

individuals of all ages living in households with low income, regardless of employment status. It is

presented as a percentage of the total population in the following welfare benefit categories: Adults and

Children in Income Support (IS) or Income-based Employment and Support Allowance Households; Adults

and Children in Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) households; Adults in Guarantee Pension Credit Households;

Adults and Children in Tax Credit Households on low incomes. By using Tax Credits data, the indicator is

designed to include both in-work and out-of-work claimants on low incomes.

According to the Scottish Government’s classification of income deprivation the Scottish Borders has a

lower proportion of population classified as income deprived compared to Scotland. It can be seen that

there has been little change in the proportion of people classified as income deprived.

Within the Scottish Borders, Teviot and Liddesdale locality has the highest proportion of people classified as

income deprived.

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 9.3 9.2 9.2 11.3 11.2 11.2 10.1 10.1 10.1 10.1 10.1

Scotland 13.9 13.8 13.8 15.1 15.0 14.9 13.3 13.2 13.2 13.1 13.1

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

Percentage of total population classified as income deprived within SIMD income domain, SG

5.0 10.4 9.4 9.8 14.3 7.0 23.4


Scotland, 13.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percentage of total population classified as income deprived within SIMD income domain.2013 - SG (SIMD)


Employment Deprived

The term “Employment Deprivation” is designed, more specifically than “Income Deprivation”, to

summarise those of working age who lack employment, whether due to unemployment, incapacity or

disability. Jobseekers Allowance is awarded based on National Insurance contributions, rather than levels

of savings so a lack of employment does not necessarily indicate low household income. The two types of

deprivation correlate closely but not completely, indicating that there is more to Income Deprivation than a

lack of employment and that economically inactive people are most vulnerable from the effects of low

household income.

Compared to Scotland the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower proportion of working age

population employment deprived. However, over time there has been a slight increase in the Scottish

Borders compared to a slight decrease for Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, Teviot and Liddesdale has the highest proportion of working age population

who are employment deprived, followed by Berwickshire.

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 12.9 12.8 12.7 11.5 11.4 11.4 12.2 12.1 12.2 12.2 12.2

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

Percentage of Working age population employment deprived , SG

4.7 9.2 8.2 9.8 12.5 6.4 21.2


Scotland, 12.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percentage of Working age population employment deprived 2013 - SG (SIMD)


Out of Work Benefits

The “Key Benefits” dataset is a useful source of information from the Department of Work and Pensions

that attempts to summarise working-age benefits dependency at locality level into one key variable, and to

explore the socio-demographic circumstances of its claimants. The data are derived from 100% source: the

Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). The dataset provides counts of benefits claimants

categorised by their statistical group (their main reason for interacting with the benefit system), gender and

age. Double counting of claimants of multiple benefits has therefore been removed. Each claimant can only

be assigned to one of the 8 groups, in the following priority order: Job Seekers Allowance claimants;

Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance claimants; Lone Parents Income support claimants

with a child under 16 and no partner; Carers Allowance claimants; Others on Income Related Benefit; Other

income support (including IS Disability premium) or Pension Credit claimants under State Pension age;

Disabled Disability Living Allowance (DLA); Bereaved Widows Benefit, Bereavement Benefit or Industrial

Death Benefit claimants.

Compared to Scotland the Scottish Borders has consistently has a lower proportion of working age

population claiming ‘Out of Work Benefits’.

Within the Scottish Borders, Teviot and Liddesdale has the highest proportion of working age population

claiming ‘Out of Work Benefits’.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 10.8 10.5 10.2 9.8 9.8 9.5 9.6 10.9 10.1 10.1 10.3 10.0 9.4

Scotland 16.8 16.6 15.9 15.2 14.8 14.0 13.5 14.9 14.0 13.7 13.7 13.0 12.0

0.02.04.06.08.0

10.012.014.016.018.0

Percentage of Working age population claiming Out of Work benefits, SG

4.4 9.8 8.9 10.5 13.6 7.2 24.1


Scotland, 13.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percentage of Working age population claiming Out of Work benefits2013 - SG (SIMD)


Child Poverty

Child poverty is defined by HMRC as dependent children under the age of 20 in families in receipt of Child

Tax Credits (<60% median income) or Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance.

Between 2009 and 2013 the proportion of children living in poverty in the Scottish Borders and Scotland

has decreased. The Scottish Borders consistently has a lower proportion of children living in poverty


Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of children living in poverty by Intermediate Zone ranges from

4.5% to 27.8%. The locality with the highest proportion of children living in poverty is Teviot and

Liddesdale.

2009 2010 2011 2012

Scottish Borders 11.7 11.7 11.4 10.9

Scotland 16.5 16.2 16.1 15.3

0.02.04.06.08.0

10.012.014.016.018.0

Percentage of Children Living in Poverty, HMRC

4.5 11.4 11.9 10.6 15.3 6.9 27.8


Scotland, 15.3

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percentage of Children Living in Poverty2012 - HMRC


Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET)

The Scottish Government monitors the number and percentage of 16-19 year olds that are not in

education, employment or training (NEET). From 2011 the proportion of young people not in employment,

education or training has decreased for Scottish Borders and for Scotland.

Adults claiming incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance/ employment and support allowance

The Scottish Borders consistently has a lower proportion of adults claiming incapacity benefit / severe

disability allowance / employment sand support allowance compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the localities with the highest level of adults claiming incapacity benefit /

severe disability allowance / employment and support allowance are Teviot and Berwickshire.

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 7.2 8.0 7.5 7.7 6.1 9.0 9.4 8.9 9.1 8.8 7.3 5.8

Scotland 10.9 10.4 9.3 9.0 7.9 8.8 9.8 9.3 9.5 9.2 7.8 6.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), SG

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 5.7 5.5 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.1

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

Percent of Adults claiming incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance/ employment and support allowance, DWP


Pension Credit

Pension Credit is a welfare benefit paid to pensioners with the core aim of lifting the poorest pensioners

out of poverty. Similar to Scotland the proportion of people claiming pension credits (aged 60+) has

declined between 2006 and 2014.

Within the Scottish Borders, Teviot and Liddesdale has the highest proportion of people claiming pension

credits (60+), followed by Berwickshire.

1.9 4.1 3.1 3.8 4.9 2.7 6.8


Scotland, 5.1

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent of Adults claiming incapacity benefit/severe disability allowance/ employment and support allowance May 2013, DWP

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 12.7 13.1 13.2 12.7 11.7 11.1 10.8 10.1 8.3 7.7 6.9

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

Proportion of people claiming pension credits (aged 60+), DWP

2.2 7.0 5.8 6.1 8.4 4.9 10.7


Scotland, 7.7

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0


Tweeddale Highest

Proportion of people claiming pension credits (aged 60+) 2013 - DWP


Economic Support

Scottish Borders Council’s Welfare Benefit Service

Scottish Borders Council’s Welfare Benefits Service (WBS) consists of a specialist team of advisers who offer

advice and advocacy in relation to social security benefits and tax credits as well as representation at

tribunals. The aim of the service is to maximise income for the people of the Scottish Borders by promoting

benefit take up and ensuring that full entitlements are in payment. Resolving benefit issues and increasing

income can often help to improve the financial health and wellbeing of individuals and their families, with

many customers reporting less stress and anxiety as well as fewer visits to their GP as a result of a positive

intervention by the service.

In 2014-2015, the WBS had 2,364 customers who received advice, advocacy or representation and achieved

£6.1 million in income gains for these customers.

Citizen’s Advice Bureaux: Debt Support

In the Scottish Borders, the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux (CABx) provide local debt support. The tables and

graphs below outline the debt support provided to the Scottish Borders public for 2013-14 and 2014-15.

In 2013-14, the CABx supported 629 clients with almost £5.5 million debt that increased to 701 clients with

over £6.1 million debt for 2014-15. In 2014-15, the CABx also recorded over £1.7million of financial gain for

their debt clients.

2013-14 2014-15

Debt Clients Debt per

Client Debt Clients Debt per

Client

One-Off Debt Cases £568,076 315 £1,803 £1,209,219 435 £2,780

Multiple Debt Cases £4,924,446 314 £15,683 £4,900,021 266 £18,421

Total Debt £5,492,522 629 £8,732 £6,109,240 701 £8,715

Debt Client Financial Gain Not recorded £1,734,892 701 £2,475

The CABx record additional information related to their ‘Multiple Debt’ cases. For both years, credit card

debt accounted for the most money, £1.4 million (29%) in 2013-14 and £1.2 million (24%) in 2014-15. The

graph below shows the ‘multiple’ debt by general category. The biggest change between the two years was

the increase in housing debt and the decrease in loan debt.

The table below shows the characteristics of those clients with ‘multiple debt’ for 2013-14 and 2014-15.

For both years over 50% of the clients were employed. Single adults accounted for 49% and 46% of the

Credit / StoreCard

Government Housing LoanPayday /Doorstep

Utility / Phone Other

2013-14 £1,585 £148 £716 £1,866 £103 £82 £423

2014-15 £1,350 £395 £1,369 £959 £102 £81 £643

£0

£400

£800

£1,200

£1,600

£2,000

CABx 'Multiple' Debt (£000s) for 2013-14 and 2014-15 by Debt Type, CABx Borders


cases in 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively. For both years over 80% of clients in both years reported their

income to be £20,000 per year or less. More than 35% of the clients for both years reported having a

disability.

Multiple Debt Client Profile

2013-14 2014-15

Number

(314) Percent

Number

(266) Percent

Clie

nt

Typ

e

Single Male 116 37% 84 32%

Single Female 122 39% 115 43%

Couple 76 24% 67 25%

Emp

loym

ent

Typ

e

Self employed 26 8% 23 9%

Full time employed 79 25% 72 27%

Part time employed 52 17% 42 16%

Looking after family (incl. Carers) 11 4% 14 5%

Permanently retired 27 9% 25 9%

Unemployed seeking work 63 20% 33 12%

School/ Higher/ Further education 1 0% 1 0%

Government work or training scheme 0 0% 0 0%

Unable to work due to ill-health/disability 53 17% 50 19%

Other 2 1% 6 2%

Ho

use

ho

ld

Typ

e

Single adult 153 49% 122 46%

Couple (No dependent children) 63 20% 49 18%

Lone Parent (With dependent child(ren) 44 14% 43 16%

Couple with dependent child(ren) 49 16% 43 16%

Other 5 2% 9 3%

Age

Gro

up

20 and under 4 1% 4 2%

21-30 55 18% 46 17%

31-40 52 17% 55 21%

41-50 85 27% 69 26%

51-60 67 21% 48 18%

61-70 31 10% 20 8%

Over 70 11 4% 12 5%

Other 9 3% 0 0%

Ho

usi

ng

Gro

up

Owner-occupier 60 19% 47 18%

Part-owner (Paying part rent or part

mortgage) 1 0% 1 0%

Rent - Social Landlord 140 45% 117 44%

Rent - Private Landlord 69 22% 70 26%

Not householder 33 11% 23 9%

Homeless 1 0% 1 0%

Supported accommodation 2 1% 0 0%

Other (including renting from employer) 8 3% 7 3%


Multiple Debt Client Profile

2013-14 2014-15

Number

(314) Percent

Number

(314)

Inco

me

Ban

d

£6,000 or less 91 29% 65 24%

£6,001 - £10,000 57 18% 54 20%

£10,001 - £15,000 85 27% 58 22%

£15,001 - £20,000 37 12% 42 16%

£20,001 - £25,000 22 7% 21 8%

£25,001 - £30,000 9 3% 13 5%

£30,001 - £40,000 4 1% 4 2%

Over £40,000 2 1% 5 2%

Declined to answer 7 2% 4 2%

Dis

abili

ty

Physical disability 13 4% 23 9%

Long term illness 41 13% 19 7%

Mental ill health 22 7% 30 11%

Learning disability 2 1% 3 1%

Other health problem (incl. addiction issues) 22 7% 13 5%

None 202 64% 168 63%

Declined to answer 12 4% 0 0%

Managing Financially

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) askes respondents how the household is managing financially.

Households in the Scottish Borders follow a similar pattern to Scotland in regard to the proportion of

household that are managing well financially.

The SHS provides analysis related to net annual household income. The 2014 survey indicated that a higher

proportion of households with a net annual household income of ‘up to £15,000’ in the Scottish Borders

were ‘managing well’ (46%) compared to Scotland (35%).

1999-2000

2001-2002

2003-2004

2005-2006

2007-2008

2009-2010

2012 2013 2014

Manages well - Scottish Borders 40% 51% 44% 52% 53% 50% 58% 55% 54%

Get by - Scottish Borders 47% 40% 45% 39% 38% 40% 29% 34% 35%

Does not manage well - Scottish Borders 13% 8% 12% 10% 9% 9% 12% 11% 11%

Manages well - Scotland 41% 47% 47% 47% 52% 49% 47% 48% 52%

Get by - Scotland 45% 42% 42% 42% 37% 39% 40% 40% 37%

Does not manage well - Scotland 15% 12% 11% 10% 10% 12% 14% 12% 11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Proportion of Households

How the household is managing financially by year, SHS


Fuel Poverty

According to the “Fuel Poverty Delivery Plan 2013-16” produced by Scottish Borders Council’s Housing

Strategy Service, the term “fuel poverty” is used to describe the inability of households to afford to heat

the home to a satisfactory standard at a reasonable cost. The Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement (August

2002) sets out the Scottish definition:

“A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to

spend more than 10% of its (net) income (including Housing Benefit or Income Support for Mortgage

Interest) on all household fuel use (i.e. not just that for heating and hot water).’

Furthermore 'Extreme Fuel Poverty' can be defined as a household having to spend more than 20% of its

income on fuel.”

Three main factors influence whether a household is in fuel poverty:

1. Household Income – The costs of heating a property form a greater proportion of total income for

those on low incomes.

2. Fuel Costs – Higher prices reduce the affordability of fuel. Prices of different types of fuels can vary

considerably, as can the availability of different fuels in different areas, and of different types of

heating systems. This affects the ability of consumers to exercise choice. It should be noted that

even with high levels of investment in energy efficiency measures, the recent upward trend in fuel

prices has pushed many families back into fuel poverty.

3. Energy Efficiency – The thermal quality of the building and the efficiency of the heating source

determine the amount of energy that must be purchased to heat the home adequately.

According to the Scottish House Conditions Survey (SHCS), 43% of dwellings in the Scottish Borders

experience fuel poverty, higher than the 36% for Scotland. Fuel poverty is more common for dwellings built

before 1945 and pensioner households. The tables below show the characteristics of homes experiencing

46

% 53

%

64

%

54

%

35

%

48

%

73

%

52

%

38

%

34

%

33

%

35

%

45

%

41

%

24

%

37

%

16

%

12

%

2%

10

%

20

%

11

%

2%

11

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Up

to

£1

5,0

00

£1

5,0

01

-£3

0,0

00

Ove

r £

30

,00

0

All

Up

to

£1

5,0

00

£1

5,0

01

-£3

0,0

00

Ove

r £

30

,00

0

All


2014: How the household is managing financially this year by net annual household income, SHS

Manages well Get by Does not manage well


fuel poverty or extreme fuel poverty in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland based on the SHCS 2011-

2013.

Fuel Poverty by Dwelling Characteristics

Area % of Area Age of Dwelling House or Flat Number of Bedrooms

Pre-1945 Post 1945 House Flat 1 or 2 3+

Scottish Borders 43% 46% 40% 46% 35% 45% 40%

Scotland 36% 42% 33% 37% 33% 36% 35%

Fuel Poverty by Household Attributes

Area

Tenure Household Type

Owner-

occupied

Social

Housing

Private

Rented Families Pensioners Adult Only

Scottish Borders 42% 46% 31% 23% 60% 35%

Scotland 34% 40% 31% 20% 54% 31%

Extreme Fuel Poverty by Dwelling Characteristics

Area % of Area Age of Dwelling House or Flat Number of Bedrooms

Pre-1945 Post 1945 House Flat 1 or 2 3+

Scottish Borders 12% 11% 12% 16% 1% 10% 13%

Scotland 10% 13% 8% 11% 7% 8% 11%

Extreme Fuel Poverty by Household Attributes

Area

Tenure Household Type

Owner-

occupied

Social

Housing

Private

Rented Families Pensioners Adult Only


Scotland 11% 7% 9% 4% 15% 9%

For the development of the Local Housing Strategy (LHS), Changeworks created a map of the Scottish

Borders showing the estimation of fuel poverty density based on factors that increase the likelihood of

households living in fuel poverty. These factors include single pensioners, unemployed residents, central

heating type (access to the gas grid), home efficiency ratings.


Estimate of Fuel Poverty for the Scottish Borders


Education and Learning

National Outcomes:

03 We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for our research and

innovation

04 Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and

responsible citizens


Overall:

School attainment is good and getting better. The highest achieving pupils are attaining above the Scottish average.

Borders College students are attaining above the national average.

School exclusions are declining and below the national average.

Scottish Borders school leavers are going into and sustaining positive destinations at a rate above the national average.

Issues:

The gap is increasing between the highest and lowest attainers in a school setting. In the Scottish Borders, the proportion of school leavers with ‘no passes at SCQF Level 3 or better’ has increased.

Levels of research and development by Scottish Borders companies have been decreasing and well below the Scottish average since 2007.

Drivers:

National: Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC)

Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce; Youth Employment Strategy

Curriculum for Excellence

National Improvement Framework for School

Regional Outcome Agreement Guidance (Colleges)

Post 16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013

National Parenting Strategy for Scotland (2012)

National Play Strategy for Scotland (2013)

National Youth Strategy

Adult Learning Statement of Ambition

Community Learning and Development Guidance

Community Empowerment Act 2015

Equality Act 2010

Early Years Framework 2009 (Early Years Collaborative)

Local: Scottish Borders Integrated Children and Young People’s Plan 2015-2018

SBC Inclusion for All Strategy (in development)

Action Plans for Early Years Future Priorities (2016)

Regional College Outcome Agreement

Borders College Corporate Plan 2013-16

Scottish Borders Community Learning and Development Strategic Plan 2015-18

Community Learning and Development Community Partnership Plans (nine in the Scottish Borders, one for each secondary school)

Scottish Borders Young Carers Strategy

Corporate Parenting Strategy


Scottish Borders Young Carers Strategy

Children and Young People’s Health Strategy (NHS Borders)

Evidence Summary:


Pupil Profile

School Attendance

School Exclusion Pupil Attainment

School Leavers

Youth Work / Adult Learning / Community Learning and Development

Youth Work

Family Learning Adult Learning

Further Education

Adult Qualifications

Qualification Level

No Qualifications

Business Enterprise Research and Development

Pupil Profile

School Attendance

Attendance for both primary and secondary school in the Scottish Borders has consistently been higher

than attendance levels for Scotland. Note that for both Scottish Borders and Scotland attendance in

primary schools is higher than secondary schools.

2009-10 2010-11 2012-13 2014-15

Primary - Scottish Borders 95.9% 95.9% 95.7% 95.8%

Primary - Scotland 94.9% 94.8% 94.9% 95.1%

Secondary - Scottish Borders 92.2% 91.7% 92.5% 92.5%

Secondary - Scotland 91.2% 91.1% 91.9% 91.8%

88.0%

89.0%

90.0%

91.0%

92.0%

93.0%

94.0%

95.0%

96.0%

97.0%

Pecentage Attendance

Percentage Attendance for Primary and Secondary Schools, SG


School Exclusion

The 2014-15 school year saw a dramatic decrease in the number of primary exclusions for the Scottish

Borders and as a result the rate per 1,000 pupils was below the rate for Scotland.

Similar to the primary schools the secondary school exclusion number and rate reduced in 2014-15 for the

Scottish Borders.

Pupil Attainment

Between 2011/12 and 2013/14 the proportion of school leavers with the highest SCQF level of 6 or 7 has

increased by 5.3% from 58.2% to 63.5%. This was a better improvement compared to Scotland, which had a

2.9% improvement from 55.8% to 58.7%. Unfortunately, the proportion of school leavers with ‘no passes

at SCQF 3 or better’ increased from 0.9% in 2011/12 to 1.5% in 2013/14 for the Scottish Borders compared

to a slight decrease for Scotland from 1.8% to 1.7%.

2009-10 2010-11 2012-13 2014-15

Exclusions - Scottish Borders 133 170 170 46

Rate per 1,000 pupils - ScottishBorders

16.0 21.0 21.0 5.7

Rate per 1,000 pupils - Scotland 12.0 11.0 10.0 9.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

0

50

100

150

200

Primary School Exclusion and Rate per 1,000 Pupils, SG

2009-10 2010-11 2012-13 2014-15

Exclusions - Scottish Borders 522 375 479 239

Rate per 1,000 pupils - ScottishBorders

75.0 55.0 73.0 37.2

Rate per 1,000 pupils - Scotland 82.0 72.0 58.0 49.6

0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.090.0

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Secondary School Exclusion and Rate per 1,000 Pupils, SG


School Leavers

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) publishes the school leaver destination reports. For the 2014/15 school

year, there were 1,203 school leavers for Scottish Borders secondary schools, of which 95.3% were entering

a positive destination compared to the Scottish average of 92.9%. The graph below shows that in 2014/15,

the Scottish Borders had a higher proportion of school leavers going to Higher Education and Further

Education compared to Scotland.

The proportion of Scottish Borders school leavers going to an initial positive destination has increased by

7.3% from 88% in 2005/06 to 95.3% in 2014/15. The trend experienced in the Scottish Borders reflects the

changes nationally.

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14


SCQF level 7 18.5% 19.1% 21.2% 17.6% 17.6% 18.7%

SCQF level 6 39.7% 39.0% 42.3% 38.2% 38.1% 40.0%

SCQF level 5 24.0% 26.9% 19.6% 25.8% 26.9% 25.7%

SCQF level 4 15.0% 12.4% 14.1% 14.3% 13.6% 11.9%

SCQF level 3 1.9% 1.8% 1.4% 2.4% 2.2% 2.0%

No passes at SCQF 3 or better 0.9% 0.8% 1.5% 1.8% 1.5% 1.7%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Percentage of school leavers by highest SCQF level at which one or more passes were achieved, SG

HigherEducation

FurtherEducation

Training EmpoymentVountary

WorkActivity

AgreementUnemployed

SeekingUnemployedNot Seeking

Unconfirmed

ScottishBorders

42.3% 29.8% 1.5% 19.4% 1.6% 0.7% 4.0% 0.7% 0.1%

Scotland 38.3% 27.8% 3.8% 21.7% 0.4% 0.9% 5.4% 1.1% 0.5%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

School Leaver - Initial Destination 2014/15, SDS


From 2011/12, the proportion of school leavers in a positive destination after six months has increased for

the Scottish Borders from 89.3% to 94.0%. From 2012/13, the Scottish Borders had a higher proportion of

school leavers at a positive destination at six months compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, for 2012/13, there were 6 intermediate zones (2001 based) where less than

85% of the school leavers were in a positive destination at 6 months. These were Hawick Central,

Innerleithen and Walkerburn area, Eyemouth, Coldstream and area, Galashiels North and Langlee.

2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Scottish Borders 88.0% 90.3% 87.0% 87.4% 88.3% 92.3% 90.9% 92.0% 94.2% 95.3%

Scotland 85.0% 87.0% 86.5% 85.7% 86.8% 88.9% 89.9% 91.4% 92.3% 92.9%

78.0%80.0%82.0%84.0%86.0%88.0%90.0%92.0%94.0%96.0%98.0%

Proportion of School Leavers at an Initial Positive Destination, SDS

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

Number of leavers - Scottish Borders 1145 1196 1052 1192

% Positive Desintation - Scottish Borders 89.3% 92.7% 94.0% 94.0%

% Positive Desintation - Scotland 89.6% 90.4% 91.7% 92.0%

86.0%

88.0%

90.0%

92.0%

94.0%

96.0%

0200400600800

100012001400

Number of School Leavers

Number of School Leavers and Percent at at Positive Destinations at 6 months, SG

78

.3

81

.4

82

.1

83

.3

83

.8

84

.6

86

.3

87

.2

87

.5

88

.9

89

.7

90

.9

91

.1

92

.7

93

.3

93

.8

94

.2

94

.3

94

.4

95

.2

95

.5

95

.6

96

.8

97

.3

97

.4

97

.6

98

.0

10

0.0

10

0.0

Scottish Borders , 92.7

Scotland, 90.4

60.0

65.0

70.0

75.0

80.0

85.0

90.0

95.0

100.0

Haw

ick

Cen

tral

Inn

erle

ith

en

an

d W

alke

rbu

rn a

rea

Eyem

ou

th

Co

ldst

ream

an

d a

rea

Gal

ash

iels

No

rth

Lan

glee

Bu

rnfo

ot

and

are

a

Gal

ash

iels

Wes

t

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

East

Selk

irk

Haw

ick

Wes

t En

d

New

cast

leto

n a

nd

Tev

iot

are

a

Ettr

ick,

Yar

row

an

d Y

air

Jed

bu

rgh

Kel

so S

ou

th

St B

osw

ells

an

d N

ewto

wn

are

a

Pe

eble

s So

uth

Du

ns

Ch

evio

t W

est

Mel

rose

an

d T

we

edb

ank

are

a

Kel

so N

ort

h

Wes

t Li

nto

n a

nd

Bro

ugh

ton

are

a

Gal

ash

iels

So

uth

Pe

eble

s N

ort

h

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

We

st

Earl

sto

n, L

aud

er

and

Sto

w a

rea

Ch

evio

t Ea

st

Haw

ick

No

rth

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

Cen

tral

% of School Leavers at a Positive Destination at 6 Months 2012/2013, SNS


Youth Work / Adult Learning / Community Learning and Development

Youth Work

In the Scottish Borders youth work is based around the 9 learning communities (secondary schools) along

with some ‘Borders Wide’ activity. According to Youthlink Scotland, youth work has three essential and

definitive features, which are: ‘Young people choose to participate’, ‘The work must build from where

young people are’, and ‘Youth Work recognises the young person and the youth worker as partners in a

learning process’. Youthlink Scotland describes the purpose of youth work as follows:

Build self-esteem and self-confidence.

Develop the ability to manage personal and social relationships.

Create learning and develop new skills.

Encourage positive group atmospheres.

Build the capacity of young people to consider risk, make reasoned decisions and take control.

Develop a ‘world view’, which widens horizons and invites social commitment.

In 2014/15, there was a decrease in the number of young people participating in youth work activity in the

Scottish Borders compared to 2013/14. However, proportion of young people that evidenced learning

outcomes increased; 33% compared to 24% respectively.

The number of ratified learning achievements in 2013/14 was 319 that increased to 455 in 2014/15. The

ratified learning achievements include YAA award, Dynamic Youth Award, Saltire Award and SQA award.

In 2014/15, there was a 27% increase in the ‘number of young people actively participating in decision

making or governance that impacts on the design or delivery of service’, compared to 2013/14; 1,171 and

191 respectively.

3821

2426

914 7940

1000

2000

3000

4000

2013/14 2014/15

Youth Work Participation and Evidence of Learning Outcomes, SBC-CLD

Number of young people participating in a youth work programme or activity

Number of young people that evidence learning outcomes in an organised learning programme

31 26

91

31

139

271

58

127

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2013/14 2014/15

Ratified Learning Achievements, SBC-CLD

YAA Award Dynamic Youth Award Saltire Award SQA Award


Family Learning

Family learning helps vulnerable families (parent/ carers and children) to achieve one or more of the

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) capacities. The four CfE capacities are successful learners, confident

individuals, responsible citizens, and effective contributors. In 2013/14 there were 746 family learning

opportunities delivered to parents/ carers of which 60% were ‘successfully completed’. In 2014/15, the

proportion of ‘successfully completed’ increased to 64% although the number of opportunities dropped to

632.

The graph below shows the proportion of participants that achieved specific outcomes resulting from their

‘successfully completed’ family learning opportunity. For the most part 2014/15 had higher achievement

levels compared to 2013/14, specifically related to CfE capacities.

746

632

450 4040

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2013/14 2014/15

Family Learning Opportunities and Completions, SBC-CLD

Family learning opportunities delivered to parents/carers Learning opportunities successfully completed

28.7% 48.5%44.7% 66.6%59.3% 51.7%62.4% 72.3%51.1% 57.9%0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

2013/14 2014/15

Achievements from the Completed Family Learning Opportunities, SBC-CLD

Parents/carers self assessing their own learning Parents/carers achieving CfE four capacities

Family outcomes Children achieving one CfE four capacities

Children achieving Health and Wellbeing Es and Os


Adult Learning

Community Learning and Development (CLD) adult learning works with adults in the community to increase

their knowledge, skills and confidence of everyday life. The figures presented below cover adults taking

part in learning opportunities where they set goals in an individual learning plan (ILP) and record the

achievement of these goals. Adult learning includes adult literacies, English for speakers of other languages,

and Community Based Adult Learning. The graph below shows the number of adult learning opportunities

were delivered and successfully completed for 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15. Over the three years the

proportion of successful completions increased from 62% to 75% and then 78% for 2014/15.

Over the three years, 50% or more of the adult learners that completed a learning opportunity thought

they had achieved increased skills, increased confidence and increased health and wellbeing.

572

721

615

353 541 4820

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Adult Learning Opporutnities and Completions, SBC-CLD

Learning Opportunities Delivered Learning Opportunities Successfully Completed

53

%

54

%

53

%62

%

64

% 69

%

39

%

42

%

43

%

69

%

66

% 71

%

31

% 40

%

36

%

3%

12

%

4%6%

16

%

10

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Achievements from the Completed Adult Learning Opportunities, SBC-CLD

Increased skills Increased confidence Family outcomes

Increased health and well being Increased employability Increased financial capability

Accreditation


Further and Higher Education

Borders College: Student Enrolment

Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the number of full-time students enrolled at Borders College increased by

23%, from 1,015 to 1,253. During that time period the number of full-time higher education students more

than doubled compared to a 14% increase for full-time further education students.

Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the number of part-time students at Borders College decreased by 18.5%,

from 5,125 to 4,178.

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Higher Education 101 136 128 132 184 209

Further Education 914 940 998 1031 1021 1044

Total Full Time Enrolments 1015 1076 1126 1163 1205 1253

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Full-time Students Enrolled at Borders College, BC

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Higher Education 241 239 196 155 161 209

Further Education 4884 4676 4164 4028 4151 3969

Total Part Time Enrolments 5125 4915 4360 4183 4312 4178

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Part-time Students Enrolled at Borders College, BC


Further Education – Full-time Success

From 2011/12 to 2014/15 the full-time further education students at Borders College have had a higher

success rate compared to Scotland.

Further Education – Part-time Success

The part-time further education success at Borders College has been consistent with the success rate for

Scotland.

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Borders College Scotland

Withdrawn 20% 23% 19% 23% 25% 24% 23% 26%

Partial Success 7% 6% 8% 8% 11% 11% 11% 11%

Learner Success 73% 71% 74% 69% 64% 65% 66% 64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Further Education Full-time Success, BC

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15


Withdrawn 14% 14% 12% 14% 11% 8% 7% 8%

Partial Success 7% 8% 6% 8% 13% 8% 9% 17%

Learner Success 79% 78% 82% 78% 77% 84% 85% 75%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Further Education Part-time Success, BC


Higher Education – Full-time Success

The proportion of successful full-time higher education students at Borders College has increased from 70%

in 2011/12 to 75% in 2014/15, slightly higher that the rate for Scotland.

Higher Education – Part-time Success

The success rate of part-time higher education students at Borders College has generally been similar to

Scotland. However, there have been a slightly greater proportion of withdrawals.

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15


Withdrawn 21% 18% 17% 14% 19% 18% 16% 17%

Partial Success 9% 11% 7% 7% 12% 12% 13% 12%

Learner Success 70% 71% 76% 75% 69% 70% 72% 71%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Higher Education Full-time Success, BC

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15


Withdrawn 14% 12% 22% 12% 10% 10% 8% 8%

Partial Success 14% 19% 5% 13% 14% 14% 14% 14%

Learner Success 72% 69% 74% 75% 76% 76% 78% 78%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Higher Education Part-time Success, BC


Adult Qualifications

Qualification Level

According to the Annual Population Survey (APS) the proportion of adults (aged 16-64) with a qualification

(NVQ1+) has increased from 79.7% in 2009 to 87.5% in 2014 for the Scottish Borders. This improvement is

better than the increase for Scotland. Within the Scottish Borders, almost 40% of the adults have a

qualification of NVQ4 or better.

No Qualifications

According to the APS the proportion of adults (16-64) with no qualifications in the Scottish Borders has

consistently been below the level for Scotland. Between 2005 and 2014, the proportion of adults with no

qualifications in the Scottish Borders decreased from 11.5% to 5.7%.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


% with NVQ1+ 79.7 78.6 83.2 84.3 84.8 87.5 79.2 80.1 82.0 83.2 83.4 84.4

% with NVQ2+ 69.7 70.2 73.6 73.9 74.7 76.4 69.4 70.2 72.2 73.1 73.5 74.8

% with NVQ3+ 54.1 54.1 59.3 59.3 59.8 62.4 54.8 55.9 57.3 58.4 59.0 60.2

% with NVQ4+ 32.7 32.8 36.0 36.2 37.9 39.8 33.8 34.8 36.9 38.2 38.9 41.0

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

% of 16-64 with Qualifications, Scottish Borders and Scotland, APS

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 11.5% 12.9% 13.0% 11.4% 10.4% 10.7% 9.9% 9.3% 8.6% 5.7%

Scotland 14.8% 13.8% 13.7% 13.8% 13.2% 12.3% 11.7% 10.7% 10.4% 9.4%

0.0%2.0%4.0%6.0%8.0%

10.0%12.0%14.0%16.0%

% of 16-64 with No Qualifications (NVQ), APS


Business Enterprise Research and Development

The Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) expenditure, produced by Office of National

Statistics (ONS) is a reliable estimate of business R&D spending. It is a measure of the competitiveness of

the economy and is a determinant of productivity growth and economic performance.

The graph below shows the expenditure on Research and Development (R&D) by businesses in the Scottish

Borders between 2002 and 2014, and the proportion of the Scottish R&D expenditure by businesses. Over

the years the Scottish Borders accounted for an average of 0.81% of Scotland business R&D expenditure.

Between 2002 and 2004 the R&D business expenditure in the Scottish Borders increased by £4,757k

(389%). The year with the highest expenditure was 2007 with £12,148k.

The graph below shows the expenditure on R&D by businesses in 2014 per person for each local authority

and for Scotland. In 2014 the R&D business expenditure per person for the Scottish Borders was £52, well

below the £169 for Scotland or the £781 for Aberdeen City.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders £1,222 £1,317 £4,458 £1,436 £1,913 £12,148 £4,783 £4,564 £7,052 £5,835 £7,571 £6,936 £5,979

SB as % of Scotland 0.24% 0.30% 1.04% 0.28% 0.42% 2.24% 0.86% 0.72% 1.14% 0.84% 1.07% 0.77% 0.66%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

2.50%

£0

£2,000

£4,000

£6,000

£8,000

£10,000

£12,000

£14,000

Expenditure (£000) on R&D performed within businesses in the Scottish Borders and % of Scotland, ONS

£781

£52

Scotland = £169

£0

£100

£200

£300

£400

£500

£600

£700

£800

£900

Expenditure on R&D performed within businesses in Scotland in 2014 per person (£), ONS


Life Stages / Health and Wellbeing

National Outcomes:

05 Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed

06 We live longer, healthier lives

07 We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society

08 We have improved the life chances for young people and families at risk

15 Our people are able to maintain their independence as they get older and are able to access

appropriate support when they need it


Overall: Importance of community action to improve health

There is a need for the increased involvement of communities in order to improve health indicators across the board, empowering communities to equip them with confidence, tools, information and choices so that they can look after their own health.

It is important to focus not only on lifestyles but also on creating opportunities for people of all ages to exercise and be healthier.

The use of intergenerational work in communities will help social interaction and provide community based volunteering opportunities for older people. There are pockets of good practice that need to be highlighted and replicated if it would fit naturally into another community.

Work life balance is important to good mental health this includes a focus on staff and wellbeing at work.

Changing attitudes and behaviours, and reducing barriers, not just giving advice is paramount to all of the above.

Issues:

The rurality and lack of public transport in the Borders limits the range of activities that children and young people can engage in. This can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health.

Changes in technology have had both positive and negative impacts on people’s health and wellbeing. On the negative side, there seems to be a reduction in outdoor physical activity and social media used as a tool to bully. On the positive side, the internet and social media have enabled some socially isolated groups / individuals to build social networks (e.g. creates a space for LGBT young people to interact and build networks to share experiences, thus improving their mental wellbeing). Technology has also enabled greater independence for older and/or vulnerable individuals.

The rurality of the Borders can also increase social isolation, which can be exacerbated by the lack of services. Services need to shift away from what has been conventionally delivered in favour of more flexible community based options that meet the needs/wishes of the community.

Services need to be more personalised with continuity of staff.

More early intervention is required in order to reduce/prevent admission to hospital.

Families need to have conversations about care in old age/end of life care. Information about the financial assistance/resources available to low income families, needs to be better publicised.

Education related to nutrition and healthy living needs to be consistent from early in life to reduce the risk of preventable ill health e.g. type 2 diabetes.

Highlights:

Partners are getting better at working together and the locality process could further strength this.

Community Capacity Building Project (older people)

Development of volunteering to support health improvement (e.g. through Healthy Living Centres)


There is good interaction/involvement of the 3rd Sector e.g. Red Cross work.

Scottish Fire & Rescue Service – wider remit home checks (re slips & trips/adaptations)

Drivers:

National: Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act

Review of public health in Scotland 2016

Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014

Review of Obesity Route Map, 2015

Equally Safe, 2014

Sexual health and Blood borne Virus Framework: update, 2015

Creating a Smoke Free Generation, 2013

Mental Health Strategy, 2016

The Keys to Life, 2013

Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol (2009

Road to Recovery, 2008

Sporting Future: A new Strategy for an Active Nation, Dec 2015

Better Cancer Care; Detect Cancer Early; Transforming Care after Treatment strategy

Diabetes Action Plan, 2010

Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland, 2014

Play Strategy for Scotland, 2013

Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People, 2016

Sporting Future: A new Strategy for an Active Nation, Dec 2015

Local: Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership: Strategic Plan 2016-19

NHS Border Local Delivery Plan

Reducing Inequalities Strategy, 2016

Integrated Children and Young People’s Plan, 2016

Scottish Borders Alcohol and Drug Partnership Strategy 2015 -18

Scottish Borders Tobacco Control action plan, 2016

Director of Public Health Annual Report, 2015

Evidence Summary:

Indictors Status Key

Maternity / Early Years Teenage Pregnancies

Mothers Smoking During Pregnancy

Low Birth Weight

Exclusively Breastfeeding

Immunisations

27-30 Month Review

Children Dental Health

Child Obesity Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey

(SALSUS) – Scottish Borders

Mental health and wellbeing among adolescents

Adults


Self-Assessed General Health

Long-term Illness Coronary Heart Disease

Cancer

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Asthma

Diabetes Overweight (including Obesity)

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Emergency Hospitalisations

Breast Screening Uptake

Bowel Screening Uptake

Older People

Multiple Emergency Hospitalisations for people 65+ People aged 65 and over with high levels of care needs who are cared

for at home

Substance Use Alcohol

Drugs

Smoking

Mental Health

Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)

General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)

Prescriptions

Hospitalisations

Suicide

Feeling Lonely or Isolated

Physical Activity

Children’s Physical Activity

Adult Physical Activity

Reducing Risk

Children Looked After Children’s Reporter

Child Protection Adult Protection Homelessness

Migrant Health

Learning Disability

Carers


Maternity / Early Years

Teenage Pregnancies

The Scottish Borders consistently has a lower rate of teenage pregnancies (under 20 years of age)


Mothers Smoking During Pregnancy

Smoking is recognised by NHS Scotland and Scottish Government as the biggest single cause of preventable

ill-health and premature death. Smoking in pregnancy is higher in Scottish Borders than the Scottish

average and is particularly high in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived.

Between 2002/03 – 2004/05 and 2012/13 – 2014/15 the proportion of mothers smoking in Scotland

dropped by 7.7%, however, during the same period there was only a 3.4% drop for the Scottish Borders.

The Scottish Borders has consistently had more mothers smoking during pregnancy compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of mothers smoking during pregnancy by Intermediate Zone

ranges from 4.7% to 46.8%. Teviot and Liddesdale locality has the highest proportion of mothers smoking

during pregnancy.

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 54.6 55.7 56.7 57.4 56.6 54.5 51.5 47.9 44.7 41.1

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

Teenage (<20 years) pregnancies: 3-year rolling average, crude rate per 1,000 females aged 15-19, NRS

2002/03-

2004/05

2003/04-

2005/06

2004/05-

2006/07

2005/06-

2007/08

2006/07-

2008/09

2007/08-

2009/10

2008/09-

2010/11

2009/10-

2011/10

2010/11-

2012/13

2011/12-

2013/14

2012/13-

2014/15


Scotland 26.2 24.7 24.0 23.3 22.4 21.5 20.8 20.5 20.0 19.3 18.5

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

Percent of Mothers smoking during pregnancy: 3-year average, ISD


Low Birth Weight

Low birth weight is defined as a birth weight of less than 2.5kg for a live single baby. Low birth weight is

the result either of a premature birth or of slow growth in the womb, or a combination of both. Low birth

weight is associated with causing fatal or serious complications such as birth defects, cot death, reduced

lung function, childhood asthma and ear infections in the child’s early years and with obesity,

cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes in later life, although these two complications are also

associated with parental influences and maternal obesity. Low birth weight is strongly associated with

maternal smoking and with poor maternal nutrition. Babies with a normal or higher birth weight are more

likely to experience healthy childhood and adult lives and to have higher intelligence, but are more likely to

develop autism.

Scottish Government research has found that low birth weight is more common in deprived areas, but this

gap is beginning to narrow, due mostly to improvements in rates in the most deprived areas, rather than to

any change in the less deprived areas or in the population as a whole.

The Scottish Borders has a similar level of low weight singletons births to that for Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders the Cheviot locality has a slightly higher proportion of low weight singleton

births.

4.7 24.5 24.4 26.1 32.6 15.8 46.8


Scotland, 20.0

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

Lowest Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot & Liddesdale Tweeddale Highest

Percent of Mothers smoking during pregnancy 3-year average 2011/12 to 2013/14 - ISD

2002/03-

2004/05

2003/04-

2005/06

2004/05-

2006/07

2005/06-

2007/08

2006/07-

2008/09

2007/08-

2009/10

2008/09-

2010/11

2009/10-

2011/10

2010/11-

2012/13

2011/12-

2013/14

2012/13-

2014/15


Scotland 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Percent of low weight singleton births (<2,500g); 3-year average, ISD


Exclusively Breastfeeding

The 2013 Growing Up In Scotland study found that patterns of breastfeeding in Scotland are strongly linked

with inequality and multiple deprivation.

Between 2002 and 2009, there was a decline in the proportion of babies being exclusively breastfed in the

Scottish Borders. Between 2010 and 2014 the proportion of babies being exclusively breastfed has

increased slightly. Compared to Scotland, the Scottish Borders has had a greater proportion of babies being

exclusively breastfed.

Within the Scottish Borders the proportion of babies exclusively breastfed by Intermediate Zone ranges

from 12.9% to 59.7%. The locality in the Scottish Borders with the most babies exclusively breastfed is

Tweeddale and the least is in Teviot and Liddesdale.

0.0 1.9 2.4 1.7 1.8 1.5 5.0


Scotland, 2.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent of low weight singleton births (<2,500g)3-year average 2011/12 to 2013/14 - ISD

2002/03-

2004/05

2003/04-

2005/06

2004/05-

2006/07

2005/06-

2007/08

2006/07-

2008/09

2007/08-

2009/10

2008/09-

2010/11

2009/10-

2011/10

2010/11-

2012/13

2011/12-

2013/14

2012/13-

2014/15


Scotland 27.3 27.4 27.1 26.7 26.3 26.3 26.4 26.3 26.3 26.5 26.8

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Percent Babies exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks: 3-year average, CHSP-PS

12.9 30.5 27.2 32.5 20.9 44.5 59.7


Scotland, 26.5

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent Babies exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks3-year average 2011/12 to 2013/14 - CHSP-PS


Immunisations

The Scottish Borders has a slightly higher immunisation uptake for 5 in 1 (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus,

Polio, Hib) for those children aged 24 months compared to Scotland.

Similar to Scotland the immunisation update for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) at 24 months for the

Scottish Borders has increased between 2003 and 2014.

27-30 Month Review

Child health reviews for children aged 27-30 months were introduced into the Scottish Child Health

Programme13 in April 2013.

All children are offered a health and development review at 27-30 months. The focus of this child health

review by the Health Visiting Team is on each child’s health and wellbeing. This assessment offers a general

review of the child’s growth and development including weight and height measurement. This is also an

opportunity to offer health-promoting messages to the child and family covering the following topics: Play,

Dental health, Exercise, Behaviour, Eating and drinking, Speech and language, Growth, and Safety.

The graph below shows the number of children eligible for a review and the number of reviews that were

carried out during each year. It also shows that for the Scottish Borders there has been a slight increase in

13

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Child-Development/

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013

2012-2014


Scotland 96.77 96.92 97.2 97.53 97.74 97.98 98.11 98.15 98.18 98.19

95

96

97

98

99

Percentage Immunisation uptake at 24 months for 5 in 1 (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hib): 3-year rolling average, SIRS

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013

2012-2014


Scotland 88.4 90.1 91.4 92.1 92.6 93.0 93.6 94.1 94.8 95.3

86.0

88.0

90.0

92.0

94.0

96.0

98.0

Percentage Immunisation uptake at 24 months for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella): 3-year rolling average, SIRS

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Child-Development/


the proportion of reviews carried out between 2013/14 and 2014/15, 90.2% and 91.6% respectively. For

both years, the Scottish Borders has had higher proportion of reviews compared to Scotland.

Compared to Scotland the Scottish Borders had more ‘meaningful assessments’ as a proportion of all

reviews for both 2013/14 and 2014/15. For both 2013/14 and 2014/15, the Scottish Borders had a lower

proportion of children that were identified as having a ‘new or previously identified concern in ANY

domain; 17.8% and 18.1% respectively compared to Scotland (19.2% both years).

The 27-30 Month Review assesses the children for developmental concerns related to 9 domain; these

domains are: social; emotional; behavioural; attention; speech, language & communication; gross motor;

fine motor; vision; and hearing. The graph with table below shows the proportion of children that had NO

development concern by each of the domains for Scottish Borders and Scotland for 2013/14 and 2014/15.

Overall, the Scottish Borders has a higher proportion of children with NO developmental concerns

compared to Scotland. However, similar to Scotland, there are more developmental concerns related to

‘speech, language and communication’ in the Scottish Borders.

2013/14 2014/15

Scottish Borders - Eligible Children 1081 1091

Scottish Borders - Reviews 975 999

Scottish Borders - % of Eligible ChildrenReviewed

90.2% 91.6%

Scotland - % of Eligible Children Reviewed 86.9% 86.7%

84.0%

85.0%

86.0%

87.0%

88.0%

89.0%

90.0%

91.0%

92.0%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Number of Eligible Children and Reviews

Number of Children Eligible for 27-30 Month Review and Percent Reviewed, ISD

87.5% 87.8%96.3% 96.3%

71.2% 71.6% 79.4% 79.5%

19.2% 19.2% 17.8% 18.1%0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

2013/14 2014/15 2013/14 2014/15

Scotland Scottish Borders

% of Meaningful Assessments, % No Concerns Across All Domains, % with a Concern in ANY Domain of ALL Reviews, Scotland and the Scottish Borders, ISD

% meaningful developmental assessmentoutcome data across all domains

% No concerns across all domains

% with a new or previously identifiedconcern in ANY domain


Children

Dental Health

Children in Primary 1 and Primary 7 are assessed for dental health. The graphs below show the proportion

of children with “no obvious decay experience, but child should continue to see the family dentist on a

regular basis”. Overall, for both P1 and P7, the Scottish Borders has a greater proportion of children with

no obvious dental decay.

2013/14 2014/15 2013/14 2014/15


Social 91.1% 92.0% 95.3% 95.1%

Emotional 92.2% 93.3% 96.7% 96.7%

Behavioural 89.3% 89.9% 94.9% 94.0%

Attention 90.9% 91.8% 93.9% 93.7%

Speech, Language & Communication 83.3% 82.8% 83.8% 84.7%

Gross Motor 91.2% 91.9% 96.3% 96.3%

Fine Motor 91.0% 91.7% 95.8% 97.2%

Vision 87.0% 87.6% 95.6% 98.2%

Hearing 88.0% 88.3% 96.3% 97.1%

75.0%

80.0%

85.0%

90.0%

95.0%

100.0%

% of Children with No Developmental Concern by Domain, ISD

2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014


Scotland 50.7 54.1 57.7 64.0 67.0 68.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

Precentage of Primary 1 children with no obvious tooth decay, ISD - NDIP


Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of Primary 1 children with ‘No obvious dental decay’ by

Intermediate Zone ranged from 51.4% to 93.7%. The localities with the highest proportion of P1 children

with ‘No obvious dental decay’ are Tweeddale and Eildon.

Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of Primary 7 children with ‘No obvious dental decay’ by

Intermediate Zone ranged from 32.6% to 66.7%. The locality with the highest proportion of P7 children with

‘No obvious dental decay’ is Berwickshire.

2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015


Scotland 52.9 59.1 63.6 69.4 72.8 75.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Precentage of Primary 7 children with no obvious tooth decay, ISD - NDIP

51.4 64.5 71.1 76.0 70.5 81.2 93.7


Scotland, 66.7

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent of Primary 1 children with "No obvious dental decay experience"2013/14 - NDIP

32.6 57.5 52.1 49.7 48.9 51.7 66.7


Scotland, 47.7

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent of Primary 7 children with "No obvious dental decay experience"2013/14 - NDIP


Child Obesity

Child obesity is an indicator of health inequalities, this is measured by the proportion of children in an area

whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is within the top 5% of the 1990 UK reference range for their age and sex.

Since 2005/06, the percentage of child obesity in primary 1 in the Scottish Borders has been below the level

experienced for Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of child obesity in Primary 1 by Intermediate Zone ranges from

0% to 21.4%. The locality with the highest proportion of child obesity in P1 is Berwickshire.

Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) – Scottish Borders

The information presented in this section contains key results for the Scottish Borders related to the

Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) 201314.

Smoking

Overall, a greater proportion of 13 year olds have ‘never smoked’ compared to 15 year olds.

The proportion of 13 and 15 year olds in the Scottish Borders that have ‘never smoked’ as increased, similar

to the trend for Scotland. However, for girls aged 15 in the Scottish Borders the trend is not as positive; in

2013 only 56% of the 15 girls in the Scottish Borders have ‘never smoked’ compared to 63% for Scotland.

14

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Public-Health/SALSUS/

2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14


Scotland 10.3 10.5 10.5 9.9 9.3 9.2 9.5 9.6 9.8 9.3 10.1

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Percent of Child Obesity in Primary 1, CHSP-S

0.0 13.2 5.7 9.9 9.4 6.9 21.4


Scotland, 10.1

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percent of Child Obesity in Primary 12013/14 - CHSP-S

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Public-Health/SALSUS/


Overall, for both Scottish Borders and Scotland the proportion of 13 and 15 year olds who are regular

smokers has decreased between 2002 and 2013.

In 2013, the proportion of 13 year olds that were regular smokers was 2% for both girls and boy and for

both Scottish Borders and Scotland.

In 2013 there was an increase in the proportion of 15-year-old girl smoking in the Scottish Borders, higher

than the boys and Scottish girls.

Similar to Scotland a lower proportion of 15-year-old pupils have ‘Never used an e-cigarette’ compared to

13 year olds. It can be seen that for both Scottish Borders and Scotland the proportion who say “I have

never used an e-cigarette” reduces by the ‘smoking status”.

For both Scottish Borders and Scotland, the proportion of pupils who think it is OK for someone their age to

try smoking is higher for 15 year olds. It is interesting to note that the proportion of think it is not OK has

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 13 who have never smoked, by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)

Boys Aged 13 - Scotland

Girls Aged 13 - Scotland

Boys Aged 13 - Scottish Borders

Girls Aged 13 - Scottish Borders

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 15 who have never smoked, by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)

Boys Aged 15 - Scotland Girls Aged 15 - Scotland

Boys Aged 15 - Scottish Borders Girls Aged 15 - Scottish Borders

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 13 who regularly smoke, by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)





0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 15 who regularly smoke, by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)





9294

91

94

83 84

80 80

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

Boys Girls Boys Girls


Proproption who say "I have never used an e-cigarette" - 2013

13 Year Olds 15 Year Olds

96 96

76 78

61

515448

3430

0

20

40

60

80

100


Proproption who say "I have never used an e-cigarette" - 2013 by 'smoking staus"

Never smoked Tried once Used to smoke Occasional smokers Regular smokers


increased for both age groups between 2010 and 2013. However, in the Scottish Borders a higher

proportion of 15 year olds ‘think it is OK to try smoking’ compared to Scotland.

Alcohol

Between 2010 and 2013, the proportion of pupils who “ever had an alcoholic drink” had decreased for both

13 year olds and 15 year olds, most notably for the 13 year olds.

In 2013, more 15 year olds in the Scottish Borders have had an alcoholic drink compared to the level for

Scotland.

Overall, a lower proportion of 13 year olds have ‘drank in the last week’ compared to 15 years.

There has been a reduction in the proportion of 13 and 15 year olds ‘who have drank in the last week’ for

both Scottish Borders and Scotland. However, more 15 year olds in the Scottish Borders have ‘drank in the

last week’ compared to Scotland, 22% compared to 19% respectively.

29

18

34

18

58

68

53

67

13 14 14 14

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2010 2013 2010 2013


Proproption of 13 year old pupils think it is OK for someone their age to try smoking a cigarette (2010 vs 2013)

It's OK It's not OK Don't know

63

49

71

58

28

40

21

32

9 11 8 9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2010 2013 2010 2013


Proproption of 15 year old pupils think it is OK for someone their age to try smoking a cigarette (2010 vs 2013)

It's OK It's not OK Don't know

45 44

5445

33 30 31 31

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 13 year olds who "ever had an alcoholic drink"

2010 2013

76 7983 82

6772 71

78

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 15 year olds who "ever had an alcoholic drink"

2010 2013

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 13 who drank in the last week,by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)



0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 15 who drank in the last week, by gender: 2002-2013 (Scotland and Scottish Borders)




Between 2002 and 2013, the proportion of pupils who usually drink once a week or more had decreased for

Scotland and Scottish Borders. There was a 15% drop for 13 year olds and a 23% drop for 15 year olds in the

Scottish Borders.

Similar to Scotland 13 year olds in the Scottish Borders are less like to think it’s “OK to try alcohol to see

what it’s like” or “OK to get drunk to see what it’s like”. However, a greater proportion 13 and 15 year olds

in Scottish Borders think “OK to try alcohol to see what it’s like” or “OK to get drunk to see what it’s like”

compared to Scotland. In 2013 more 15-year-old girls in the Scottish Borders thought it was “OK to get

drunk to see what it’s like” (46%) compared to boy in the Scottish Borders or boy or girls in Scotland.

Drugs

Similar to Scotland fewer 13 year olds in the Scottish Borders have ‘ever’ used drugs compared to 15 year

olds. There has been an increase in the proportion 15 year old girls in the Scottish Borders that have ‘ever’

used drugs; different from the Scottish result.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 13 who usually drink alcohol once a week or more: 2002-2013

Scotland

Scottish Borders

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 15 who usually drink alcohol once a week or more: 2002-2013

Scotland

Scottish Borders

52 5358

66

43 42

52 50

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 13 year olds who thinks it's"OK to try alcohol to see what it's like"

2010 2013

7984

90 90

7380 81

86

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 15 year olds who thinks it's"OK to try alcohol to see what it's like"

2010 2013

13 14 1388 8 9 7

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 13 year olds who thinks it's"OK to get drunk to see what it's like"

2010 2013

46 4753

47

3741 39

46

0

20

40

60

80

100



Proportion of 15 year olds who thinks it's"OK to get drunk to see what it's like"

2010 2013


Between 2010 and 2013, the proportion of 15 year olds reporting to ‘ever’ use new psychoactive substance

(legal highs) has increased for Scotland and the Scottish Borders. The proportion of pupils reporting to

‘ever’ use legal highs is very low.

Between 2002 and 2013, the proportion of 13 and 15 ‘reporting drug use in the last month’ had declined.

Fewer 13 year olds report drug use compared to 15 year olds. In Scottish Borders the proportion of 15 year

olds ‘reporting drug use in the last month’ has increased between 2010 and 2013 for both boys and girls;

different from the Scottish trend.

For both Scottish Borders and Scotland, the proportion of pupils that agree, “Taking drug is exciting”

increases between age 13 and 15. The proportion of pupils who agree, “People my age who take drugs

6 5

8

2

53 4 3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30



Proportion of 13 year old pupils reporting 'ever' used drugs

2010 2013

24

18 18

9

19

1618

16

0

5

10

15

20

25

30



Proportion of 15 year old pupils reporting 'ever' used drugs

2010 2013

1 12

01 1 1

00

2

4

6

8

10



Proportion of 13 year old pupils reporting 'ever' used new psychoactive substances

2010 2013

32 2

1

5

3

5

3

0

2

4

6

8

10



Proportion of 15 year old pupils reporting 'ever' used new psychoactive substances

2010 2013

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 13 reporting drug use in the last month,by gender: 2002-2013

(Scotland and Scottish Borders)



0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2006 2010 2013

Proportion of pupils aged 15 reporting drug use in the last month,by gender: 2002-2013

(Scotland and Scottish Borders)




need help and advice” in the Scottish Borders is similar to the level for Scotland. It is interesting to note

that the proportion who agrees with the statement is lower for 15 year olds compared to 13 year olds.

Mental health and wellbeing among adolescents

The SALSUS survey also asks about the mental health and wellbeing of young people using both the

Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and the ‘Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’

(SDQ). In November 2015 a full report “Mental health and wellbeing among adolescents in Scotland:

profile and trends” was published on the Scottish Government’s website15. The report explores trends in

mental health and wellbeing and explores the factors which best predict higher and lower mental health

and wellbeing. Within the report, there was limited information release to show differences between

young people in the Scottish Borders compared to the rest of Scotland. One area that was presented by

local authority related to emotional and behavioural problems or “Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire”

(SDQ).

The SDQ was designed by Robert Goodman (1997) and is widely used by researchers, clinicians and

education professionals. The questionnaire comprises 25 items that are grouped into 5 scales, with each

scale including 5 questions. The scales are:

emotional symptoms (5 items)

conduct problems (5 items)

hyperactivity/inattention (5 items)

peer relationship problems (5 items)

pro-social behaviour (5 items)

For each item in each of the five scales, the value of the responses ‘Not true,’ ‘Somewhat true,’ and

‘Certainly true’ are assigned a value from 0 to 2. Overall scores are calculated for each of the five scales by

summing the scores for all items within each scale. Total difficulties scores are calculated as an overall

measure of emotional and behavioural problems by summing the scores for emotional problems, conduct

problems, hyperactivity and peer problems, but excluding scores for pro-social behaviour.

The graph below shows the SDQ scores for the Scottish Borders between 2006 and 2013 as the percentage

of young people with a borderline or abnormal score. Between 2006 and 2013 the proportion of young

people in the Scottish Borders with ‘peer relationship problems’, ‘emotional symptoms’ and ‘ pro-social

behaviour’ has increased; whereas for ‘hyperactivity’ and ‘conduct problems’ has decreased.

15

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/11/9339

6

17

4

15

7

16

6

16

0

5

10

15

20

13 year olds 15 year olds 13 year olds 15 year olds


Proportion of pupils who agree that "Taking drugs is exciting"

2010 2013

79

67

83

6877

66

79

63

0

20

40

60

80

100

13 year olds 15 year olds 13 year olds 15 year olds


Proportion of pupils who agree that "People my age who take drugs need help and advice"

2010 2013

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/11/9339


The 2013 SALSUS report identified that 31% of the young people in the Scottish Borders has an overall SDQ

score classified as ‘borderline or abnormal’ compared to the 30% average for Scottish local authorities.

31% Scotland - 30%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Proportion of young people with an overall SDQ score classified as borderline or abnormal, SALSUS 2013


Adults

Self-Assessed General Health

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) asks respondents about their ‘self-assessed general health’. The graph

below show the results by health board compared to Scotland. 76% of the adults in the Scottish Borders

consider their heath to be ‘very good’ or ‘good’ slightly above the 74% for Scotland.

Long-term Illness

SHeS respondents are asked if they have a long-term illness. 49% of the adults in the Borders have ‘No long-

term illness’ lower than the 55% for Scotland. In the Borders 15% of the adults have ‘Non-limiting long-term

illness’ slightly higher than the 14% for Scotland. The proportion of adults with a ‘Limited long-term illness’

in the Borders is 36% compared to 31% for Scotland.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Self-assessed general health by NHS Board All adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

Very good/good Fair Bad/very bad

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Long-term illness by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

No long-term illness Limiting long-term illness Non-limiting long-term illness


Coronary Heart Disease

The main risk factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) are high cholesterol, physical inactivity,

smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, poor diet and diabetes. Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of people

hospitalised with CHD decreased for both the Scottish Borders and Scotland. However, from 2007 the

Scottish Borders has had a slightly higher rate of CHD hospitalisations compared to Scotland.

For 2011-2013 Scottish Borders has a slightly high rate of people hospitalised with CHD compared to

Scotland. However, the Scottish Borders has a lower rate of early deaths from CHD: this seems to indicate

that, although people are experience CHD, they are not dying early as a result. Within the Scottish Borders,

the only locality to have a lower rate of hospitalisations for CHD per 100,000 than Scotland was Cheviot.

All localities within the Scottish Borders had a lower rate of early deaths from CHD (under 75 years)

compared to Scotland. However, the rate of early deaths within the Scottish Borders by Intermediate Zones

ranged from 0 to 91 (above the rate for Scotland).

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013

Scottish Borders 566 556 540 550 537 526 503 479 461 452

Scotland 648 625 598 572 540 509 486 468 456 440

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

Patients discharged from hospital with coronary heart disease: 3-year rolling average age-sex standardised rate per 100,000 , ISD

234 480 411 527 581 485 638


Scotland, 440

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700


Tweeddale Highest

Patients discharged from hospital with coronary heart disease: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population 3-year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD


Cancer

Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of newly diagnosed cancer patients in the Scottish Borders has been

below the rate for Scotland.

The Scottish Borders has a lower rate of cancer diagnosis and early deaths compared to Scotland. Across

the Scottish Borders, all the localities had a lower rate of cancer diagnosis compared to Scotland. However,

cancer diagnosis by Intermediate Zone within the Scottish Borders ranges from 428 to 787 per 100,000 on a

3-year rolling average.

0 47 33 43 56 35 91


Scotland, 61

0

20

40

60

80

100


Tweeddale Highest

Early deaths from coronary heart disease(under 75 years): age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population 3-year rolling average 2011-2013, NRS

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 641 638 637 635 641 647 647 646 640 634

550

575

600

625

650

675

Patients newly diagnosed with cancer: 3-year rolling average , age-sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD


The Eildon locality has the highest rate of early deaths from cancer compared to the other Scottish Borders

localities. Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of early deaths from cancer by Intermediate Zone ranges

from 61 to 268 per 100,000.

428 617 564 572 610 594 787


Scotland, 634

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900


Tweeddale Highest

Patients newly diagnosed with cancer: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3- year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD

61 105 135 158 144 119 268


Scotland, 173

0

50

100

150

200

250

300


Tweeddale Highest

Early deaths from cancer (under 75s): age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3- year rolling average 2011-2013, NRS


Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

ScotPho describes COPD as a long- term lung disease that causes cough and breathlessness; previously

referred to chronic bronchitis or emphysema. It is a progressive disease that not only affects breathing but

also causes weight loss, nutritional disturbances and muscle problems. The most significant risk factor for

COPD is cigarette smoking. The Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate of patients hospitalised

with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of hospitalisations from COPD by Intermediate Zone ranges from 226

to 923 (above the Scottish rate) per 100,000.

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 561 578 587 601 613 621 629 640 653 660

300350400450500550600650700

Patients hospitalised with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 3-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD

226 480 411 527 581 485 923


Scotland, 660

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000


Tweeddale Highest

Patients hospitalised with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population - 3- year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD


Asthma

ScotPho describes asthma as chronic disease of the small airways in the lung. Airway inflammation and

associated bronchoconstriction leads to recurrent attacks of cough, wheezing, breathlessness or chest

tightness. Compared to Scotland the Scottish Borders has consistently had a slightly higher rate of people

hospitalised with asthma.

Within the Scottish Borders the Teviot and Liddesdale has the highest rate of hospitalisations related to

asthma.

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 100 100 104 104 106 103 100 95 92 91

50

75

100

125

Patients discharged from hospital (annually) diagnosed with asthma, 3-year rolling average number and directly age-sex standardised rate per 100,000

population, ISD

29 86 92 100 142 82 257


Scotland, 91

0

50

100

150

200

250

300


Tweeddale Highest

Patients hospitalised with asthma: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3-year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD


Diabetes

Diabetes results from reduced production of the hormone insulin, resistance of body tissues to the effect of

insulin, or both. The result is abnormally high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood and widespread

disturbances to metabolism. Diabetes has a significant impact on healthy life expectancy and is associated

with increased risk of other diseases including heart disease, stroke and certain forms of cancer. Diabetes

shares a set of common risk factors with other preventable diseases, such as coronary heart disease. These

risk factors – poor diet, lower rates of physical activity - are socially patterned. Among women, obesity is

closely associated with socio economic inequalities. Children in families in the bottom income groups are

at increased relative risk of being obese at age 5 and this risk rises further by age 11.

The costs to the health service alone of diabetes are predicted to rise from 10% of NHS costs in 2011 to

16% in 2035 (Hex et al, 2012).

Effective interventions are available that have the potential to reverse the rising incidence of the condition

through prevention, reduce risk and mitigate impact on individuals.

According to the Scottish Diabetes Survey 201416, there were 6,284 people in the Scottish Borders

registered with diabetes in the Scottish Borders. This equates to a prevalence of 5.5% slightly higher than

the 5.2% for Scotland, the graph below shows the proportion of people with all types of diabetes by NHS

Health Board.

For Scotland, a greater proportion of those with diagnosed diabetes are male, 56.1% of those with Type 1

diabetes and 55.7% of those with Type 2 diabetes. This proportion has remained approximately stable since

the survey started in 2001.

The prevalence of diabetes (all types) for people aged 65 and over is higher compared to the total

population 14.4% for the Scottish Borders and 15.2% for Scotland. The graph below shows the age

distribution of people of people with recorded Type 2 diabetes compared to the age distribution of the

general population for Scotland.

16

http://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/Publications.aspx?catId=3

4.4

%

4.7

%

4.7

%

4.9

%

5.0

%

5.0

%

5.2

%

5.3

%

5.3

%

5.4

%

5.5

%

5.6

%

6.0

%

6.0

%

Scotland = 5.2%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

7.0%

Loth

ian

Shet

lan

d

Gra

mp

ian

Wes

tern

Isle

s

Ork

ney

Hig

hla

nd

Lan

arks

hir

e

Tays

ide

Fort

h V

alle

y

Gre

ater

Gla

sgo

w a

nd

Cly

de B

ord

ers

Fife

Du

mfr

ies

and

Gal

low

ay

Ayr

shir

e an

d A

aran

Prevalence of people with Diabetes (all types) by NHS Board, 2014

Source: Scottish Diabetes Survey 2014



Type 2 diabetes: age distribution of people recorded compared with age distribution of general population for Scotland

There are two main types of diabetes; Type 1 diabetes often starts at a young age and is due to a lack of

insulin. Type 2 diabetes starts with resistance to the action of insulin and is associated with older age,

overweight and obesity. In 2014, 10.4% of the diabetes registrations in the Scottish Borders were Type 1,

and 88.6% were Type 2 registrations compared to 10.8% and 88.3% respectively for Scotland.

Between 2009 and 2014, the number of people registered with diabetes in the Scottish Borders increased

by 1,147 or 22.3% slightly higher than the Scottish increase of 21.2%. The graph below shows the number

of registrations by type of diabetes for the Scottish Borders and the crude prevalence rate for the Scottish

Borders and Scotland where the prevalence rate for the Scottish Borders higher than Scotland.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Borders - Type Other 5 26 33 45 49 63

Borders - Type 2 4,530 4,728 4,846 5,160 5,349 5,565

Borders - Type 1 596 601 614 626 633 656

Borders - Crude Prevalence 4.6% 4.8% 4.9% 5.2% 5.3% 5.5%

Scotland - Curde Prevalence 4.4% 4.6% 4.7% 4.9% 5.1% 5.2%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Number on Diabetes Register by Type for the Borders

2009 to 2014 and Crude Prevalence Rates for Borders

and Scotland

Source: Scottish


Overweight (including Obesity)

An adult is considered overweight if their BMI17 is 25 or higher. According to the SHeS 71% of adults in the

Borders are overweight compared to 65% for Scotland. Within the Scottish Borders 72% of men and 71% of

women are considered overweight.

An adult with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered to be obese. Within the Borders 25% of men and 30% of

women are obese, according to the SHeS. Overall, 27% of adults in the Borders are obese; the same level as

Scotland.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Government guidelines recommend eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily. The SHeS asks adults

about their daily fruit and vegetable consumption. According to the SHeS a greater proportion of adults eat

5 portions or more of fruit and vegetables daily in the Borders compared to Scotland, 23% and 21%

respectively. 10% of adults in Scotland have no daily fruit or vegetables compared to 9% for the Borders.

17

Body Mass Index

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Daily fruit and vegetable consumption by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

5 portions or more Less than 5 portions None


According to the SHeS, women in the Borders eat more portions of fruit and vegetables compared to men,

3.5 and 3.3 average daily portions.

Emergency Hospitalisations

The rate of emergency hospitalisations for the Scottish Borders has increased by 11% between 2002 and

2013 compared to a 1% increase for Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of emergency hospitalisations by Intermediate Zone ranges from

6,317 and 11,523 per 100,000 population. The localities with the highest levels are Eildon and Teviot and

Liddesdale.

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 7436 7393 7408 7472 7580 7619 7565 7489 7466 7500

6800

7000

7200

7400

7600

7800

8000

8200

8400

8600

Patients with emergency hospitalisations: 3-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD

6317 7871 7514 9259 8716 8028 11523


Scotland, 7500

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000


Tweeddale Highest

Patients with emergency hospitalisations: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3- year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD


Breast Screening Uptake

The Scottish Breast Screening Programme invites women aged between 50 and 70 years old for screening

every three years. According to NHS Scotland, “breast screening reduces mortality and extends lives

through early detection and treatment and saves around 130 lives a year in Scotland”. The Scottish Borders

has had a higher uptake of breast screening compared to Scotland. However, the percentage of uptake has

dropped slightly for both Scotland and the Scottish Borders.

Bowel Screening Uptake

According to NHS Scotland:

Bowel screening aims to find bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms. The

screening test looks for hidden blood in the poo as this may suggest a higher chance of bowel

cancer. Other changes in the bowel can also be found through screening. One example of this is

noncancerous growths called polyps. Polyps can be easily removed and often prevent future

cancers developing.

Between 2008 and 2013, the proportion of all eligible men and women (aged 50 – 74) invited to have a

bowel screening has increased for both Scotland and the Scottish Borders. There has consistently been a

higher uptake in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland.

2007-2009 2008-2010 2009-2011 2010-2012


Scotland 74.7 73.7 73.5 72.5

70.0

72.0

74.0

76.0

78.0

80.0

Percent of breast screening updake for eligible women aged 50-70: 3-year rolling average, ATOS (SBSP)

2008-2010 2009-2011 2010-2012 2011-2013


Scotland 54.1 54.5 55.1 56.0

50.0

52.0

54.0

56.0

58.0

60.0

62.0

Percentage of bowel screening uptake for all eligible men and women invited (aged 50-74): 3 year rolling average, ATOS


Older People

Multiple Emergency Hospitalisations for people 65+

A range of factors influence the number of multiple emergency hospitalisations some personal and some

systems-related. At a personal level, these would include the particular form of the current problem, the

individual's own health and well-being and whether the person looks after themselves or needs a carer.

Their immediate housing environment is also important; can they, for example, reach an upstairs toilet.

Systems-related aspects include: the habits of GPs in referring patients directly to hospital; the availability

of alternative forms of care such as short term rapid response services; and whether local systems are

linked in a way that supports older people at these critical times.

Between 2002 and 2013 the rate of patients (65+) with multiple emergency hospitalisations has increased

for both Scotland and the Scottish Borders. There has been a more dramatic increase for the Scottish

Borders in more recent years.

Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of patients (65+) multiple hospitalisations by Intermediate Zone

ranges from 3,250 and 8,992 per 100,000 population. The Eildon, Teviot and Liddesdale and Tweeddale

localities have higher rates of patients (65+) multiple hospitalisations compared to Scotland.

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 4589 4600 4644 4743 4915 5018 5055 5050 5118 5159

43004400450046004700480049005000510052005300

Patients (65+) with multiple emergency hospitalisations: 3-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD

3250 4611 3972 5685 5463 5410 8992

Scottish Borders, 5123 Scotland, 5160

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000


Tweeddale Highest

Patients (65+) with multiple emergency hospitalisations: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population 3- year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD


People aged 65 and over with high levels of care needs who are cared for at home

According to the Scottish Government’s Community Care Statistics, the proportion of people aged 65 and

over with higher levels of care needs who are cared for at home has increased for Scotland between 2002

and 2015. In recent years the proportion within the Scottish Borders has declined. (However, these figures

do not include the changes and take up of self-directed support).

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

ScottishBorders

25.8 27.0 28.3 27.6 26.3 25.8 28.8 33.3 29.1 32.3 29.4 26.2 25.3

Scotland 25.6 27.8 29.3 29.3 30.4 31.5 31.1 32.0 32.2 33.0 34.1 34.7 35.6

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Percentage of people aged 65 and over with high levels of care needs who are cared for at home, SG


Substance Use

Alcohol

According to Information Services Division (ISD), the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate of

alcohol related hospital stays per 100,000 compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of alcohol related hospital stays by Intermediate Zone ranges from

well below the Scottish rate (123) to well above the Scottish rate (1490) per 100,000 population. The

localities with the highest levels are Eildon and Teviot and Liddesdale.

According to the National Records of Scotland (NRS) the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate

of alcohol related deaths compared to Scotland. However, in recent years the rate in the Scottish Borders

has increased opposite to the downward trend for Scotland.

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Scottish Borders 576 539 546 567 644 673 630 594 542 627 559 566 465

Scotland 743 741 796 780 810 856 828 772 759 750 699 707 672

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Alcohol related hospital stays: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD

123 463 386 700 646 518 1490


Scotland, 705

0

500

1000

1500

2000


Tweeddale Highest

Alcohol related hospital stays: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population2013/2014, ISD

2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010 2007-2011 2008-2012 2009-2013 2010-2014


Scotland 32.1 31.4 30.4 29.2 28.1 26.7 25.2 23.8 23.1

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

Alcohol related deaths: 5-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, NRS


Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of alcohol related deaths by Intermediate Zone ranges from 0 to 44

per 100,000 population. The locality with the highest levels is Eildon.

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) asked respondents about their weekly and daily alcohol drinking

behaviour. For the survey, the government guidelines for drinking were “Drank no more than 4 units (men)

or 3 units (women) on heaviest drinking day, and drank no more than 21 units (men) or 14 units (women) in

usual week.”

The proportion of adults who ‘drink outwith government guidelines’ in the Borders is 41%, just above the

40% for Scotland. 49% of the adults in the Borders ‘drink within government guidelines’, slightly higher than

the 44% for Scotland. The Borders has a lower proportion of adults that say they ‘never drunk alcohol’, 4%

compared to 7% for Scotland.

According to the SHeS men in the Borders have an average of 16.4 units of alcohol per week compared to

9.0 units for women. Both men and women in the Borders have more alcohol units per week compared to

Scotland, 14.1 and 7.2 respectively.

0 13 10 17 11 13 44


Scotland, 24

0

10

20

30

40

50


Tweeddale Highest

Alcohol related deaths: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population5-year rolling average 2009-2013, NRS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Adherence to weekly and daily drinking advice by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

Never drunk alcohol Ex drinker

Drinks within government guidelines Drinks outwith government guidelines


Drugs

The Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate of drug-related hospital stays compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of drug-related hospital stays at Intermediate Zone had ranged from 0

to 236 (higher than the Scottish rate).

Smoking

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) estimates deaths from causes wholly or partially attributable to

smoking in persons aged 35 and over, 2-year average number and directly age-sex standardised rate per

100,000 population within the Scottish Borders is below the Scottish rate. Both Scotland and the Scottish

Borders have experienced a decrease in the rate of smoking attributable deaths.

2002/03-2004/05

2003/04-2005/06

2004/05-2006/07

2005/06-2007/08

2006/07-2008/09

2007/08-2009/10

2008/09-2010/11

2009/10-2011/10

2010/11-2012/13

2011/12-2013/14

2012/13-2014/15

ScottishBorders

48.4 46.3 48.0 58.5 64.6 67.3 67.3 77.3 84.6 88.1 79.6

Scotland 85.4 84.5 86.7 92.5 101.3 106.8 111.4 113.9 114.0 116.7 122.0

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

140.0

Drug-related hospital stays: 3-year rolling average 2011-2013, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD

0 58 73 109 94 86 236


Scotland, 117

0

50

100

150

200

250


Tweeddale Highest

Drug-related hospital stays: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population3-year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD

2012-2013 2013-2014

Scottish Borders 306 288

Scotland 384 367

200

250

300

350

400

Estimated smoking attributable deaths in persons aged 35 +, 2-year average number and directly age-sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, NRS


According to the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower

proportion of adults (aged 16+) smoking, compared to Scotland.

According to the SheS the proportion of adults that are regular smokers is lower in the Borders compared

to Scotland, 21% and 23% respectively. 56% of adults in the Borders say they ‘never smoked, or ex-

occasional’ smoker, slightly above the 54% for Scotland. 22% of adults in the Borders and 23% of adults in

Scotland say they are ‘ex-regular smoker, or occasional’ smoker.

Mental Health

Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)

The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) was developed by researchers at the

Universities of Warwick and Edinburgh, with funding provided by NHS Health Scotland, to enable the

measurement of mental wellbeing of adults in the UK.

The WEMWBS scale comprises 14 positively worded statements with a five item scale ranging from '1 -

None of the time' to '5 - All of the time'. The lowest score possible is therefore 14 and the highest is 70; a

score of 41 or lower is classified as having a low mental wellbeing.18 The 14 items are designed to assess

18

Logistic regression models typically require the dependent or outcome variable to be a binary (two category) measure. In the case of WEMWBS, a score of less than one standard deviation below the mean has been used as a

2005/2006 2007/2008 2009/2010 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 26.0 25.4 24.2 22.9 23.1 20.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

Proportion of adults (aged 16+) that smoke, SHS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Smoking behavior by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

Never smoked, or ex-occasional Ex-regular smoker, or occasional Regular smoker


positive affect (optimism, cheerfulness, relaxation); and satisfying interpersonal relationships and positive

functioning (energy, clear thinking, self-acceptance, personal development, mastery and autonomy).

According to the Scottish Health Survey (2012-2014) the average WEMWBS score for the Borders was 50.1

similar to the 50.0 for Scotland. Within the Borders women had a slightly higher score (50.4) compared to

men (49.7).

According to the ‘Scottish Health Survey: Mental Health and Wellbeing’ topic report people living in the

most deprived areas have a lower WEMWBS score (47.2) compared to the least deprived areas (51.8). The

graph below shows the mean WEMWBS score among adults by SIMD quintile.

WEMWBS mean scores, by SIMD quintile, 2012/2013

General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)

The General Health Questionnaire is a scale designed to detect possible psychiatric morbidity in the general

population, which has been validated in the UK and worldwide. Within the Scottish Health Survey, it was

administered to participants aged 13 and above.

The questionnaire contains 12 questions about the informant's general level of happiness, depression,

anxiety and sleep disturbance over the past four weeks, arranged so that no reverse scoring is required.

The scoring takes the form of a four point Likert scale with response options ‘less than usual’ (score 0), ‘no

more than usual’ (1), rather more than usual’ (2) or ‘much more than usual’ (3) (or in the opposite order to

cut-off to define a low score. By this methodology, a respondent with a score of 41 or lower is classified as having a low mental wellbeing score.

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

Ayr

shir

e &

Arr

an

Bo

rde

rs

Du

mfr

ies

& G

allo

way

Fife

Fort

h V

alle

y

Gra

mp

ian

Gre

ater

Gla

sgo

w &

Cly

de

Hig

hla

nd

Lan

arks

hir

e

Loth

ian

Ork

ney

She

tlan

d

Tays

ide

We

ste

rn Is

les

Sco

tlan

d

WEM

WB

S m

ean

sco

re

WEMWBS mean scores by NHS Board All adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS


avoid the need for reverse scoring). To identify psychiatric morbidity these scores are converted into binary

scores, with 0 or 1 set to zero and 2 or 3 set to 1. The questions cover:

Able to concentrate

Lost sleep over worry

Felt playing useful part in things

Felt capable of making decisions

Felt constantly under strain

Felt couldn’t overcome difficulties

Able to enjoy day-to-day activities

Been able to face problems

Been feeling unhappy and depressed

Been losing confidence in self

Been thinking of self as worthless

Been feeling reasonably happy

The proportion of adults aged 16 or over with a GHQ12 score of four or higher, indicating the presence of a

possible psychiatric disorder. According the SHeS, 19% of the adults in the Borders have a GHQ12 score of

4+ higher that the proportion for Scotland (15%).

According to the ‘Scottish Health Survey: Mental Health and Wellbeing’ topic report people living in the

most deprived area are more likely to score 4 or higher (indicating the presence of a possible psychiatric

disorder) compared to people in the least deprived areas. The proportion of adults ranges from 12% of

those in the least deprived areas to 23% (20% of men; 25% of women) in the most deprived areas. The

graph below shows the proportion of adults with a GHQ12 score of four or higher by SIMD quintile.

Proportion of adults with GHQ12 scores of four or higher, by SIMD

quintile, 2012/2013

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

GHQ-12 scores by NHS Board All adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

Score 0 Score 1-3 Score 4+


The report states: “once all other factors, such as economic activity, are taken into account, area

deprivation is not a significant predictor for GHQ12 scores of four or higher. After controlling for all other

factors, the odds of those adults in the 15% most deprived areas having a low mental wellbeing score are

not significantly lower than those in other areas.”

Prescriptions

The Scottish Borders has a similar proportion of population being prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression

or psychosis compared to Scotland. Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the proportion prescribed drugs for

anxiety, depression or psychosis has increased.

Hospitalisations

From 2002, the Scottish Borders has had a higher rate of psychiatric hospitalisations compared to Scotland.

Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of psychotic hospitalisations in the Scottish Borders has decreased by

36% compared to a 28% decrease for Scotland.

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15


Scotland 14.4 15.0 15.6 16.2 16.8 17.4

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

Estimated percentage of population being prescribed drugs for anxiety, depression or psychosis, ISD

2002-2004

2003-2005

2004-2006

2005-2007

2006-2008

2007-2009

2008-2010

2009-2011

2010-2012

2011-2013


Scotland 404.9 389.6 373.1 353.9 343.6 333.1 322.3 307.0 297.7 291.6

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

400.0

450.0

500.0

Patients with a psychiatric hospitalisation: 3-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, ISD


Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of psychiatric hospitalisations by Intermediate Zone ranges from 132

to 608 (above the Scottish rate) per 100,000. Both the Eildon and the Teviot and Liddesdale locality had a

higher rate of psychiatric hospitalisations compared to Scotland.

Suicide

Over recent years, the Scottish Borders has had a slightly higher suicide rate compared to Scotland.

The Cheviot and Eildon localities have had the highest levels of suicide within the Scottish Borders.

132 234 310 365 354 204 608


Scotland, 292

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700


Tweeddale Highest

Patients with a psychiatric hospitalisation: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population 3-year rolling average 2011-2013, ISD

2002-2006 2003-2007 2004-2008 2005-2009 2006-2010 2007-2011 2008-2012 2009-2013

Scottish Borders 17.5 16.2 15.8 15.1 16.9 16.1 17.1 15.7

Scotland 16.2 15.9 15.9 15.5 15.4 15.4 15.0 14.5

13.0

14.0

15.0

16.0

17.0

18.0

Deaths from suicide: 5-year rolling average, age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population, NRS

0 6 21 22 12 13 46


Scotland, 15

0

10

20

30

40

50


Tweeddale Highest

Deaths from suicide: age- sex standardised rate per 100,000 population5-year rolling average 2009-2013, NRS


Feeling Lonely or Isolated

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 asked respondents if they felt lonely or isolated as a result of

living in a rural area. The graph with table below shows that 6.1% of the people in the Scottish Borders feel

lonely or isolated with higher levels in the Teviot and Berwickshire areas.

Physical Activity

Children’s Physical Education and Activity

There is a national target that children participate in 2 hours of physical education per week. The graphs

below show that for primary school pupils in the Scottish Borders the proportion of children having 2 hours

of physical education has increased from 23% in 2009/10 to 89% in 2014/15. The proportion of secondary

school pupils that participate in 2 periods of physical education a week has been over 90% from 2012/13.

Children’s physical education is part of the overarching target of 5 hours of physical activity per week for

children. The active schools programme complemented by sport clubs and community activity adds a

significant contributes towards this target. In 2014/15, 54% of children in the Scottish Borders participated

in extra curricular physical activity; the proportion varied across the school clusters.


Yes 7.9% 5.1% 5.5% 8.4% 3.5% 6.1%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

Proportion of people feel lonely or isolated as a result of living in a rural area Source: SBHS 2015

23%

39%

64%

89%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2009/2010 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Proportion of Primary School Pupils Who Participate in 2 Hours per Week of Physical Education, SBC

59%

100%92%

97%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

2009/2010 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Proportion of S1 to S4 Pupils Who Participate in 2 Periods per Week of Physical Education, SBC


Adult Physical Activity

According to the SHeS, the physical activity level for adults in the Borders is similar to the levels for

Scotland.

Moderate / Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) guidelines Borders Scotland

Meeting the

guideline:

At least 150 minutes of moderately intensive physical activity or 75

minutes vigorous activity per week or an equivalent combination of both. 64% 63%

Some

activity:

60-149 minutes of moderate activity or 30-74 minutes of vigorous activity

or an equivalent combination of these. 11% 11%

Low activity: 30-59 minutes of moderate activity or 15-29 minutes of vigorous activity

or an equivalent combination of these. 4% 4%

Very low

activity:

Less than 30 minutes of moderate activity or less than 15 minutes of

vigorous activity or an equivalent combination of these. 22% 21%

According to the Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015, almost 30% of respondents take part in 30

minutes of moderate physical activity daily. Cheviot has the highest proportion of people who exercise

daily.

37% 58% 43% 51% 60% 66% 56% 58% 49%

Scottish Border, 54%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Duns Earlston Eyemouth Galashiels Hawick Jedburgh Kelso Peebles Selkirk

Participation in Extra Curriular Pysical Activity by School Cluster for 2014/15, SBC

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Physical activity by NHS BoardAll adults, 2012-2014 combined, SHeS

Meets guidelines Some activity Low activity Very low activity


The Scottish Household Survey asks respondents about their participation in sport and exercise. The graph

below shows that adults in the Scottish Borders have similar participation levels to Scotland.

Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot TweeddaleScottishBorders

Daily 29.9% 32.9% 28.5% 26.4% 27.6% 29.0%

4-6 times a week 15.2% 16.2% 14.1% 15.2% 16.6% 15.5%

2-3 times a week 25.2% 23.0% 23.7% 23.8% 29.9% 25.4%

Once a week 8.5% 9.2% 10.9% 8.4% 9.2% 9.3%

Less than once a week 4.3% 6.1% 8.2% 6.4% 7.6% 6.5%

Never 10.7% 8.5% 11.1% 15.0% 5.3% 9.9%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

Proportion of people who take

part in 30 minof moderate

physcial activity by frequency

Source: SBHS 2015

0

20

40

60

80

100

2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014

Proportion of Adults that Participate in Sport and Exercise in the last four weeks, SNS

Scottish Borders: Any sport (including walking) Scottish Borders: Any sport (excluding walking)

Scotland: Any sport (including walking) Scotland: Any sport (excluding walking)


Reducing Risk

Children Looked After

Local authorities have a responsibility to provide support to certain vulnerable young people, known as

„looked after children‟. A young person may become ‘looked after’ for a number of reasons, including

neglect, abuse, complex disabilities which require specialist care or involvement in the youth justice

system. According to the Scottish Government the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate of

children looked after compared to Scotland19. Between 2011 and 2015, the number of children looked after

within the Scottish Borders ranged from 184 to 208.

Compared to Scotland, at 31 July 2015, the Scottish Borders had a higher proportion of boys ‘looked after’,

a lower proportion of children aged under 5, a higher proportion aged 16 and over and a lower proportion

of additional support need.

Characteristics of children looked after in the Scottish Borders and Scotland at 31 July 2015

Gender of children looked

after

Children aged

under 5

Children aged

16 or over

Children known

to be from

minority ethnic

groups

Children known

to have

additional

support needs

Area Male Female % Male Number % Number % Number % Number %

Scottish

Borders 114 87 57% 32 16% 35 17% 9 4% 9 4%

Scotland 8,297 7,107 54% 3,153 20% 1,880 12% 567 4% 2,032 13%

At 31 July 2015 the proportion of children looked after in the Scottish Borders in residential

accommodation was 16.9% compared to 9.9% for Scotland.

19

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubChildrenSocialWork

208 194 184 179 201

0.88% 0.82% 0.84% 0.78%0.93%

1.47% 1.47%1.54%

1.42%1.49%

0.00%

0.50%

1.00%

1.50%

2.00%

150

170

190

210

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of Children Looked After at 31 July in the Scottish Borders and the Percent of Population Aged 0-17, SG

Number: Scottish Borders CLA as % of pop 0-17: Scottish Borders CLA as % of pop 0-17: Scotland

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubChildrenSocialWork


Area

In the community In residential accommodation

Total looked after

children

At home with

parents

With friends / relatives

With foster carers

provided by LA

With foster carers

purchased by LA

In other com-

munity

In local authority

home/ Voluntary

Home

In other residential

care

Scottish Borders

24 49 72 16 6 6 28 201

Scottish Borders %

11.9% 24.4% 35.8% 8.0% 3.0% 3.0% 13.9% 100.0%

Scotland % 25.5% 27.0% 25.3% 10.3% 2.0% 4.5% 5.4% 100.0%

Children’s Reporter

The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA)20 is a national body focused on children most at risk.

The main responsibilities of SCRA are:

To facilitate the work of Children's Reporters,

To deploy and manage staff to carry out that work,

To provide suitable accommodation for Children's Hearings

The aim of the Children’s Hearing System is to provide a safety net for vulnerable children and deliver

tailored solutions which meet the needs of the individuals involved, while helping to build stronger families

and safer communities.

Between 2003/04 and 2014/15, there was an 81% decrease in the number of children referred to the

Children’s Reporter in the Scottish Borders; following a similar pattern to Scotland. The Scottish Borders

has consistently had fewer children referred to the Children’s Report (rate per 1,000) compared to

Scotland.

20

http://www.scra.gov.uk/resources_articles_category/official-statistics/

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

Scottish Borders - Children Referred 814 898 870 611 553 593 596 435 209 181 201 156

Scottish Borders - Rate per 1,000 40.2 44.3 42.8 30.4 27.5 29.5 29.9 21.9 10.8 9.5 10.6 8.2

Scotland - Rate per 1,000 48.1 53.7 57.7 60.6 54.5 51.3 46.3 42.8 34.2 24.5 20.9 17.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000R

ate

pe

r 1

,00

0

Nu

mb

er

of

Ch

ildre

n R

efe

rre

d

Children's Reporter Referrals and Rate per 1,000, SCRA



Child Protection

Child protection means protecting a child from abuse or neglect. This can be either in cases where abuse or

neglect has taken place, or in cases where a likelihood of significant harm or neglect has been identified.

The risk of harm or neglect will be considered at a Child Protection Case Conference. Where a child is

believed to be at risk of significant harm, their name will be added to the child protection register (a child

protection registration).

From 2008, the Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower rate of children on the child protection

register compared to Scotland. At 31 July 2015, there were 28 children on the Scottish Borders child

protection register, equal to 1.5 per 1,000-population aged 0-15.

Adult Protection

Adult at risk, as defined by the Adult Support & Protection (Scotland) Act 200721, are individuals aged 16 or

over who:-

Are unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property, rights or other interests;

Are at risk of harm;

Because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity, are

more vulnerable to being harmed than adults who are not so affected.

If adults meet all three of the above criteria, often referred to as the three point test, then they can be

considered to be adults at risk as defined by the Act.

Harm includes physical and sexual harm, neglect, financial exploitation and harassment.

Referrals occur when any person knows or believes an adult is at risk of harm. During the course of 2014-

2015 a total of 1,432 referrals were received, this compared with a total of 1,253 during the previous year

2013-2014.

The number of cases progressing to adult protection concerns, as defined by the Act, showed a slight

decline on the previous year with 169 cases progressing in 2014-2015, compared to 190 progressing the

21

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support-Social-Care/Adult-Support-Protection

63 30 47 32 34 37 25 16 28

3.2

1.5

2.3

1.61.7

1.9

1.3

0.8

1.5

2.8

2.6

2.92.7 2.8

2.9 2.9

3.23.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Number of Children on the Child Protection Register in the Scottish Borders and the Rate per 1,000 per Population Aged 0-15, SG

Number on Register: Scottish Borders Rate per 1,000 (0-15): Scottish Borders

Rate per 1,000 (0-15): Scotland

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support-Social-Care/Adult-Support-Protection


previous period. The graph below shows the number of adult protection concerns for the Scottish Borders

between 2009-10 and 2014-15.

In 2014-15, there were more adult protection concerns for women 115 (68%) compared to 54 from men

(32%). The graph below shows the distribution of the 169 concerns in 2014-15 for the Scottish Borders by

age group.

The graph below shows the number of adult protections concerns by the social work locality teams in 2014-

15.

The graph below shows the type of harm identified in the 2014-15 adult protection concerns. Note that a

concern may relate to more than one type of harm. In 2014-15, the most common types of harm were

financial and physical followed by psychological and neglect.

113133

295

189 190169

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Adult Protection Concerns per Year for the Scottish Borders, APC

25

19

37

4

1215

26

31

0

10

20

30

40

16-24 25-39 40-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+

Adult Protection Concerns in 2014-15 by Age Group, APC

28

17

26 26

20

38

14

0

10

20

30

40

Central Duns Hawick Kelso Peebles LearningDisablity Team

Mental Health

Adult Protection Concerns in 2014-15 by Locality Team, APC


Homelessness

In 2014-15, there were 650 applications under the Homeless Persons legislation in the Scottish Borders, a

decrease of 4% compared to 2013/1422. The graph below shows the number of homeless applications in

the Scottish Borders by year and the annual change for the Scottish Borders and for Scotland. Since 1996-

97, the number of homeless application ranged from 471 in 1998-99 to 1,093 in 2007-08.

In 2014-15, the proportion of households that made a homeless application was 1.2% compared to 1.4% for

Scotland.

22

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/RefTables

61 61

44

31

2116

13

5 3 3 1

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Adult Protection Concerns in 2014-15 by Type of Harm*, APC

* A concern may have more

639 656 471 516 542 585 596 861 802 991 991 1093 1067 972 862 542 638 679 650-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Number of applications under the Homeless Persons legislation 1996-97 to 2014-15 for Scottish Borders and % annual change, SG

Scottish Borders % Annual Change: Scotland % Annual Change: Scottish Borders

1.2% Scotland - 1.4%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

We

st D

un

bar

ton

shir

e

Gla

sgo

w C

ity

Du

nd

ee C

ity

Cla

ckm

ann

ansh

ire

We

st L

oth

ian

Falk

irk

Edin

bu

rgh

, Cit

y o

f

East

Lo

thia

n

Mid

loth

ian

She

tlan

d

East

Du

nb

arto

nsh

ire

Ab

erd

een

Cit

y

Mo

ray

Sou

th L

anar

ksh

ire

Fife

Sou

th A

yrsh

ire

No

rth

Lan

arks

hir

e

An

gus

Eile

an S

iar

Pe

rth

& K

inro

ss

No

rth

Ayr

shir

e

Sco

ttis

h B

ord

ers

Ab

erd

een

shir

e

Stir

ling

Arg

yll &

Bu

te

East

Re

nfr

ewsh

ire

Re

nfr

ewsh

ire

Hig

hla

nd

East

Ayr

shir

e

Du

mfr

ies

& G

allo

way

Ork

ney

Inve

rcly

de

Proportion of Households making a homeless application 2014-15, SG

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/RefTables


In 2014-15 the types of household making a homeless application in the Scottish Borders was similar to the

types of household in Scotland. In the Scottish Borders, the most homeless applications come from single

males (42.5%), single female (20.5%) and single parent female (13.8%).

Homeless Applications by Household Type: 2014-15 Household Type Scottish Borders Scottish Borders % Scotland %

Single person male 276 42.5% 45.3%

Single person female 133 20.5% 21.1%

Single parent male 38 5.8% 4.5%

Single parent female 90 13.8% 16.4%

Couple without children 22 3.4% 3.7%

Couple with children 34 5.2% 4.5%

Other household without children 29 4.5% 2.4%

Other household with children 28 4.3% 2.2%

All Applications 650 100.0% 100.0%

The table below shows the ‘previous’ circumstance of the homeless applications in 2014-15 for the Scottish

Borders with a comparison to Scotland. In the Scottish Borders the most common previous circumstance

are ‘parental / family home / relatives’ (24.0%), ‘own property – private rented tenancy’ (23.4%), ‘friends /

partners’ (14.5%) and ‘own property – registered social landlord tenancy’ (13.7%).

Previous circumstances of applications in 2014-15 Previous circumstances Scottish Borders Scottish Borders % Scotland %

Own property – local Authority tenancy 20 3.1% 7.9%

Own property – registered social landlord tenancy 89 13.7% 4.4%

Own property - private rented tenancy 152 23.4% 17.8%

Own property - tenancy secured through

employment / tied house 18 2.8% 0.6%

Own property - owning / buying 32 4.9% 4.1%

Parental / family home / relatives 156 24.0% 24.4%

Friends / partners 94 14.5% 18.3%

Armed services accommodation 1 0.2% 0.2%

Prison 33 5.1% 5.9%

Hospital 5 0.8% 0.8%

Children’s residential accommodation (looked after

by the local authority) 9 1.4% 0.2%

Supported accommodation 3 0.5% 2.3%

Hostel (unsupported) 2 0.3% 0.4%

Bed & Breakfast 1 0.2% 0.6%

Caravan / mobile home 4 0.6% 0.4%

Long-term roofless 2 0.3% 0.6%

Long-term "sofa-surfing" 7 1.1% 2.0%

Other 22 3.4% 4.0%

Not known / refused 0 0.0% 3.8%

Own Property - Shared ownership / Shared equity 0 0.0% 0.1%

Lodger 0 0.0% 1.0%

Shared Property - Private Rented Sector 0 0.0% 0.3%

Shared Property - Local Authority 0 0.0% 0.1%

Shared Property – Registered Social Landlord 0 0.0% 0.0%

Total 650 100.0% 100.0%


The table below shows the main reason for applying for homeless assistance in 2014-15 for the Scottish

Borders and compared to Scotland. In 2014-15 the main reasons for homeless applications in the Scottish

Borders were ‘dispute within household / relationship breakdown: non-violent’ (18.3%), ‘asked to leave’

(17.4%), ‘dispute within household: violent or abusive’ (15.2%).

Main reason for applying for assistance by local authority: All applications in 2014-15

Main reason for applying for assistance Scottish Borders Scottish Borders % Scotland % Termination of tenancy / mortgage due to rent

arrears / default on payments 53 8.2% 5.5%

Other action by landlord resulting in the termination

of the tenancy 52 8.0% 9.6%

Applicant terminated secure accommodation 15 2.3% 2.0%

Loss of service / tied accommodation 14 2.2% 0.6%

Discharge from prison / hospital / care / other

institution 41 6.3% 6.7%

Emergency (fire, flood, storm, closing order, etc) 3 0.5% 0.5%

Forced division and sale of matrimonial home 1 0.2% 0.6%

Other reason for loss of accommodation 45 6.9% 6.4%

Dispute within household: violent or abusive 99 15.2% 12.2%

Dispute within household / relationship breakdown:

non-violent 119 18.3% 17.0%

Fleeing non-domestic violence 15 2.3% 2.9%

Harassment 17 2.6% 2.0%

Overcrowding 13 2.0% 1.2%

Asked to leave 113 17.4% 25.4%

Other reason for leaving accommodation / household 50 7.7% 7.4%

All applications in 2014-15 650 100.0% 100.0%


Migrant Health

The 2011 Census23 provides a bit of an insight into potential issues related to migrant health in the Scottish

Borders. A question asks if a person has a disability or a long-term health condition. Within the Scottish

Borders 30% of population identify themselves as have ‘one or more conditions’, similar to the 30% for

Scotland.

The table below (DC2304SC) shows by place of birth the number of people with ‘no condition’ and ‘one or

more conditions’ for the Scottish Borders with a comparison to Scotland. The table shows that in the

Scottish Borders the proportion of people with ‘one or more condition’ that were born in an EU country,

Africa, Middle East or Asia and The Americas and the Caribbean is higher than the proportion in Scotland.

Currently NHS Borders is exploring, with partners, the issues for migrants in the Scottish Borders related to

health including health screening and health care services.

23

http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/

Place of Birth

All

people

No

condition

One or

more

conditions

% One or

more

conditions

% One or

more

conditions

- Scotland

All people 113,870 79,964 33,906 30% 30%

Europe: Total 111,346 78,071 33,275 30% 30%

Europe: United Kingdom: Total 107,912 75,349 32,563 30% 31%

Europe: Other Europe: Total 3,434 2,722 712 21% 17%

Europe: Other Europe: EU Countries: Total 3,256 2,587 669 21% 17%

Europe: Other Europe: EU Countries: Member

countries in March 2001 1,676 1,188 488 29% 25%

Europe: Other Europe: EU Countries: Accession

countries April 2001 to March 2011 1,580 1,399 181 11% 9%

Europe: Other Europe: Non EU countries 178 135 43 24% 16%

Africa 756 571 185 24% 18%

Middle East and Asia 853 635 218 26% 17%

The Americas and the Caribbean 552 396 156 28% 24%

Antarctica and Oceania and Other 363 291 72 20% 20%



Learning Disability

The Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities publishes Learning Disability Statistics Scotland based on

submissions from Scottish Local Authorities24.

From 2009 there has been a slight increase in the ‘know’ number of adults with learning disabilities in the

Scottish Borders. The rate per 1,000 in the Scottish Borders is slightly above the level for Scotland, 6.4 and

6.0 respectively.

In 2014, 23.5% (142 out of 605) of the ‘known’ adults with a learning disability in the Scottish Borders has

an autism spectrum diagnosis, above the 15.1% for Scotland.

In 2014, 35.7% of the adults ‘known’ to have a learning disability in the Scottish Borders were in supported

accommodation, higher than the 17.6% for Scotland.

2014 saw a dramatic increase in the proportion of adults ‘known’ to have a learning disability with

employment opportunities in the Scottish Borders from 14% in 2013 to 23% in 2014.

24

http://www.scld.org.uk/evidence-and-research/statistics/ldss-2014-report-2/

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders - Number 572 567 594 612 601 605

Scottish Borders - Rate per 1000 6.2 6.1 6.4 6.5 6.3 6.4

Scotland - Rate per 1000 6.5 6.4 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.0

5.65.75.85.96.06.16.26.36.46.56.6

540

550

560

570

580

590

600

610

620

Adults 'known' to have a learning disability and rate per 1,000, LDSS

Mainstream: With

Support

Mainstream: With NOSupport

Mainstream: SupportUnkown

SupportedAccommod

ation

RegisteredAdult Care

HomesOther Not known

Scottish Borders 6.4% 8.8% 25.3% 35.7% 8.6% 1.2% 14.0%

Scotland 18.1% 29.7% 12.5% 17.6% 7.3% 5.1% 9.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Proportion of adults 'known' to have a disability by Accommodation type in 2014, LDSS

http://www.scld.org.uk/evidence-and-research/statistics/ldss-2014-report-2/


Carers

The 2011 Census reported that 9.1% of people in Scottish Borders provide unpaid care to a family member

or a friend with long-term care needs due to age or a long-term health condition or disability. This is

around the Scottish average and has changed very little since the 2001 Census. However, the number of

hours of unpaid care provided by the carers has generally increased since the last Census. 3.5% of carers in

Scottish Borders provide 20 or more hours care per week and more than half of those provide 50 or more

hours.

Providing unpaid care, particularly at such high levels, makes it difficult or impossible for the carer to take

paid work, leading to a position where households who provide unpaid care are faced with a multiple

threat of poor health, income deprivation and poorer employment prospects.

Within the Scottish Borders, the areas (2001 based Intermediate Zones) where 10% or more of the people

provide unpaid care are Berwickshire Central, Eyemouth, Berwickshire East, and Peebles South.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 14% 14% 16% 13% 13% 14%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

% with Employment Opportunities of the Adults 'known' to have a Learning Disability, LDSS

10

.8

10

.6

10

.3

10

.2

9.8

9.7

9.7

9.6

9.6

9.5

9.4

9.3

9.1

8.9

8.9

8.8

8.8

8.7

8.7

8.7

8.6

8.5

8.5

8.5

8.3

8.2

8.2

7.9

7.8

Scottish Borders , 9.1

Scotland, 9.3

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

Cen

tral

Eyem

ou

th

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

East

Pe

eble

s So

uth

Ber

wic

ksh

ire

We

st

Ch

evio

t W

est

Ch

evio

t Ea

st

Mel

rose

an

d T

we

edb

ank

are

a

Bu

rnfo

ot

and

are

a

Ettr

ick,

Yar

row

an

d Y

air

Kel

so S

ou

th

Co

ldst

ream

an

d a

rea

Selk

irk

Pe

eble

s N

ort

h

Wes

t Li

nto

n a

nd

Bro

ugh

ton

are

a

Haw

ick

Wes

t En

d

Lan

glee

Gal

ash

iels

So

uth

Earl

sto

n, L

aud

er

and

Sto

w a

rea

New

cast

leto

n a

nd

Tev

iot

are

a

Haw

ick

No

rth

Inn

erle

ith

en

an

d W

alke

rbu

rn a

rea

Jed

bu

rgh

Kel

so N

ort

h

Du

ns

St B

osw

ells

an

d N

ewto

wn

are

a

Gal

ash

iels

No

rth

Gal

ash

iels

Wes

t

Haw

ick

Cen

tral

Percent of people who provided unpaid care2011 - Census


Within the Scottish Borders 59% (6,110) of the carers were women compared to 41% (4,240) men. Of the

carers within the Scottish Borders, almost 40% were aged 50 to 64 for both genders.

Within the Scottish Borders, the Borders Carers Centre received 5,940 enquiries from 1,564 carers in 2014-

15; resulting in identifying 323 new carers. The carers contacting Borders Carers Centre came from all areas

of the Scottish Borders 17% from Berwickshire, 32% from Eildon, 22% from Tweeddale and 29% from

Roxburghshire. In 2014-15, 7% of the carers were aged 16 to 24, 51% were aged 25 to 64 and 42% were

aged 65 or older. The Centre helped carers get £132,326 additional funds. The graph below shows the

number of enquires by subject for 2014-15.

In 2014-15 1,680 professionals from the statutory and third sector organisations participated in carer

awareness training provided by Borders Carers Centre.

-260

-1320

-1620

-1040

350

2,060

2,420

1,280

2,0001,00001,0002,0003,000

0 to 24

25 to 49

50 to 64

65+

Number of people

Age

Age and Gender Distribution of Carers in the Scottish Border in 2011, Census

Male

Female


Community and Environment

National Outcomes:

09 We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger

10 We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access amenities and services we need

11 We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others

12 We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect and enhance it for future generations

13 We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity (Local identity)

14 We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production


Community Safety

Overall:

The Scottish Borders is a safe place to live with low levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and a

low number of fire casualties. However, there are areas in the Scottish Borders with higher rates of

or recorded crime and anti-social behaviour.

Alcohol and/or drug use is an aggravating factor in a number of crimes, antisocial behaviour

incidents and home safety incidents.

Issues:

More people are killed or seriously injured resulting from of a road traffic accident in the Scottish

Borders compared to the Scottish average.

Scottish Borders has more falls accidents in the over 75 age group than the Scottish average.

Domestic Abuse / Gender Based Violence are issues in the Scottish Borders as well as for Scotland

as a whole.

Accidental Dwelling Fires attributed to suspected alcohol or drug use is higher than the Scottish

average.

Highlights:

Compared to Scotland as a whole, the Scottish Borders has generally a lower prevalence of

neighbourhood problems.

Over the five years the average clear up rate for the Scottish Borders was 55.3% compared to

50.2% for Scotland overall.

Between 2010-11 and 2014-15, the number of fires in the Scottish Borders has fallen by 29%;

although this is not as good as the 35.8% decline for Scotland as a whole.

Investment in domestic abuse services since 2012 has shown a significant increase in numbers of

victims accessing support. Over 1500 victims of domestic abuse have received support from the

Pathway project 2012-15.

Built and Physical Environment

The Scottish Borders has 746 scheduled monuments and 2,998 listed buildings.

The Scottish Borders is home to significant historic sites including Melrose, Jedburgh, Dryburgh and Kelso Abbeys.


The Scottish Borders has a countryside path network of circa 3000km, of which 1200km are promoted paths/core paths and an extensive cycling network and mountain bike trails.

Overall, the Scottish Borders has good water and air quality.

Several towns in the Scottish Borders have had or are currently engaging in regeneration activity including Kelso, Galashiels and Selkirk.

Environmental Impact

Recycling rates have fallen in the Scottish Borders by 9.6% over a four year period (2011-2014) whereas nationally the recycling rate has increased by 3.5%

Tonnage of household waste generated by households in the Scottish Borders has decreased by 3,870 tonnes (7.2%) over a four-year period (2011-2014); over the same period the kg of waste per person has also steadily lowered in the Scottish Borders (7.4%).

Between 2005 and 2014 industrial and commercial gas consumption in the Scottish Borders decreased by 31% whereas the domestic consumption decreased by 17%.

Between 2005 and 2014 the total electricity consumption in the Scottish Borders decreased by 5.7%.

Approximately 25% of the buildings in the Scottish Borders would receive an energy efficient rating of A, B or C.

There has been a lower take up of ECO measures in the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland and Great Britain.

Perceptions of Community and Community Support

The Scottish Borders consistently has a higher proportion of people rating their neighbourhood as a Very Good or Fairly Good place to live compared to Scotland.

Between 2007 and 2013 the LEADER programme supported 70 projects receiving of £3.5 million for the Scottish Borders.

The Scottish Borders Council’s Community grant scheme leveraged more than £980k into the Scottish Borders in 2014-15.

Community Resilience / Volunteering

The proportion of adults who volunteer in the Scottish Borders is higher that the level for Scotland.

Households in the Scottish Borders are better prepared for emergencies compared to Scotland.

As of March 2016 SB Alert had 3,788 customers.

As of March 2016 there are 32 active community resilience plans.

Cultural Activity

The Scottish Borders has a rich history that is celebrated in each town by a common riding or civic festival.

There are eight amateur operatic societies in the Scottish Borders.

Sporting events are important features in the Scottish Borders these include the Melrose 7s rugby and the Jim Clark Rally.

Physical and Digital Access

Over 20% of the household in the Scottish Borders do not have access to a car or van.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey reported that over 16% of people reported accessibility issues with public transport.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey reported that almost 15% do not use the internet or email.

Drivers:

National: Community Empowerment (Scotland)Act 2015


National Planning Framework 3, 2014

Homes Fit for the 21st Century: The Scottish Government's Strategy and Action Plan for Housing in the Next Decade: 2011-2020

Unlocking Potential, Embracing Ambition- a shared plan for the arts, screen and creative industries 2014/2024

Going Further: The national Strategy for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries 2012

A Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland 2015-2020

Climate Change (Scotland) Act (2009) plus range of guidance and regulations

Town Centre Action Plan Scottish Government) 2013

National Police Service of Scotland (Police Scotland)

National Strategy for Public Space CCTV in Scotland

Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020 (national road safety targets)

Fire and Rescue Scotland

Introduction of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill

The Community Justice Bill is due to be implemented in March 2016

The increased likelihood of further terrorist attacks occurring in Europe

Proposed new domestic abuse legislation

Public Sector spending cuts

The New Psychoactive Substances Bill

Local: Scottish Borders Low Carbon Economic Strategy

Local Housing Strategy 2012-17

Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2015-2020

A Cultural Strategy for the Scottish Borders 2014

Scottish Borders Asset Transfer Policy

Local Biodiversity Action Plan

Adding Value to Communities Through Procurement Policy (part of SBC’s Procurement & Payment Services Strategy & Policy 2015 – 2017)

Local Police Plan and 11 Multi-Member Ward (MMW) Plans

Local Fire and Rescue Plan and Locality Plans

Safer Communities Strategic Assessment 2015-2016

Violence Against Women Partnership’s Equally Safe Strategy 2016-2021

Pathway Project

Evidence Summary:


Community Safety Neighbourhood Problems

Feeling Safe

Recorded Crime and Clear Up Crime Rates

Alcohol/Drug Misuse and Crime Domestic Abuse / Gender Based Violence Antisocial Behaviour

Road Traffic Accidents Unintentional Injuries or Deaths Hate Crimes

Fires in the Scottish Borders


Serious and Organised Crime

Community Safety by Locality

Prevention and Reducing Offending Built and Physical Environment

Scottish Natural Heritage Sites

Path Network Cycle Network Water Quality Air Quality

Regional Land Use Strategy Pilot

Town Regeneration Derelict Sites

Cleanliness of the Scottish Borders


Waste Management Waste and Recycling Satisfaction

Energy Consumption

Household Energy Efficiency

Community Support and Community Resilience Rating of neighbourhood as a place to live

Maximising External Funding Investment in the Scottish Borders Voluntary Work Household Resilience

Scottish Borders Alert

Community Resilience

Cultural Activity

Local Common Ridings and Festivals

Amateur Dramatics

Public Sector Culture and Sport Facilities Cultural Engagement and Participation

Sport Facility Attendance

Digital and Physical Access

Car or Van Availability

Local Bus Use Accessibility Issues Internet Use


Community Safety

Neighbourhood Problems

The Scottish Household Survey asks what people think about specific neighbourhood problems. Compared

to Scotland as a whole, the Scottish Borders generally has a lower prevalence of neighbourhood problems.

However, in 2014 there has been an increase in the number of people stating that drug misuse or dealing,

noisy neighbours, rubbish lying around and animal nuisance are very or fairly common in their

neighbourhood.

Percentage of people saying a problem is very/fairly common in their neighbourhood


2009 /

2010 2012 2013 2014

2009 /

2010 2012 2013 2014

General anti-social behaviour

Vandalism / graffiti / damage to

property 4 4 4 3 13 11 10 8

Groups or individuals harassing

others 3 6 4 4 9 8 7 6

Drug misuse or dealing 7 9 7 8 12 13 12 11

Rowdy behaviour 7 8 4 4 15 15 13 12

Neighbour problems

Noisy neighbours / loud parties 5 6 4 7 10 12 11 11

Neighbour disputes 5 3 4 3 6 6 6 6

Rubbish or litter lying around 13 28 15 20 25 29 27 27

Animal nuisance such as noise or

dog fouling 20 25 27 29 24 30 31 31

Abandoned or burnt out vehicles 0 1 - 0 1 1 1 1

Base 483 240 250 250 22,536 9,890 9,920 9,800 Source: Scottish Household Survey

Results from the Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 indicates that ‘parking problems’, ‘anti-social

driving behaviour including speeding’ and ‘rubbish and litter lying around’ are considered to be a ‘very

common / fairly common’ neighbourhood problem; more than 35%.

Parkingproblems

Anti-SocialDriving

Behaviourincludingspeeding

Rubbishand litter

lyingaround

Unwantedcallers atthe door

Peopleusing ordealingdrugs

Peoplebeing drunkor rowdy in

publicplaces

Youthscausing

annoyance

Out ofcontrol

dogs

Noisyneighbours

or loudparties

Off roadmotorbikes

Vandalismor graffiti toproperty or

vehicles

Groups orindividualsintimidatin

g orharassing

others

Peoplesetting fires

to causedamage

Raciallymotivated

attacks

Abandonedor burntout cars

Scottish Borders 40.1% 35.3% 35.2% 20.7% 18.1% 13.8% 10.8% 10.1% 8.9% 7.2% 6.7% 5.8% 1.2% 0.8% 0.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

Proportion of people who feel the following are Very Common / Fairly Common in their local areaSource: SBHS 2015


Feeling Safe

According to the Scottish Household Survey, more people in the Scottish Borders feel safe in their own

home and walking alone at night compared to Scotland as a whole.

Source: Scottish Household Survey

The Scottish Borders Household Survey results show that the number of people feeling safe at home is

consistent with the Scottish Household Survey results and there is an increasing feeling of safety when

walking alone at night.

Perceptions of safety when walking alone in the neighbourhood and in their home alone at night (%)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2013 2015

Feeling safe in the home at night 97% 96% 96.5% 97% 97% 96%

Feeling safe when walking alone at

night 67% 63% 65% 70% 70% 77%

Source: Scottish Borders Household Survey

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 asked, “are they any places in your local area that you feel

unsafe?” Over 12% of respondents indicated there were places they felt unsafe this varied across the

Scottish Borders from 8% in Berwickshire to 17% in Teviot.


No 87.8% 85.5% 79.7% 76.2% 85.0% 83.0%

Yes 8.1% 11.0% 15.3% 17.0% 11.5% 12.5%

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

Are there any places in your local area that

you feel unsafe?

Source: SBHS 2015

Perceptions of feeling safe at home or walking alone, Scottish Borders compared to Scotland (%)


2009-10 2012 2013 2014 2009-10 2012 2013 2014

Walking alone

Very safe / Fairly safe 87 91 90 93 76 80 84 85

Very unsafe / A bit unsafe

12 9 9 7 21 16 15 14

Don't know 1 0 1 - 3 4 1 1

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Base 404 240 250 250 18689 9890 9490 9310

At home

Very safe / Fairly safe 99 99 99 99 97 98 98 98

Very unsafe / A bit unsafe

1 1 1 1 3 2 2 2

Don't know 0 - - - 0 0 0 0

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Base 404 240 250 250 18689 9890 9920 9800


The graphs below show the proportion of people feeling safe at home at night, waking alone during the day

and walking alone at night in their local area for the Scottish Borders and by the localities from the Scottish

Borders Household Survey 2015. The graphs clearly show that the proportion of people that feel ‘a bit

unsafe’ or ‘very unsafe’ is higher for ‘walking alone at night in their local area’. People feel more unsafe in

the Teviot area.


Very safe 66.7% 65.4% 65.1% 59.2% 69.4% 65.4%

Fairly safe 29.3% 30.5% 29.2% 35.4% 28.0% 30.3%

A bit unsafe 1.3% 1.8% 2.3% 2.6% 1.1% 1.8%

Very unsafe 0.6% 0.9% 0.2% 0.6% 0.4% 0.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Proportion of people feeling

safe:Alone

in your home at night

Source: SBHS 2015


Very safe 75.4% 72.2% 71.3% 65.0% 78.6% 72.8%

Fairly safe 19.9% 22.6% 22.3% 26.8% 16.8% 21.5%

A bit unsafe 0.8% 1.5% 0.7% 3.2% 1.1% 1.4%

Very unsafe 0.2% 0.9% 1.1% 0.6% 0.9% 0.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%


safe:Walking

alone in your local area

during the day

Source: SBHS 2015


Very safe 35.3% 31.6% 32.6% 30.3% 39.1% 34.1%

Fairly safe 44.2% 44.9% 41.2% 39.3% 44.4% 42.6%

A bit unsafe 11.7% 14.5% 16.2% 17.4% 10.1% 13.9%

Very unsafe 3.2% 4.8% 3.7% 7.5% 2.3% 4.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%


safe:Walking alone

in your local area after dark

Source: SBHS 2015


Recorded Crime and Clear Up

Between 2010-11 and 2014-15 the number of recorded crimes25 in the Scottish Borders decreased by

14.8%, from 3,743 to 3,189.

Over the five years the average clear up rate for the Scottish Borders was 55.3% compared to 50.2% for

Scotland. However, there has been a 5.6% reduction in clear up rates between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

The recorded crime area that has seen an increase in offences over the five years is sexual offences. In

2013-14 it saw the highest level recorded of 152. This has reduced to 129 in 2014/15 but remains high.

However, a number of sexual offences are not reported at the time of the offence occurring. These are

termed historical cases (where they are reported 12 months or more after the offence occurred) and make

up approximately 30% of reported sexual offences.

Number of Recorded Crimes and Clear Up Rates

Year

Non-

sexual

crimes of

violence

Sexual

offences

Crimes of

dis-

honesty

Fire-

raising,

vand-

alism

etc.

Other

crimes

Total

crimes

% of

crimes

cleared

up -

Scottish

Borders

% of

crimes

cleared

up -

Scotland

2010-11 133 106 1,527 1,159 818 3,743 56.5% 48.5%

2011-12 125 127 1,654 1,096 842 3,844 55.0% 49.4%

2012-13 79 97 1,357 935 711 3,179 56.9% 51.3%

2013-14 73 152 1,479 792 710 3,206 57.0% 51.5%

2014-15 64 129 1,516 779 701 3,189 50.9% 50.4%

5 Year Change -69 23 -11 -380 -117 -554 -5.6% 1.9%

5 Year Change % -51.9% 21.7% -0.7% -32.8% -14.3% -14.8%

Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland

Neighbourhood Crime

Neighbourhood crime also known as the SIMD crime grouping includes crimes of violence; drug offences;

domestic house breaking; minor assault; and vandalism. The Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower

neighbourhood crime rate per 1,000 population compared to Scotland.

25

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubRecordedCrime

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 53.4 53.2 52.9 49.2 48.9 48.6 41.0 40.7 40.6 40.5 40.4

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

Neighbourhood crime rate per 1,000 population (violence; drug offences; domestic house breaking; minor assault; and vandalism), SG

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubRecordedCrime


Within the Scottish Borders, the rate of neighbourhood crimes by Intermediate Zone ranges from 5.0 to

71.3 per 1,000 population. The Teviot and Liddesdale locality has the highest rate of neighbourhood crime

per 1,000 population followed by Eildon locality.

Violent Crime

The Scottish Borders has consistently had a lower level violent crime compared to Scotland. Between

2004/05 and 2014/15 the rate of violent crimes recorded by the police per 10,000 population from 14.5 to

5.6 for the Scottish Borders.

Crime Rates

When compared to the national picture the level of crimes in the Scottish Borders is about 58% of the

crimes per 10,000. In 2014-15 there were 279.7 crimes per 10,000 people in the Scottish Borders compared

to 479.4 for Scotland as a whole. However, the number of offences per 10,000 has been reducing more in

Scotland as a whole than in the Scottish Borders.

The table below shows the number of crimes by type per 10,000 population for the Scottish Borders and

Scotland for the past five years.

5.0 17.0 16.4 25.1 35.6 14.7 71.3


Scotland, 40.5

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0


Tweeddale Highest

Neighbourhood crime rate per 1,000 population (violence; drug offences; domestic house breaking; minor assault; and vandalism) 2013, SG

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15


Scotland 29.0 26.9 27.5 24.9 24.2 21.5 21.7 18.0 14.2 12.7 11.9

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

Violent crimes recorded by the police - rate per 10,000 population, SG Recorded Crime in Scotland


Recorded Crimes per 10,000 for the Scottish Borders compared to Scotland

Year Area

Non-sexual

crimes of

violence

Sexual

offences

Crimes of

dishonesty

Fire-raising,

vandalism,

etc.

Other

crimes

Total

crimes

Index

(Scotland

= 100)

2010-11 Scottish Borders 11.8 9.4 135.3 102.7 72.5 331.6 53.6

Scotland 21.9 12.5 298.5 157.1 128.7 618.6 100.0


Scotland 18.1 14.0 293.7 143.1 128.9 597.9 100.0


Scotland 14.3 14.6 258.6 113.2 118.8 519.6 100.0


Scotland 12.7 16.1 257.8 102.1 118.7 507.5 100.0


Scotland 11.9 17.9 237.2 97.4 115.0 479.4 100.0

Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland

Alcohol/Drug Misuse and Crime

The National Picture

In acknowledgement of the potential links between crime and alcohol use the following government

statistics were published:

In 6 out of 10 cases (59%) of violent crime, the victim said the offender was under the influence of

alcohol.

In the past 10 years, 50% of those accused of murder were under the influence of alcohol and/or

drugs at the time of the murder.

The Scottish Prisoner survey of 2013 identified that 66% of young offenders were drunk at the time

of their offence.

The Local Picture

Approximately 11% of offences in 2014/15 record alcohol as an aggravating factor in the commission of the

offence. This figure has remained relatively constant for a number of years. Identifying and recording of

offences aggravated by alcohol remains an issue therefore, in reality the percentage of offences aggravated

by alcohol is likely to be much higher than 11%.

The prolific offenders in Scottish Borders frequently commit offences under the influence of alcohol and/or

drugs. For example, in the time period from 1st April 2014 to the 31st August 2015, 22 of the top 23 (96%)

adult male offenders committed one or more offences where alcohol and/or drugs was given as an

aggravating factor.

Domestic Abuse / Gender Based Violence

The Pathway Project, which commenced in September 2012, provides a more coordinated, integrated

response to domestic abuse in the Scottish Borders. It provides three main services:

Domestic Abuse Advocacy Support (DAAS): The DAAS service works with the highest risk victims of

domestic abuse but takes all referrals from police, statutory and voluntary services, as well as self-


referrals. Working with a validated risk assessment tool, high risk victims are case managed, and

medium to low risk victims and any children are referred on to DACS for long term practical and

emotional support.

Domestic Abuse Community Support (DACS): DACS provides adults and children with the longer

term support to recover and re-integrate into the community. The service covers all five localities

and the vast majority of referrals to DACs are from DAAS.

Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery (CEDAR): The CEDAR group work programme for

mothers and children is a structured 12 week therapeutic intervention to enable mothers and

children to rebuild relationships through developing a shared understanding of their experiences.

Key information on referrals from the projects from 2012-2015 are:

DAAS DACS CEDAR

Referrals adults 1130 247 64

Referrals children and young people 145 129 34

Engagement 70% 90% 50%

Source: Safer Communities Team

MARAC

Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a four weekly partnership discussion to plan actions

and resources to reduce the risk of further harm to high risk victims of domestic abuse. The number of

domestic abuse cases referred to MARAC in 2014/15 was 94 of which 99% were female. The percentage of

referrals who showed a reduced risk after MARAC was 54%.

MATAC

Multi Agency Tasking and Coordinating Group (MATAC) targets repeat Domestic Abuse perpetrators. At

meetings, effective decision making ensures resources are deployed to tackle individuals who pose the

greatest risk to victims of Domestic Abuse. 19 perpetrators were referred to MATAC from the Scottish

Borders in 2014/15.

The Pathway Project has undergone an external independent evaluation (June – Nov 2015) and as a result

72 recommendations across practice, policy and partners have been made. However, a key finding is that

Pathway is a vital service providing an effective response to victims of domestic abuse and their families.

From the external evaluation, the high level outcomes reveal that:

victims and children are safer

victims are more likely to be identified at an earlier stage

partnership work has increased safety for victims

increased resources are available to tackle prolific, repeat offenders

Domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police allow comparisons between Scottish Borders and

Scotland. The graph below shows that the Scottish Borders has a lower rate per 10,000 of domestic abuse

incidents compared to Scotland although it does have a similar pattern.


Antisocial Behaviour

The number of recorded antisocial behaviour incidents in the Scottish Borders (reported to Police Scotland

and identified as antisocial behaviour on closure of the incident) decreased by 33.8% between 2010-11

(5988) and 2014-15 (3967). 2014-15 saw the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders granted stand at 19, a

significant reduction on 2010-11 numbers. However, only 3 (15.8%) were breached within six months.

The table below shows the number of recorded antisocial behaviour incidents in the Scottish Borders along

with the Antisocial Behaviour Orders granted and breached between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Antisocial Behaviour Incidents, Orders and Breaches

Year

Antisocial Behaviour

Incidents

(on closure of the

incident)

Antisocial

Behaviour Orders

Granted

Antisocial

Behaviour Orders

Breached within

6 months

% Antisocial

Behaviour Orders

Breached within

6 months

2010-11 5988 41 19 46.3%

2011-12 4897 50 18 36.0%

2012-13 4406 11 6 54.5%

2013-14 4041 24 6 25.0%

2014-15 3967 19 3 15.8%

5 Year Change -2021 -22 -16 -30.6%

5 Year Change % -33.8% -53.7% -84.2%

Source: Police Scotland and ASBU in Safer Communities

Approximately 18% of antisocial behaviour incidents in 2014/15 recorded alcohol as an aggravating factor.

This figure has decreased from 21% in 2010/11 but not substantially so. Between 2010/11 and 2014/15 the

number of alcohol related antisocial behaviour incidents decreased by 25% from 2,948 to 2,22326.

26

http://www.badp.scot.nhs.uk/home

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2008/09

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

Scottish Borders 43.3 48.7 55.6 58.6 52.8 58.7 71.1 66.9 70.3 81.8 75.9 79.9

Scotland 81.4 85.8 88.7 95.1 96.6 103.7 99.3 105.9 112.9 113.1 109.7 112.0

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

Domestic Abuse Incidents recorded by the police - rate per 10,000 population, SG - Domestic Abuse Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland

http://www.badp.scot.nhs.uk/home


The Scottish Borders Household Survey asked, “if people had witnessed or experienced antisocial behaviour

in the last year?” Overall, 20% of respondents indicated that they witnessed or experienced antisocial

behaviour with the highest level in Teviot and the lowest level in Berwickshire.

Road Traffic Accidents

The number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of a road traffic accident varies year on year in

the Scottish Borders. In 2014, 68 people were killed or seriously injured as a result of a road traffic accident

in the Scottish Borders, the lowest number for 10 years. Although there has been a 52% decrease in the

number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of a road traffic accident from the 142 in 2005 road

safety is a priority area.

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Total Anti-Social Behaviour Incidents 14,021 14,265 13,163 12,106 12,142

Alcohol Related Anti-Social BehaviourIncidents

2,948 3,016 2,611 2,436 2,223

% Alcohol Related 21.0% 21.1% 19.8% 20.1% 18.3%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

Number of Anti-Social Behavior Incidents

Alcohol Related Antisocial Behaviour Police Incidents (2010-11 to 2014-15)

Source: Police Scotland /Scottish Borders Safer Communities


Yes 13.7% 18.9% 24.4% 27.5% 19.5% 20.8%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Proportion of people who have witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in the last year Source: SBHS 2015

105 142 89 100 100 104 95 70 79 80 68

3.4%

4.8%

3.0%

3.8% 3.5%

4.2% 4.4%

3.4%3.7%

4.3%

3.6%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Number of People Killed or Seriously Injured as as Result of a Road Traffic Accident in the Scottish Borders and as a Percent of Scotland's Results, Transport Scotland

Number of killed and seriously injured casualties in the Scottish Borders Scottish Borders as % of Scotland


Unintentional Injuries or Deaths

The Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS Scotland publishes information on hospital admissions due

to unintentional injuries and deaths.

In 2013/14 the number of admissions increased from 1296 in 2012/13 to 1370 in 2013/14, a 5.7% increase.

The Scotland figure also shows an increase but only by 1.9%. The table below shows the number of

emergency admissions in Scottish Borders from 2009 to 2013. Data for 2014/15 is not currently available.

Number of hospital admissions for unintentional injury or death

All Admissions Under 5 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 Over 75

2009/10 1296 74 139 135 199 247 141 361

2010/11 1235 100 123 116 166 258 104 368

2011/12 1384 88 135 125 188 254 165 429

2012/13 1296 85 129 114 153 234 146 435

2013/14 1370 96 141 136 151 234 168 444

Source: ISD

Based on the age specific population numbers in each of these categories the under 5s (16.7 per 1,000

population) and over 75s (39.4 per 1,000 population) still have the highest rates of admissions.

Within these categories over 75 falls and under 5 home accidents are the most prevalent types of accident,

and have been a priority of the Safer Communities team in Scottish Borders Council since 2012.

Accidents at home include, poisoning, falls and scalds and amounted to 67% of injuries to the under 5s in

2013/14. This number has stayed fairly constant since 2010/11. However, when the data is considered per

1,000 head of population (aged under 5) the Scottish Borders figure is significantly higher than the all

Scotland figure.

Falls to the over 75s is at the highest level in 5 years. However, when the data is considered per 1,000

population (aged 75+) the Scottish Borders figure is significantly higher than the all Scotland figure. Clearly,

accidents within this age group remain a concern.

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Number of Accidents: Borders 52 61 65 55 64

Per 1,000 Population Under 5:Scottish Borders

9.0 10.6 11.3 9.5 11.1

Per 1,000 Population Under 5:Scotland

6.8 6.4 6.8 6.7 7.2

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

010203040506070

Under 5 Home Accidents and Rate per 1,000 population, ISD


From a peak of accidental deaths in Scottish Borders in 2011, there has been a significant drop (37%) in

fatalities up to the end of 2013. Data for 2014 to 2015 is not currently available. The over 75s remain the

age group at highest risk with 67% of fatalities occurring in this age group.

Accidental Deaths

Year All Accidental

Deaths Under 5 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 Over 75

2009 37 0 1 4 4 5 7 16

2010 31 1 0 1 4 3 3 19

2011 57 0 0 1 5 8 7 36

2012 44 0 0 4 3 5 5 27

2013 36 0 0 1 1 7 3 24 Source: ISD

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Number of Falls: Borders 335 333 411 399 416

Per 1,000 Population 75+: ScottishBorders

29.7 29.5 36.4 35.4 36.9

Per 1,000 Population 75+: Scotland 29.7 30.9 31.5 34 34.4

0510152025303540

050

100150200250300350400450

Over 75 Falls and Rate per 1,000 population, ISD


Hate Crimes

Police Scotland defines a hate crime as “Any crime which is perceived by the victim or any other person as

being motivated by malice or ill will towards a social group.” A social group may include, but is not limited

to: a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender or transgender identity.

The number of hate crimes in the Scottish Borders is relatively low that does not leave room for

complacency. When looking at the types of hate crime there is a variance between Scottish Borders and

nationally with a greater proportion related to sexuality and transgender identity and a lower proportion

related to religion.

Hate Crimes and % of Hate Crimes of All Crimes


Total Hate Crime

Hate Crime as %

of All Crime Total Hate Crime

Hate Crime as %

of All Crime

2010-11 64 1.7 5387 1.7

2011-12 61 1.6 6173 2.0

2012-13 63 2.0 5603 2.1

2013-14 78 2.4 5809 2.1

2014-15 61 1.9 5393 2.1 Source: Statistics Scotland (COPFS data)

Hate Crimes by Category, 3 year average for Scottish Borders and Scotland


3 Year Average

2012/2015 % Per Category

3 Year Average

2012/2015 % Per Category

Racial 48 71.8 3992 71.3

Sexual Orientation 14 20.3 820 14.6

Religious Belief 3 4.0 616 11.0

Disability 2 2.5 154 2.7

Transgender 1 1.5 20 0.4

Total 67 100.0 5602 100.0 Source: Statistics Scotland (COPFS data), UNIFI for Scottish Borders data


Fires in the Scottish Borders

Fires by Type

Between 2010-11 and 2014-15 the number of fires in the Scottish Borders has fallen by 29% although this is

not as good as the 35.8% decline for Scotland as a whole27. The graph below shows the number of fires by

main category type and by year for Scottish Borders.

Fire Casualties

In 2014-15 there were 15 casualties from primary fires in the Scottish Borders equivalent to a rate of 83.3

per 1,000 primary fires below the Scotland rate of 107.2 per 1,000 primary fires. The graph below shows

the number of casualties in the Scottish Borders is at the lowest point in five years and the rate of

casualties per 1,000 is better than the Scotland rate.

27

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubFires

2010/11 (490) 2011/12 (424) 2012/13 (356) 2013/14 (376) 2014/15 (348)

Chimney 94 74 99 65 76

Secondary 149 126 65 107 92

Primary 247 224 192 204 180

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Fires in Scottish Borders by Type and Year, SFRS

28 25 18 28 15

113.4

111.6

93.8

137.3

83.3

104.6

118.8 123.1

127.6107.2

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

140.0

160.0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Number and Rate of Casualties per 1,000 Primary Fires, SFRS

Primary Fire Casualties Scottish Borders Casualties per 1,000 Primary Fires

Scotland Casualties per 1,000 Primary Fires

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubFires


Accidental Dwelling Fires

The number of accidental dwelling fires in the Scottish Borders in 2014/15 has reduced compared to the

position for the previous 4 years. The graph below shows that the rate of accidental dwelling fires per

100,000 dwellings in the Scottish Borders is now significantly below the rate for Scotland.

However, what is of concern is the number of accidental fires in Scottish Borders that are attributed to

suspected alcohol and/or drug use. For 2014/15 Scottish Borders is performing worse than the Scottish as a

whole.

Serious and Organised Crime

The current threat from identified serious and organised crime groups in the Scottish Borders comes from

the supply of controlled drugs, in line with the regional and national picture. The Serious and Organised

Crime Groups (SOCG) impacting on local communities in the Scottish Borders are predominantly involved in

the supply of Class A and B controlled drugs. They are also involved in low-level violence which can increase

the fear of crime within communities.

The geographical nature of the Scottish Borders makes the area vulnerable to travelling criminals from

England as well as from other areas of Scotland. It is also exposed to other criminality not routinely

associated with SOCGs, for example rural crime and wildlife crime.

100 91 100 101 81

174.9159.1

174.9 176.6

141.6

205.8 202.1 197.5184.7

195.5

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Rat

e p

er

10

0,0

00

Acc

ide

nta

l Dw

elli

ng

Fire

s

Number and Rate of Accidental Dwelling Fires per 100,000 Dwellings, SFRS

Accidental Dwelling Fires - Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders Accidental Dwelling Fires per 100,000 Dwellings

Scotland Accidental Dwelling Fires per 100,000 Dwellings

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Scottish Borders 10% 17% 5% 22%

Scotland 17% 15% 15% 14%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Accidental Dwelling Fires: Suspected Alcohol / Drug Use, ADP Alcohol Profile


Ongoing advances in technology are providing criminals with increasing opportunities to commit a wide-

range of crimes not necessarily obvious within communities. Cybercrime, the selling of counterfeit goods,

and the targeting of vulnerable groups such as older people for online fraud are all emerging areas of risk

and threat, particularly in an area with an aging population.

Over and above the identified Serious Organised Crime Groups within the Scottish Borders, cognisance

must be taken of the need to prevent Serious Organised Crime from identifying the Scottish Borders as a

place where they can operate. Given the close proximity of the Scottish Borders to Northern England and to

Scotland’s two major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, the ability of Serious Organised Crime Groups from

other areas to form links with criminals and businesses in the area and make use of the road network is an

ongoing threat.

SOCG activity continues to be rigorously addressed using four key objectives:

Divert individuals (particularly young people) from engaging in or using the products of Serious

Organised Crime.

Disrupt the activities of Serious Organised Crime Groups.

Deter SOCGs through measures to protect communities, businesses and the public sector from

serious organised crime.

Detect SOCG activity by improving co-ordination to give serious organised criminals no place to

hide.

Community Safety by Locality

Crime and Disorder

This section looks at the community safety information by the five localities within the Scottish Borders.

The table below shows 2014-15 crime and disorder for each locality as a rate per 1,000 (total population).

Crime and Disorder by Locality for 2014-15 as a rate per 1,000 Population

Locality Scottish Borders

Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot Tweeddale

Serious Assault 0.24 0.18 0.31 0.38 0.10 0.25

Robbery 0.00 0.06 0.10 0.32 0.00 0.10

Rape 0.58 0.43 0.10 0.48 0.05 0.29

Sexual Assault 0.29 0.91 0.46 0.54 0.21 0.47

Minor Assault 4.65 4.94 5.95 10.21 2.61 5.70

Housebreaking (Dwelling) 1.05 0.67 0.54 1.67 0.83 0.89

Housebreaking (Non-Dwelling) 0.38 0.49 0.15 0.75 0.73 0.44

Vandalism 3.98 6.16 5.67 13.54 3.54 6.36

Fire-raising 0.29 0.18 0.21 0.43 0.16 0.25

Supply of Drugs 0.05 0.49 0.41 0.59 0.10 0.33

Possession of Drugs 1.82 1.65 2.71 3.98 1.35 2.37

Theft Of Motor Vehicle 0.72 0.37 0.34 0.81 0.68 0.54

Theft From Motor Vehicle 0.62 0.98 0.82 0.97 0.52 0.78

Shoplifting 0.58 2.86 5.26 3.39 0.57 2.96

Racially Aggravated Conduct 0.00 0.24 0.21 0.27 0.05 0.16

Antisocial Behaviour28

71.52 96.97 107.33 194.40 65.55 106.46

Total 86.76 117.57 130.57 232.71 77.06 128.35

28

Antisocial behaviour incidents publicly reported, higher than ASB recorded on closure after investigation.


The graph shows the crime and disorder incidents by locality for 2014-15 per 1,000 population.

Home and Road Safety

A number of other factors contribute to the safety and wellbeing of residents in the Scottish Borders and

are a priority for the Safer Communities Team within Scottish Borders Council. These other factors are

classified as road safety and home safety. The table below show the rate per 1,000 total population for

home and road safety factors for each of the localities in 2014-15.

‘Over 75 Falls’ has the highest number of incidents in the Scottish Borders with Teviot and Berwickshire

having a higher rate per 1,000 compared to the Scottish Borders.

Safety on the Roads and at Home 2014-15 as rate per 1,000

population

Locality Scottish Borders

Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot Tweeddale

Over 75 Falls 7.67 5.36 3.74 9.19 3.96 5.62

Fires in Homes 0.81 0.49 0.80 1.07 0.42 0.74

Under 5 Home Accidents 0.38 0.79 0.41 1.02 0.36 0.55

Road Users Seriously Injured 0.72 0.43 0.41 0.75 0.52 0.54

Fire Casualties (fatal and non-fatal) 0.19 0.06 0.10 0.27 0.05 0.13

Road Users Killed 0.14 0.00 0.05 0.11 0.00 0.06

Children Killed or Seriously Injured in a Road Accident 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Safety on the Roads and at Home Total 9.92 7.13 5.52 12.41 5.31 7.65


Total Crime and Disorder 86.76 117.57 130.57 232.71 77.06 128.35

Antisocial Behaviour 71.52 96.97 107.33 194.40 65.55 106.46

Recorded Crimes 15.24 20.60 23.25 38.31 11.52 21.88

0

50

100

150

200

250

Rate per 1,000

Crime and Antisocial Behaviour by Locality for 2014-15 as a rate per 1,000 Population, Police Scotland


Prevention and Reducing Offending

Offending behaviour is a complex issue and in many cases can be traced back to factors associated with

inequality. It is well documented that stable housing, alcohol and drug addiction support, health care,

employment and training opportunities, positive relationships and community integration all contribute

towards reducing the likelihood of offending or further offending behaviour.

Demand for criminal justice services is driven by recorded crime and proportion that the police and other

enforcement agencies detect as illustrated in the tables below.

Group 1 – 5 Recorded Crimes and Detections 2014/15

Total Recorded Crimes Per 10,000 Detection Rate

Scotland 256,350 479 50.4%

Scottish Borders 3,189 280.5 50.9%

Group 1 – 5 Recorded Crime Trend Data

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Scotland 273,053 270,397 256,350

Scottish Borders 3,179 3,201 3,189

Group 1 – 5 Detection Trend Data

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Scotland 51.3% 51.6% 50.4%

Scottish Borders 56.9% 57.6% 50.9% Source: Police Scotland Management Information Council Area report: Quarter 4 2014/15

Cases are reported to the Procurator Fiscal who has a variety of disposal options not all of which result in

moving toward a prosecution. One of the options available is diversion from prosecution, which involves

an assessment and intervention by criminal justice social work. The number of assessments and

interventions is detailed below:

Diversion from Prosecution

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

Procurator Fiscal Diversion: No of assessments 14 57 54

Procurator Fiscal Diversion: No of cases commenced 5 49 43

The remaining cases are prosecuted through court proceedings.29 The table below outlines the court

activity in the Scottish Borders by type for 2010/11, 2011/12, and 2013/14.

29

Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority, The Delivery of Justice services in the Scottish Borders, report on the joint feasibility study June 2014


Scottish Borders Court Activity

2010/11 2011/12 2013/14

Solemn

Solemn - Indictments 49 39 80

Solemn - Trials called 38 25 41

Solemn - Evidence led trails 19 14 14

Solemn - Community based orders 21 11 37

Solemn - mental health disposals 1 0 3

Summary

Summary - Complaints 1119 970 878

Summary - Trials called 523 471 436

Summary - Evidence led trails 96 85 81

Summary - Community based orders 209 236 191

Summary - mental health disposals 0 0 5

Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace - Complaints 1080 1125 936

Justice of the Peace - Trials called 152 167 181

Justice of the Peace - Evidence led trails 39 32 30

Justice of the Peace -Community based orders 4 8 4

Justice of the Peace - mental health disposals 0 0 0

Post-conviction the sheriff can request a criminal justice social work report, which is prepared by criminal

justice social work. Sentencing disposals of imprisonment, Community Payback Order or Drug Treatment

Testing Order have the greatest impact upon statutory Criminal Justice Social Work services. The number

represents a small proportion of the overall population who are convicted in the Scottish Borders.

Criminal Justice Social Work Activity

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

No of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports 325 349 301

Community Payback Orders 222 260 252

No of Drug Treatment Testing Orders 6 5 16

Statutory Through Care :Total Cases at 31/03 78 67 66

Statutory Through Care: Individuals in Community 35 23 28

Statutory Through Care: Individuals in Custody 43 44 38

Voluntary Through Care Cases commenced 59 40 47

While there is independence around sentencing decisions, there has for some time been a presumption

against short-term sentences of 3 months or less. There has been recent consultation from the Scottish


Government with a view to increasing this period. The majority of respondents (85 %) are in favour of

increasing the term to 12 months or less.30

The table below shows the liberation from prison of prisoners sentenced to 1 year and less for 2013/14 for

the Scottish Borders and Scotland.

Liberation from prison by sentence length 2013/14

Less than 6 months 6 months to less than 1 year Total less than 1 year

Scotland 3,269 52% 3,070 48% 6,339

Scottish Borders 43 53% 38 47% 81 Source: The Scottish Government, Crime & Justice, Prison Statistics and Population Projections 2013/14

The Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016

The Scottish Government has stated its commitment to preventing, reducing further offending and securing better outcomes for people with convictions, victims and communities through The Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (the Act). This Act recognises the collective responsibility in reducing offending and range of social factors necessary to support behavioural change. The use of community based sentencing options in which the underlying causes of offending behaviour are addressed is recognised as being more effective in supporting desistance. The Act identifies a number of partners who will work together to prevent and reduce reoffending. The new arrangements are due to be implemented in March 2017 following a transition year and will see partners working together under local Community Planning Partnerships. In Scottish Borders, a Community Justice Board chaired by Chief Social Work Officer, has already been established to coordinate and oversee the transition locally. The Board has responsibility for developing plans and making the necessary changes in how services are designed, delivered and accessed. A transition plan has been submitted to Scottish Government which will be followed by a Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan and annual reporting. Community Justice Partners are -

each local authority,

each health board,

the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland,

the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service,

Skills Development Scotland,

any integrated joint board established by virtue of section 9 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working)

(Scotland) Act 2014 for the area, or within whose area the area of the local authority falls,

the Scottish courts and Tribunals Service, and

the Scottish Ministers (in practice, the Scottish Prison Service).

These statutory partners are required to cooperate at a local level in the preparation, implementation and review of the community justice outcomes improvement plan within the local authority area. Commissioned services, third sector bodies and communities support the work of statutory bodies and continue to offer key support.

30

Consultation on Proposals to Strengthen The Presumption Against Short periods of Imprisonment: An Analysis of Responses: Scottish Government Social Research 2016


Community Justice means community based sentences and post (prison) release control requirements, managing and supporting offenders in the community with a view to reducing reoffending by them, arranging general services in ways which facilitate offenders in the community accessing and using them, prepare offenders for release from imprisonment and detention in a penal institution. There are 4 structural and 3 person-centric outcomes that contribute to prevent and reducing reoffending.

Community Justice Risk and Need

Understanding the complex needs of individuals within the criminal justice system is essential in providing

the necessary support and interventions to address offending behaviour. The Level of Service/Case

Management Inventory (LSCMI) is the national assessment and case management tool for all people

subject to statutory supervision by Criminal Justice Social Work in Scotland. A report published in 2013 by

the Risk Management Authority analysed the data from the Scottish Borders and examined the records of

289 individuals, 12% female and 88% males, which revealed the following risk and need factors. The age

group 22 - 30 years of age was the largest for both females and males.

An evaluation of those individuals with a full LSCMI assessment identified that 76% had two or more

episodes of offending, 42% had breached the requirements of prior community supervision and 40% had

been imprisoned at some point.

The distribution of those individuals in education or employments revealed that 66% were currently

unemployed, 63 % had been frequently unemployed, 63% left school at the minimum age.

Approximately half of individuals had an unsatisfactory parental, marital or equivalent relationship.

Alcohol and drug misuse was a common presence, 74% identified a problem with alcohol at some point

dropping to 47% identifying a current problem. These figures were more favourable with drug misuse, 48%

had a drug problem at some point and 34% admitting current drug misuse.

Where a current substance problem was identified 94% involved law violations, 73% indicated this had

affected the family situation and 34% education and work.

There were 36% of persons citing a problem with suitable housing and 64% experiencing financial

problems.31

These findings mirror a health needs assessment undertaken in the Scottish Borders by the NHS examining

the health needs of persons who have offended.32

In addressing offending behaviour a variety of initiatives are necessary that traverse primary, secondary

and tertiary prevention. Statutory Community Justice Partners will collaborate through the Outcomes

Improvement Plan to address structural and person-centric criminogenic factors.

31

Risk Management Authority, Level of Service/Case Management Inventory in Practice, Scottish Borders Criminal Justice Social Work 2013 A Break Down of offenders within the Scottish Borders Community Justice Service Team between April 2011 – March 2012 32

NHS Borders Public Health Dept, Health Needs Assessment of the Scottish Borders Offender Population 2011


Built and Physical Environment

Listed Buildings, Monuments, Historic Sites

The Scottish Borders has 746 scheduled monuments, almost 3000 listed buildings and 3 designated

battlefield sites. According to Historic Environment Scotland (HES)33 almost 12% of the Category A listed

buildings in the Scottish Borders are on the Buildings at Risk Register (BARR), slightly higher that the

proportion on the register for Scotland.

Historic Environment Scotland records Scottish Borders Scotland

Scottish Borders as % of Scotland

Number of Scheduled Monuments 746 8,169 9.1%

Total number of Listed Buildings 2998 47,289 6.3%

Category A listed 178 3,613 4.9%

Category B listed 1220 23,581 5.2%

Category C listed 1600 20,095 8.0%

Number of Category A listed buildings on the Buildings at Risk Register (BARR) 21 362 5.8%

% Category A listed buildings on the BARR 11.8% 10%

Designated Battlefield sites 3 39 7.7%

Entries on the HER (Historic Environment Record) 20369 320000+

Designated Conservation Areas 43 Source: Historic Environment Scotland (HES), March 2016

According to the HES there are 12 historic sites of which 5 are paid admission (Dryburgh Abbey, Hermitage

Castle, Jedburgh Abbey, Melrose Abbey and Smailholm Tower). Below is an extract for the HES visitor sites

Scottish Borders from the interactive map: http://www.historic-

scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults.htm.

33

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults.htm

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults.htm



Scottish Natural Heritage Sites

According to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) the Scottish Borders has 95 Sites of Special Scientific Interest

(SSSI), 8 Special Areas of Conversation (SAC), 5 Special Protection Areas (SPA), 3 Ramsar and 2 National

Scenic Area (NSA). Below is a link to the SNH interactive map and a extract showing protected sites in the

Scottish Borders.

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/snhi-information-service/map/

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/snhi-information-service/map/


Path Network

The Scottish Borders has a countryside path network of circa 3000km, of which 1200km are promoted

paths/core paths. The map adjacent the core path network for the Scottish Borders. From a tourism

perspective, the Scottish Borders is

part of Scotland's National Trails;

these trails include Berwickshire

Costal Path, Cross Borders Drove

Road, John Buchan Way, South of

Scotland Country Side Trails, St.

Cuthbuert’s Way, Borders Abbey

Way, Dere Steet, Penine Way and the

Southern Upland Way.

In addition, it has a very well

developed network of promoted

paths around 17 towns. These can be

found on the Scottish Borders Council

website at:

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info

/20032/parks_and_outdoors/632/wa

lking

These are essential for the health and

wellbeing of locals as well as visitors.

Cycle Network

The Scottish Borders has an extensive cycling network and mountain bike trails. The websites:

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20032/parks_and_outdoors/697/cycling and

http://cyclescottishborders.com/ provides a comprehensive guide to cycling in the Scottish Borders. There

are several long-distance cycling routes in the Scottish Borders including ‘Coast & Castles’, ‘Tweed Cycle

Route’, ‘Borderloop 4’, ‘Southern Borders Loop’ and the ‘4 Abbeys Cycle Route’.

The Scottish Borders is host to three of the 7stanes mountain biking trails these are located at Glentress

(near Peebles), Innerleithen and Newcastleton. Glentress and Innerleithen are part of the Tweed Valley

Forest Park, which in 2014 was the Scottish Borders’ most attended visitor attraction (344,198 visitors).

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20032/parks_and_outdoors/632/walking



https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20032/parks_and_outdoors/697/cycling

http://cyclescottishborders.com/


Water Quality

In December 2015, the Scottish Government and the Environment Agency published. “The river basin

management plan for Solway Tweed river basin district: 2015 update”34 The Solway Tweed river basin plan

extends across the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Northumberland and Cumbria. According to

the plan there are 624 river, lake, estuary, coastal and groundwater water bodies in the Solway Tweed river

basin district, and 58 protected areas.

In 2014, 54% of the district’s water bodies and 64% of these protected areas were assessed as being in a

good or better condition. Below are extracts from the 2015 update (labelled figure 4, 5 and 6):

34 http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/river-basin-management-planning/

http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/river-basin-management-planning/


Air Quality

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for about 82 per cent of the UK greenhouse

gas emissions in 2013. The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) released in June 2015 the

estimates of C02 emissions for local authorities between 2005 and 2013. Between 2005 and 2013 the CO2

emissions per capita in the Scottish Borders decreased by 28.6% from 7.4 to 5.2 a greater decrease than

experienced for Scotland (-22.0%) or the UK (-21.0%).

Regional Land Use Strategy Pilot

Scottish Borders Council, working in partnership with the Tweed Forum, successfully completed the pilot,

reporting to Scottish Government in March 2015. The pilot was well received and has generated a better

understanding across a broad range of stakeholders of an ecosystem approach and the need for trade-offs

to balance the needs of competing uses of the land and opportunities to deliver multiple benefits from the

land (e.g. natural flood management, biodiversity, improved water quality and carbon storage)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013


Scotland 8.5 8.5 8.3 8.1 7.2 7.5 6.7 6.9 6.6

UK 8.8 8.7 8.5 8.2 7.4 7.6 6.9 7.1 7.0

-

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

CO2 Emmission(Tonnes) Per Capita

Carbon Dioxide Emmissions per Capita (tonnes), ONS


The main products of the pilot were a mapping tool and a regional land use Framework which sets out an

introduction to the approach, key land uses in Scottish Borders and how they might change in response to

climate change, how the maps could be used to inform land use decisions and a set of recommended

actions.

Scottish Government evaluated the pilot projects, the final report by their consultants CAG has just been

published (January 2016).35 The evaluation reflects well on the delivery by Scottish Borders Council and its

main project partner, Tweed Forum, particularly the production of a Framework and the engagement of a

broad set of stakeholders across the region.

Scottish Government has funded some additional post pilot work. The Council has been exploring how the

Framework and mapping information can be applied to its programmes, particularly the Hawick Flood

Protection Scheme and the development of a biodiversity offset project to deliver natural flood

management measures (woodland creation, wetland and grassland restoration). The Climate Resilient

Communities project is also investigating use of the mapping tool with community engagement.

The Council is also involved with a further evaluation of the mapping. This is led by Tweed Forum and is

investigation whether the maps could be used to add value to targeting of SRDP (Agri-Environment Climate

Change Scheme (AECS) and Forestry Grant Scheme- Target areas Woodlands for water). The project

reports to Scottish Government in March 2016.

The pilot project has helped inform the recently published revised national Land Use Strategy, which has

included actions that build upon the two successful pilots in Scottish Borders and Aberdeenshire. This

includes actions to further explore land use mapping nationally and to further investigate the catchment-

based approach.

Town Regeneration

Between 2010 and 2015, Scottish Borders Council led a regeneration of Kelso through the Kelso Townscape

Heritage Initiative (THI). The THI was a £1.4 million project jointly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund

(£700,000), Historic Scotland (£307,500) and Scottish Borders Council (£392,500). The project provided

grant funding to eligible properties for external fabric repairs, as well as complimentary initiatives such as

upgrading of the public realm and education and training opportunities. The project was part of wider town

centre regeneration in Kelso which included changing traffic movement through the town, developing a

new transport hub in the town, office space and public toilets and the commissioning and installing a new

public artwork in the town centre.

The re-introduction of the Borders Railway led to several changes to Galashiels including the development

of an inner relief road and change to traffic management and the Transport Interchange. The Transport

Interchange operates as the rail and bus station. Further town centre regeneration in Galashiels is currently

underway.

Currently within the Scottish Borders, there is a heritage led area regeneration scheme in operation in

Selkirk. The Selkirk Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) is due to be complete by March 2018

and is a partnership between the council and Historic Environment Scotland with over £800k of external

funding. The focus for the project is on repairs to traditional buildings in the town centre as well as

enhancements to the town centre public realm.

35

Link to be confirmed.


Derelict Sites

The Scottish Borders consistently has a higher proportion of people living within 500 metres of a derelict

site compared to Scotland.

Within the Scottish Borders, the proportion of people living within 500 metres of a derelict site by

Intermediate Zone ranges from 0% to 99%. The localities with the highest proportions of people living

within 500 metres of a derelict site are Teviot and Liddesdale and Eildon.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Scottish Borders 48.4 45.9 45.4 44.3 43.3 43.6 40.9

Scotland 27.3 29.4 30.8 29.8 30.1 30.9 29.7

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

Percentage of population living within 500 metres of a derelict site, SVDLS

0.0 31.5 17.1 59.9 67.6 30.9 98.5


Scotland, 29.7

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0


Tweeddale Highest

Percentage of population living within 500 metres of a derelict site2013, SVDLS/SNS


Cleanliness of the Scottish Borders

The Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF)36, co-ordinated by the Improvement Services

produces information related to the cleanliness of an area. The graph below shows the proportion of

streets in the Scottish Borders that are considered ‘acceptably clean’ compared to Scotland between 2010-

11 and 2014-15. With the exception of 2011-12 the Scottish Borders has had a higher proportion of streets

considered ‘acceptably clean’ compared to Scotland.

The LGBF also publishes the proportion of adults satisfied with street cleaning. Between 2010-11 and 2014-

15 the proportion of adults satisfied with street cleaning in the Scottish Borders has decreased from 78% to

71% compared to a slight improvement for Scotland from 73% to 74%.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 shows that overall satisfaction with in the Scottish Borders

was 79% with the Cheviot area having the highest level of satisfaction. 20% of the adults in the Teviot area

was ‘very dissatisfied / fairly dissatisfied’.

36

http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/benchmarking/index.html

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Scottish Borders 97% 93% 97% 97% 95%

Scotland 95% 96% 96% 96% 94%

91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%

Percentage of streets condsidered ‘acceptably clean’, LGBF

2010-11 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15


Scotland 73% 75% 74% 74%

66%68%70%72%74%76%78%80%

Percentage of adults satisfied with street cleaning, LGBF




0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

Satisfaction with: The cleanliness

of the area in which you live

Source: SBHS 2015



The Scottish Borders Household Survey asks about the satisfaction with the maintenance of local public

conveniences. The graph below shows the proportions for ‘very satisfied/ fairly satisfied’ compared to ‘very

dissatisfied / fairly dissatisfied’. Overall more people are satisfied with local public with the highest level of

satisfaction being in the Cheviot area.




0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

Satisfaction with: Maintenance of your

local publicconveniences

Source: SBHS 2015



Waste Management

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) collects and publishes information related to waste

management37. Between 2011 and 2014 the household waste generated by households in the Scottish

Borders decreased by 3,870 tonnes (7.2%) from 53,822 to 49,952 tonnes; this decrease was more than the

5.6% decrease for Scotland over the same timeframe. Between 2011 and 2014, the kg of waste per person

in the Scottish Borders has steadily lowered; in contrast Scotland had an increase in kg waste per person in

2014.

The graph and table below show the proportion of waste generated by the type of disposal for Scottish

Borders and Scotland between 2011 and 2014. Recycled comprises waste reused, recycled and organics

recycled. Landfill comprises waste sent to landfill. Other diversion from landfill is waste diverted from

landfill and comprises waste disposed by incineration, recovered by incineration or co-incineration, and

managed by other methods. Although the total waste generated in the Scottish Borders has decreased

between 2011 and 2014 the proportion going to landfill had increased, compared to a decrease

experienced for Scotland. The proportion of waste recycled in the Scottish Borders had decreased from

46.3% to 36.7% compared to an increase for Scotland of 40.1% to 43.6% between 2011 and 2014.

37 http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get-interactive/data/household-waste/

2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders (Tonnes) 53,822 52,861 51,242 49,952

Scottish Borders (kg/person) 473 465 450 438

Scotland (kg/person) 492 471 453 460

400

420

440

460

480

500

48,000

50,000

52,000

54,000

56,000

Tonnes of Household Waste

Tonnes of Household General Waste Generated and kg per person, SEPA

2011 2012 2013 2014 2011 2012 2013 2014


Landfill 53.3% 55.7% 56.3% 61.4% 55.8% 55.3% 53.5% 49.3%

Other 0.4% 1.5% 2.4% 1.9% 4.1% 3.4% 4.3% 7.1%

Recycled 46.3% 42.8% 41.3% 36.7% 40.1% 41.2% 42.2% 43.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Proportion of Household Waste by Disposal Type, SEPA

http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get-interactive/data/household-waste/


Waste and Recycling Satisfaction

The LGBF publishes the proportion of adults satisfied with refuse collection. Between 2010-11 and 2014-15

the proportion of adults satisfied with refuse collection in the Scottish Borders has decreased from 88% to

77% compared to a slight improvement for Scotland from 81% to 84%.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 showed a similar result with 77.4% of respondents being ‘Very

Satisfied/ Fairly Satisfied’ with the kerbside waste and recycling collection. Within the Scottish Borders,

Berwickshire has the highest level of satisfaction and the areas with the lowest level of satisfaction are

Eildon and Tweeddale.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 asked about satisfaction of the community recycling centres

and the recycling ‘bring sites’.

Over two-thirds of the respondents indicated their satisfaction with the community recycling centres.

Over 60% of respondents are ‘very satisfied / fairly satisfied’ with the recycling ‘bring sites’ (glass and

textiles) situated across the Scottish Borders. The highest level of satisfaction was reported for the Cheviot

area.

2010-11 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15


Scotland 81% 83% 83% 84%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

Percentage of adults satisfied with refuse collection, LGBF




0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Satisfaction withyour kerbside waste

and recycling collectionservices overall

Source: SBHS 2015




0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Satisfaction withthe service offeredat the Community Recycling Centres

Source: SBHS 2015


Energy Consumption

Gas Consumption

According to the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC38), the total gas consumption in

the Scottish Borders has decreased by 23% from 1,013 GWh in 2005 to 784 GWh in 2014. Between 2005

and 2014 Industrial and Commercial consumption decreased by 31% whereas the domestic consumption

decreased by 17%.

The average industrial and commercial gas consumption per meter in the Scottish Borders has consistently

been lower compared to Scotland or Great Britain. Although the total industrial and commercial gas

consumption has gone down the average consumption per meter has increased.

38

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/about/statistics




0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Satisfaction withthe recycling bring sites

(glass and textiles) that are situated

across the Borders

Source: SBHS 2015

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Industrial and Commercial 406 378 352 333 313 313 279 297 288 280

Domestic Consumption 607 607 621 602 551 553 520 526 512 504

Total Gas Sales (GWh) 1013 985 973 935 864 865 799 824 800 784

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Gas Sales (GWh)

Gas Consumption (GWh) - in the Scottish Borders 2005 to 2014, DECC

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 571,894 567,340 545,138 542,207 593,588 607,570 578,455 602,958 621,678 605,093

Scotland 745,902 752,127 804,581 818,875 788,367 900,672 898,734 883,124 849,129 862,904

Great Britian 645,050 605,793 633,779 644,556 663,764 690,933 686,985 687,457 670,216 705,920

100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000700,000800,000900,000

1,000,000

Average Industrial and Commercial GAS Consumption Sales per meter (kWh), DECC



The average domestic gas consumption per meter has followed a similar pattern to that for Scotland and

Great Britain; decreasing from 19,726 kWh in 2005 to 13,947 kWh in 2014.

The graph below shows the average domestic gas consumption per meter in 2013 by the 2011 based

Intermediate Zones for the Scottish Borders.

Electricity Consumption

According to DECC, the total electricity consumption in the Scottish Borders decreased by 5.7% from 635

GWh in 2005 to 599 GWh in 2014. The domestic electricity use contributes decreased by 11.6% whereas

the industrial and commercial use only decreased by 0.4%.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 20,042 19,245 18,795 18,043 16,300 15,919 15,064 14,812 14,287 13,872

Great Britian 19,020 18,241 17,614 16,906 15,383 15,156 14,205 14,076 13,680 13,246

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

22,000

Average Domestic GAS Consumption Sales per meter (kWh), DECC

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

kWh per meter

Average Domestic Gas Consumption (kWh per meter) in 2013 for Intermediate Zones (2011 based) in the Scottish Borders, DECC

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Industrial and Commercial 331 328 332 305 309 322 315 320 315 330

Domestic Consumption 304 294 295 285 285 282 273 273 262 268

Total Electricity Sales (GWh) 635 622 627 590 594 605 588 593 577 599

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Electricity Sales (GWh)

Electricity Consumption (GWh) - in the Scottish Borders 2005 to 2014, DECC


The average industrial and commercial consumption per meter in the Scottish Borders is significantly below

the average for Scotland and Great Britain.

Compared to Scotland and Great Britain the average domestic electricity consumption per meter has

consistently been slightly higher. Although the consumption per meter has gone down for the Scottish

Borders, Scotland and Great Britain.

The graph below shows the average domestic electricity consumption per meter in 2013 by the 2011 based

Intermediate Zones for the Scottish Borders. It shows higher domestic electricity consumption in the more

rural areas of the Scottish Borders compared to the towns.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 75,277 76,935 75,445 75,716 73,035 75,499 73,199 71,381 71,204 73,712

Great Britian 82,129 81,952 79,077 79,809 76,262 77,705 73,365 75,414 75,520 76,402

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,000

Average Industrial and Commercial Electricity Consumption Sales per meter (kWh), DECC

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 4,631 4,494 4,411 4,236 4,185 4,148 4,059 3,969 3,852 3,915

Great Britian 4,602 4,457 4,392 4,198 4,152 4,148 4,078 4,015 3,940 3,954

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Average Domestic Electricity Consumption Sales per meter (kWh), DECC

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

kWh per meter

Average Domestic Electricity Consumption (kWh per meter) in 2013 for Intermediate Zones (2011 based) in the Scottish Borders, DECC


Household Energy Efficiency

The Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) publishes statistics on the Energy Company

Obligation (ECO) measures. The different measures include: boilers, cavity wall insulation, doors, lighting,

loft insulation, micro-generation, other heating, other insulation, solid wall insulation and window glazing.

By the end of December 2015 there were 2,724 ECO measures installed in the Scottish Borders. The

measures were delivered through the different obligation schemes, 1,699 (62%) “Carbon Saving Target”,

561 (21%) “Carbon Savings Community”, and 464 (17%) “Affordable Warmth”. The graph below shows the

number of ECO measures per 1,000 households at the end of December 2015 for each of the Scottish local

authorities compared to Scotland and Great Britain. At the end December 2015, the Scottish Borders had

51.2 measures per 1,000 households below the level for Great Britain (63.6) and Scotland (80.3).

All domestic and commercial buildings in Scotland available to buy or rent must have an Energy

Performance Certificate (EPC). Much like the multi-coloured sticker on new appliances, EPCs tells how

energy efficient a building is and give it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). An EPC informs

users of a building how costly it will be to heat and light, and what its Carbon Dioxide emissions are likely to

be. Once produced EPCs are valid for ten years. The EPC will also state what the energy efficiency rating

could be if improvements are made, and highlights cost-effective ways to achieve a better rating.

Complying with the Energy Savings Trust the data in this section is shown in a graphic format. It is

estimated that as of August 2014 only about 25% of the buildings in the Scottish Borders would receive an

energy efficient rating of A, B or C.

13

6.4

12

4.5

11

7.9

11

1.4

10

9.7

10

9.5

10

6.3

10

5.9

10

5.6

10

3.3

10

2.1

10

1.6

93

.9

80

.2

73

.1

72

.4

69

.0

61

.8

60

.4

53

.6

51

.2

47

.8

46

.5

46

.5

43

.4

39

.0

36

.5

35

.7

33

.8

32

.2

10

.0

3.5

Scotland: 80.3

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

140.0

160.0

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) measures per 1,000 households at end of December 2015, DECC


Community Support and Community Resilience

Rating of neighbourhood as a place to live

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) asks respondents to rate their neighbourhood as place to live. The

Scottish Borders consistently has a higher proportion of people rating their neighbourhood as a Very Good

or Fairly Good place to live compared to Scotland.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 (SBHS2015) also asked respondents to rate their

neighbourhood as a place to live. In both Cheviot and Tweeddale 93.6% or respondents rated their

neighbourhood as Very Good or Fairly Good, higher than the 91.2% for the Scottish Borders and the 86.1%

for those in the Teviot area.

The SBSH2015 asked respondents if their neighbourhood had ‘got better or worse’ over the past three

years. 74.2% of the respondents for the Scottish Borders thought their neighbourhood ‘got better or stayed

the same’. Almost 20% of people in Teviot thought their neighbourhood had ‘got worse’.

1999-2000

2001-2002

2003-2004

2005-2006

2007-2008

2009-2010

2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 95% 97% 95% 95% 95% 97% 97% 96% 98%

Scotland 91% 92% 92% 92% 92% 94% 94% 94% 94%

86%

88%

90%

92%

94%

96%

98%

100%

Proportion of People Who Rate Their Neighbourhood as Very/Fairly Good: Scottish Borders vs. Scotland, SHS


Very Good / Fairly Good 91.9% 93.6% 90.9% 86.1% 93.6% 91.2%

Very Poor / Fairly Poor 2.4% 2.9% 3.6% 7.3% 2.7% 3.8%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

Thinking about yourneighbourhood, how

would you rate it as a place to live?

Source: SBHS 2015


Better 9.2% 7.2% 7.0% 7.3% 9.4% 8.1%

Stayed the same 65.0% 71.7% 68.8% 62.2% 64.1% 66.1%

Worse 15.4% 11.2% 15.0% 19.5% 12.2% 14.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Has your neighbourhood

got better or worseover the pastthree years?

Source: SBHS 2015


Maximising External Funding Investment in the Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders Council aims to maximise external funding investment in the Scottish Borders and to

achieve best value for the Council’s own grant schemes. Key funding sources include LEADER, Landfill

Communities Fund, National Lottery and Scottish Borders Council’s Community Grant Scheme.

A focus on small grants provides significant support to small, local groups working with volunteers at small

community level. Small community groups are a vital part of the fabric of community life. They play a key

role in helping to uncover, understand and address local need and they help unlock community action in a

way that considerably adds to the quality of life in the area.

LEADER Projects 2007-2013

LEADER is a part European, part nation state funded programme that has been giving grants to grow,

diversify and develop the rural economy since the mid-1990’s. Each LEADER programme has slightly

different emphases aimed at locally identified priorities with decisions on who to fund being made by a

group of local volunteers from the business, public and third sectors. LEADER is one of the few funding

programmes dedicated to Community Led Local Development. LEADER can fund private businesses

including agricultural businesses, community groups and charities, social enterprises and public sector

projects.

The tables below provide a summary of the LEADER programme in the Scottish Borders between 2007 and

2013. Overall, there were 70 projects receiving over £3.5 million for the Scottish Borders. The majority of

the projects were ‘Borders Wide’, although each locality had at least 3 projects.

Number of LEADER Projects in the Scottish Borders for 2007 to 2013 by Area

Category Berwick-

shire

Cheviot Eildon Teviot &

Liddesdale

Tweeddale Borders

Wide

Borders

Total

%

Broadband 3 1 4 6%

Capital 2 2 1 5 7%

Community 1 2 3 4 10 14%

Environmental 9 9 13%

Micro business 1 2 6 9 13%

Tourism 4 1 1 2 5 7 20 29%

Youth 1 1 1 10 13 19%

Grand Total 10 4 6 3 11 36 70 100%

% by Area 14% 6% 9% 4% 16% 51% 100%

Funding of LEADER Projects in the Scottish Borders for 2007 to 2013 by Area

Category

Berwick-

shire Cheviot Eildon

Teviot &

Liddesdale Tweeddale

Borders

Wide

Borders

Total

%

Broadband £187,643

£28,908

£216,551 6%

Capital £402,862 £217,456 £166,590

£786,908 22%

Community

£29,304 £97,822

£39,656 £47,709 £214,491 6%

Environmental

£467,702 £467,702 13%

Micro business

£15,700

£35,000 £261,430 £312,130 9%

Tourism £152,113 £21,000 £14,750 £71,278 £168,650 £454,744 £882,534 25%

Youth £8,921

£12,045 £34,092 £580,302 £635,359 18%

Grand Total £751,539 £267,760 £323,770 £83,323 £277,398 £1,811,886 £3,515,675 100%

% by Area 21% 8% 9% 2% 8% 52% 100%


Community Grants Scheme

The Community Grant Scheme (CGS) has an annual base budget of £132,715. In addition, the Scheme

permits the carry forward of any unspent balance from the previous year. The ‘funding’ figure therefore

shows the total of the base budget plus any carry forward. The CGS makes grants to around 50 groups each

year. Grants can pay for a wide range of community activity from youth, arts and sports activities to

supporting groups to recover form financial difficulty. The CGS is managed in such a way as to maximise

external small grant funding. The Scheme is particularly aligned to the National Lottery small grants

schemes (under £10K ). Targeting the National Lottery small grants schemes has an indicative annual target

of £500,000. The CGS often enables larger projects to be delivered and the ‘leverage’ figure shows the scale

of the other funding ‘levered’ into the area where a CGS was also part of the funding package.

Landfill Communities Fund (UK)

The Landfill Communities Fund (UK) (LCFUK) generates its budget from landfill tax paid on tonnage

deposited at landfill sites. The available budget therefore varies from year to year. Tax credits account for

90% of the fund with the additional 10% being funded by the Waste Services budget. LCFUK can fund land

reclamation, pollution, public amenities, habitats/species and building of architectural interest projects.

The LCFUK often enables larger projects to be delivered and the ‘leverage’ figure shows the scale of the

other funding ‘levered’ into the area where a CGS was also part of the funding package.

Scotland is no longer part of the LCFUK. The Scottish Landfill Communities Fund started in 2015/16.

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Projects 48 45 49

Funding £144,736 £132,440 £154,577

Leverage £1,377,390 £907,122 £980,788

0

500000

1000000

1500000

Community Grant Scheme: Projects, Funding and Leverage, SBC

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Projects 5 8 12

Funding £114,851 £162,218 £222,059

Leverage £690,729 £2,574,154 £1,504,468

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

3000000

Landfill Communities Fund (UK): Projects, Funding and Leverage


National Lottery Funding

National Lottery funding in Scotland is distributed through 4 ‘good cause’ organisations – the Big Lottery

Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Sportscotland and Creative Scotland. Each organisation operates its own

suite of programmes with upwards of 25 funding programmes operating at any one time. Grant sizes can

range from £300 to over £1m. With a focus on voluntary sector led projects all four organisations can fund

public bodies. In 2014/15 the Big Lottery Fund closed its ‘over £10k’ programmes. This has resulted a down

turn in large awards in 2014/15.

The graphs below show the number of projects and the funding Scottish Borders Council has assisted

getting lottery funding. In 2014-15, there were 130 projects getting a total of over £2.5 million for the

Scottish Borders of which 117 projects were in the ‘under £10,000’ category and 13 were in the ‘over

£10,000’ category.

Other Scottish Borders Council Funding Schemes

In addition to open grant schemes, the Council funds a range of allocation based grants. The Council also

occasional delivers ‘one-off’ schemes for key local events such as the Borders Railway Celebration Fund.

Current funds are as follows:

Scheme 2013-14 2014 -15 2015-16

Local Festival Grant Scheme 82,360 82,360 85,110

Borders Railway nil nil 60,000

Federation of Village Halls 50,025 50,025 50,025

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Over £10,000 22 21 13

Under £10,000 75 61 117

Total 97 82 130

0

50

100

150

National Lottery Funding - Projects, SBC

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Over £10,000 £2,635,240 £4,047,651 £1,730,439

Under £10,000 £483,603 £369,103 £778,677

Total £3,118,843 £4,416,754 £2,509,116

£0

£1,000,000

£2,000,000

£3,000,000

£4,000,000

£5,000,000

National Lottery Funding - Funding, SBC


Voluntary Work

Self-Reported Volunteering

According to the Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 27.4% of the adults responding to the survey said

they were involved in voluntary work. The area with the highest level of voluntary work was Tweeddale.

The Scottish Household Survey asks if adults provide unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12

months. The graph below shows that the Scottish Borders consistently has a higher proportion of adults

who provide unpaid help compared to Scotland. In 2014, 44% of the respondents for the Scottish Borders

provided unpaid help compared to 27% for Scotland.

The SHS also asks about the frequency of the unpaid help. The graph below shows for those who provide

unpaid help the frequency of the help.


Yes 28.6% 27.6% 23.7% 23.4% 33.6% 27.4%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%Proportion of people who are involved in any voluntary work Source: SBHS 2015

37 3943 44

30 29 28 27

0

10

20

30

40

50

2009-2010 2012 2013 2014

Percentage of adults providing unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months, SHS


15

28

2118

13

3 2

18

26

20

11

17

7

1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Several times aweek

About once aweek

Less than once aweek but at least

once a month

Less than once amonth, but atleast five or six

time a year

A few times a year Less often No answer

Frequency of unpaid help to organisations or groups in the last 12 months, SHS



School Extra Curricular – Qualified Volunteers

Within Scottish Borders schools, the Schools Extra Curricular programme works in partnership with

SportScotland, Scottish Borders Council and Live Borders (formally Borders Sport and Leisure Trust).

Within the Schools Extra Curricular programme, the number of qualified volunteers has increased from 111

in 2008/2009 to 361 in 2014-2015, a 225% increase.

The number of coached sessions has increased by 31% from 16,851 in 2011/2012 to 22,117 in 2014/2015.

Scottish Borders Council - Volunteers

There are several services within the council that benefit from volunteers, specifically museums,

community learning and development, community centres, libraries and walk-it. In quarter 4 of 2015/16,

286 people volunteered for Scottish Borders Council equating to 3,265.6 hours. This resulted in an

economic benefit of £39,639.39

NHS Borders – Volunteers

As at June 2016 NHS Borders had 144 volunteers involved in 29 different volunteering roles, and a further

38 volunteers fundraising as Friends of the BGH and Community Hospitals. In addition to volunteers directly

recruited by NHS Borders, there are also a large number of volunteers supporting patients and services

through partner voluntary organisations such as the Royal Voluntary Service and the Red Cross.

39

Economic benefit is calculated as follows: the number of volunteers X the average number of hours X average hourly wage (average hourly pay for those living in the Scottish Borders = £12.14 (2014) Nomis)

111

215172

259 277308

361

0

100

200

300

400

2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

School Extra Curricular Qualified Volunteers, SBC

16,851 17,969

21,973 22,117

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

School Extra Currirular Coached Sessions, SBC


Volunteer Centre Borders

The Volunteer Centre Borders (VCB) is an organisation whose aims are to develop and promote

volunteering for all, improve volunteering opportunities, remove barriers to participation and to monitor

the success of volunteering in the Scottish Borders for the Scottish Government. It works in partnership

with many volunteer-involving organisations and projects, to promote good practice, recruit and place

volunteers and to raise the awareness of the importance of volunteering.

Below are some of the VBC highlights from 2015/16:

501 new volunteers registered of which 75% went on to a volunteering placement.

413 new Saltire registrations leading to 1,998 total volunteers working towards awards.

Development of the Border’s Men’s Shed network with 5 sheds established (Galashiels, Hawick,

Eyemouth, Selkirk and Kelso) with approximately 100 participants.

In contact with over 500 organisations though e-bulletins and voluntary opportunities.

Household Resilience

The Scottish Household Survey asks respondents about their preparedness for emergencies. The graph

below shows the proportion of adults that can obtain emergency response items. In 2014, the people of

the Scottish Borders indicated that they were better prepared for emergencies compared to Scotland.

69

95 95

41

62

84 86

30

0

20

40

60

80

100

First aid kit Torch Important documents Batery-powered/Wind-upradio

Proportion of Adults that can Obtain Emergency Response Items in 2014, SHS



Scottish Borders Alert

The SB Alert40 system provides up to date information to communities, individuals and businesses on

emergencies, weather warnings, utility failure updates, road closures, crimes and trading standards issues.

SBC and partners including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and NHS Borders launched the

service in October 2014. As of March 2016, there were 3,788 SB Alert customers located throughout the

Scottish Borders. The table below shows the number of SB Alert users and the rate per 1,000 population;

the Cheviot area has the highest rate of membership.

Community Resilience

Scottish Borders Council and partners have established a Resilient Communities Initiative, which enables

communities to better prepare, organise and respond to emergency situations like severe weather, fire,

power failure or other major incidents.

The chart below shows the number of community councils with an active or progressing community

resilience plan from Q2 of 2014/15 to Q2 of 2015/16. Over the time the number of active plans has

increased from 25 to 32.

40

http://www.sbalert.co.uk/

2014/15 - Q2 2014/15 - Q3 2014/15 - Q4 2015/16 - Q1 2015/16 - Q2

Other Community Council 29 25 19 18 16

Progressing Community Resilent Plan 15 14 20 20 21

Active Community Resilient Plan 25 30 30 31 32

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Active and Progressing Community Resilient Plans, SBC

SB Alerts at March 2016 Area Number Rate per 1,000

Berwickshire 639 31

Cheviot 710 43

Eildon 1241 32

Teviot 435 23

Tweeddale 763 40

Scottish Borders 3788 33

Source: SBC

http://www.sbalert.co.uk/


Cultural Activity

Local Common Ridings and Festivals

Every town in the Scottish Borders has annual festival or common ridings, which celebrate the local

community and its history.

In addition to the local town civic weeks or common riding festivals, the Scottish Borders also have other

festivals including:

• Borders Book Festival – June in Melrose

• Reivers Festival – March in Hawick

• Melrose 7s – April in Melrose (part of the King of the 7’s Series)

• Jim Clark Rally – May/June in Duns

• The Border Union Show – July in Kelso

• Borders Walking Festival – varies location each year

• Borders Heritage Week – September

• Festival of the Horse – May

• TweedLove Bike Festival – May/June in Peebles (Glentress)

Amateur Dramatics

There are eight amateur operatic societies in the Scottish Borders; located in Selkirk, Galashiels, Hawick,

Eyemouth, Kelso, Melrose, Innerleithen and Duns. Each does at least one production throughout the year,

mainly in the spring.

Public Sector Culture and Sport Facilities

The table and map below shows the culture and sport facilities operated by the public sector.

Facility Type / Area Berwickshire Cheviot Eildon Teviot and

Liddesdale

Tweeddale Scottish

Borders

Arts Centre 1 1 2

Community Centre 3 5 1 1 10

Hall 1 2 6 1 3 13

Library 1 5 1 1 8

Library Contact

Centre

2 2 1 5

Museum 3 3 3 3 2 14

Sport-Leisure 2 2 9 1 3 17

Total 12 9 28 8 12 69


Cultural Engagement and Participation

The Scottish Household Survey asks respondents about their engagement and participation in cultural

activities. Compared to Scotland adults in the Scottish Borders have a similar level of cultural engagement

and participation.

2007 / 2008 2009 / 2010 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 89 84 90 87 91

Scotland 87 86 90 91 91

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

Percent of Adults

Proportion of Adults Engaged in Culture in the last 12 months by year, SHS


Sport Facility Attendance

There has been a 28% increase in the sport facility attendance (including swimming pools) per 1,000

population in the Scottish Borders between 2008/2009 and 2014-2015.

Physical and Digital Access

Car or Van Availability

In a region where 47% of the population live in a rural community and with limited public transport, car

ownership is considered a necessary for most families in Scottish Borders to access an adequate range of

services for their needs. Correspondingly, the 2011 Census found that levels of car ownership in Scottish

Borders were higher than the Scottish average, although not as universally high as might be expected, with

20% of households still having no access to a car or van. A further 45.3% of households in Scottish Borders

have one car per household, which invariably limits access of spouses and other family members to the

vehicle. This means that, despite high levels of car ownership in the region, up to 62% of households in

Scottish Borders contain family members who are at least partially dependent on public transport or lift-

sharing for their transport needs.

80

50

79

50

0

50

100

Participation (including reading) Participation (excluding reading)

Participation in any cultural activity in the last 12 months: 2014, SHS


5510

6350 6515

7202 71936777

7051

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015

Sport Facility Attendance (including Swimming Pools) per 1,000 Population, SBC


Local Bus Use

The Scottish Borders Household Survey asked respondents if they used the local bus service and over 42%

said they did; the highest level of use was in Tweeddale, the lowest was in Cheviot.

Accessibility Issues

The Scottish Borders Household Survey asked if people reported accessibility issues. The most common

accessibility issue was public transport with over 16% reporting this problem. Over 20% of those in

Berwickshire had public transport issues. People in Berwickshire also reported the highest level of people

with accessibility issues for social and recreational activities and health.

20.5

45.3

26.3

7.9

30.5

42.2

21.6

5.6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

% No car or van % 1 car or van % 2 cars or vans % 3 or more cars or vans

Percentage of Households By Car Or Van Availability, 2011 Census

Scottish Borders

Scotland


No 60.2% 60.5% 51.2% 56.2% 43.9% 54.4%

Yes 37.4% 36.2% 45.1% 40.6% 53.6% 42.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Do you use thelocal bus service?

Source: SBHS 2015


Public transport 20.5% 16.4% 16.6% 15.0% 13.8% 16.6%

In and around your home 5.1% 4.0% 5.3% 6.2% 3.0% 4.7%

Information 6.8% 5.9% 5.9% 7.1% 4.6% 6.0%

Social and recreational activities 9.0% 6.3% 7.5% 6.9% 6.0% 7.2%

Work 5.8% 3.5% 4.5% 5.2% 5.0% 4.8%

Education 4.1% 5.1% 3.2% 4.9% 4.1% 4.2%

Health 10.7% 7.9% 7.3% 9.7% 9.9% 9.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Proportion of people who reported

accessiblity issues

Source: SBHS 2015


Internet Use

The Scottish Household Survey asks respondents if the household has home internet access. Like Scotland

the proportion of households in the Scottish Borders with internet access has increased by 32% from 45%

in 2003-2004 to 77% in 2014.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey asks respondents how they normally access the internet. Over two

thirds of the Scottish Borders population normally access the internet through their own mobile device.

Almost 15% of the respondents state that they do not use internet or email.

2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014

Scottish Borders 45 48 58 63 71 82 77

Scotland 44 51 60 67 76 78 80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Proportion of households with home internet access by year, SHS


Own mobile device e.g. laptop, mobile phone,smart phone, tablet

66.2% 66.7% 66.3% 67.6% 70.3% 67.6%

Own home device computer or smart TV 40.2% 39.9% 42.6% 33.3% 44.4% 40.5%

Library or other Council facility internet access PC 3.9% 3.3% 3.4% 4.3% 2.8% 3.5%

Public internet access e.g. internet café 0.4% 1.7% 1.1% 1.9% 1.6% 1.4%

Do not use internet or email 15.2% 16.0% 14.1% 16.5% 13.8% 14.9%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

How do younormally access the internet ?

Source: SBHS 2015


Public Services

National Outcomes:

16 Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people's needs


Overall:

Over 70% of the respondents identified ‘growing the economy of the Borders, and supporting

retailers and businesses’ as a top 5 priority. The other issues that had the highest ranking of

importance were ‘providing high quality care for older people’ and ‘tackling poverty and inequality’.

Over time satisfaction with local health services has increased in the Scottish Borders, however, it

has decreased for local schools and remained stable for public transport.

More people in the Scottish Borders agree with the following compared to Scotland:

o My local council is good at letting people know about the kinds of services it provides

o My council is good at letting local people know how well it is performing

o My local council does the best it can with the money available

Fewer people in the Scottish Borders agree with the statement, “I can influence decisions affecting my local area” compared to Scotland.

Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders account for over 90% of the public sector budget within the Scottish Borders; the four main registered social landlords (RSLs) account of 7%.

The current age profile of Scottish Borders Council seen below shows that over 45% of the workforce is aged 50 or older.

Scottish Borders Council (working with partners) has an extensive transformation programme.

Drivers:

National: Report on the Future Delivery of Public Services by the Commission chaired by Dr Campbell Christie (2011)

Equality Act 2010

Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015

Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014

Local: SBC Administration Financial Plan 2016/17 to 2020/21

SBC Corporate Plan 2013-18 (refreshed in Oct 2015)

SBC’s Procurement & Payment Services Strategy & Policy 2015 – 2017

Evidence Summary:


Public Priorities

Satisfaction with Public Services

Influence / involvement in public sector

Public Sector Spending

Council’s Age Profile

Public Sector Service Transformation


Public Priorities

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 (SBHS2015) asked respondents to rank a variety of issues in

order of importance. Over 70% of the respondents identified ‘growing the economy of the Borders, and

supporting retailers and businesses’ as a top 5 priority. The other issues that had the highest ranking of

importance were ‘providing high quality care for older people’ and ‘tackling poverty and inequality’.

Satisfaction with Public Services

Scottish Household Survey

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) asked respondents about their satisfaction with specific local services:

health, schools and public transport. Over time satisfaction with local health services has increased in the

Scottish Borders, however, it has decreased for local schools and remained stable for public transport. The

graphs below show the trend for the Scottish Borders and Scotland.

2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 83 86 87 85 86

7880828486889092

Percentage of people very or fairly satisfied with the quality of local health services, SHS

Growing theeconomy ofthe Borders,

andsupporting

retailers andbusinesses

Providinghigh quality

care for olderpeople

Tacklingpoverty andinequality

Raisingeducationattainment

andachievementand helpingpeople of allages obtain

the skillsthey need forlearning, life

and work

Providingactivities andfacilities for

youngerpeople

Providingsustainabletransport

linksincludingdemand

responsivetransport

Making moreaffordable

housingavailable

Improvingmobilephone

coverage inthe Borders

Improvingaccess tosuperfast

broadband inthe Borders

Reinstatement of Bordersrailway linkto Hawick

and Carlisle

Increaseenergy

efficiency atwork and inthe home

Providingarts, cultureand heritageactivities for

all ages

Scottish Borders 70.5% 53.0% 47.3% 45.8% 39.6% 37.8% 31.0% 29.7% 29.0% 24.2% 20.0% 16.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Proportion of people who rank these issues in the TOP 5 priorities for the Scottish BordersSource: SBHS 2015


Scottish Borders Household Survey

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 (SBHS2015) asked about satisfaction with the service provided

by the Fire and Rescue Service and 69% are very or fairly satisfied with the service with the highest

satisfaction in the Teviot area.

2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 80 83 83 81 79

50

60

70

80

90

100

Percentage of people very or fairly satisfied with the quality of local schools, SHS

2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 71 75 72 71 75

0

20

40

60

80

Percentage of people very or fairly satisfied with the quality of public transport, SHS

2007-2008 2009-2010 2012 2013 2014


Scotland 59 64 63 60 62

010203040506070

Percentage of people very or fairly satisfied with the quality of the all three services, SHS


In the SBHS2015 asked respondents, “taking everything into account, I have confidence in the police in by

local area”. Overall 46% strongly agreed or agreed compared to 20% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

The SBHS2015 asked respondents to rate the Scottish Borders Council overall. Over 60% are rate the

council as excellent or good whereas 20% rate the council as very poor or poor.

Customer Complaints

Scottish Borders Council publishes complaints information in compliance with the Scottish Public Services

Ombudsman. In 2015/16, 35% (237) of the complaints received by Scottish Borders Council were ‘upheld’

compared to 40% (273) ‘not upheld’.

Complaint Outcomes

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent

Complaint Upheld 244 35% 280 38% 237 35%

Complaint Not Upheld 303 44% 292 39% 273 40%

Other Outcome

Policy

149 21%

41 6% 42 6%

Invalid 123 17% 120 18%

Open 6 1% 12 2%

Total Complaints Received 696 100% 742 100% 684 100%




0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Satisfaction withthe service provided

by the Fire and Rescue Service in your

local area?

Source: SBHS 2015


Strongly Agree / Agree 49.1% 46.1% 50.1% 42.1% 43.5% 46.1%

Strongly Disagree / Disagree 13.7% 18.9% 19.1% 26.6% 19.3% 19.6%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

Taking everything into account,

I have confidence in the police in my local area

Source: SBHS 2015


Excellent / Good 65.6% 62.3% 57.0% 55.6% 61.8% 60.3%

Very Poor/ Poor 12.8% 19.1% 23.9% 27.7% 18.4% 20.5%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

How would you rate Scottish Borders

Council overall?

Source: SBHS 2015


Influence / involvement in public sector

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) asks various statements about local authority services. The graph

below shows the 2014 results for the Scottish Borders and Scotland. Over 50% of the Scottish Borders

respondents agreed with the following statements:

My local council is good at letting people know about the kinds of services it provides

My council is good at letting local people know how well it is performing

My local council does the best it can with the money available

However, 17% agreed with the statement, “I can influence decisions affecting my local area” compared to

23% for Scotland.

The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 asked respondents about their satisfaction with opportunities

to participate in the local decision making process provided by Scottish Borders Council. Overall in the

Scottish Borders 38.2% were ‘Very / Fairly Satisfied’ compared to 27.9% stating they were ‘Very/ Fairly

Dissatisfied’. Berwickshire had the highest level of satisfaction, whereas Cheviot had the lowest.

56%

47%

52%

44%

53%

40%

28%

17%

31%

49%

47%

41%

41%

41%

37%

26%

23%

34%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

My local council is good at letting people know about the kindsof services it provides

My local council provides high quality services

My council is good at letting local people know how well it isperforming

My local council designs its services around the needs of thepeople who use them

My local council does the best it can with the money available

My local council is addressing the key issues affecting the qualityof life in my local neighbourhood

My council is good at listening to local people's views before ittakes decisions

I can influence decisions affecting my local area

I would like to be more involved in the decisions my councilmakes that affect my local area

Proportion agreeing with various statements about local authority services in 2014, SHS

Scotland

Scottish Borders




0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

Source: SBHS 2015

Satisfaction withthe opportunitiesfor participating in the local decision making process

provided by Scottish Borders


The Scottish Borders Household Survey 2015 asked if respondents had taken part in any consultations run

by the Council (other than the SBHS2015). Overall, 12.9% of respondents stated they had participated in a

consultation with the highest participation rate being in Tweeddale.

Public Sector Spending

In 2014/15, the gross revenue expenditure by public services in the Scottish Borders totalled more than

£626 million. Public sector organisations included were Berwickshire Housing Association, Borders College,

Eildon Housing, NHS Borders, Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Borders Housing Association and Borders

Sport and Leisure Trust. Note that Fire and Rescue Scotland and Police Scotland are not included in the

analysis because the national services were unable to disaggregate regional budgets.

Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders account for over 90% of the public sector budget within the

Scottish Borders; the four main registered social landlords (RSLs) account of 7%.

Employees account for over 45% of the public sector gross revenue expenditure in the Scottish Borders.


Yes 11.3% 13.1% 12.5% 9.9% 17.0% 12.9%

0.0%2.0%4.0%6.0%8.0%

10.0%12.0%14.0%16.0%18.0%

Have you takenpart in any

consultations run by the Council?

Source: SBHS 2015

Berwickshire Housing

Association, £7.2, 1%

Borders College, £11.0, 2%

Waverley Housing, £5.6, 1%

Eildon Housing, £10.3, 2%

Scottish Borders Council , £333.3,

53%

NHS Borders, £234.6, 37%

SBHA, £18.3, 3%

Borders Sport and Leisure Trust, £5.8,

1%

Gross Revenue Expenditure for Public Services in theScottish Borders 2014/15 (£ Million)

Public Sector Expenditure 2014/15£626.0 MillionExcludes Fire and Police Services.


Council’s Age Profile

The current age profile of Scottish Borders Council seen below shows that over 45% of the workforce is

aged 50 or older.

Employees, £279.7, 45%

Premises, £27.2, 4%

Transport, £27.8, 5%

Other (Services), £258.4, 41%

Capital Financing, £27.1, 4%

BSLT, £5.8, 1%

Gross Revenue Expenditure for Public Services in theScottish Borders 2014/15 (£ Million)

Public Sector Expenditure 2014/15

£626.0 MillionExcludes Fire and

Police Services.

1

9

16

3135

10

0

10

20

30

40

Under 20 20 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 over

Age Profile of Scottish Borders Council at February 2016, SBC


Public Sector Service Transformation

Scottish Borders Council has in place an ambitious “Corporate Transformation” programme, and provides

regular updates to its Executive Committee and annual reports to Council (the last report can be accessed

at : http://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=338 (Item 5 on Agenda).

Below is a list of all the programmes and what they aim to achieve:

Children & Young People

Improve the learning experience and opportunities for our children and young people through early

intervention and prevention, an sustainable school estate and more integrated and streamlined

management and administration.

Adult Services

Deliver service change and financial savings across a range of Adult services, including SB Cares, reviewed

charging and focus on a re-ablement approach to care.

Integration of Health and Social Care

Improved outcomes for service users and carers who will have clear access routes to services and

information.

Co-production

Involvement of communities from the outset in the development, design and delivery of service.

Localities Programme

Ensure SBC activity within localities is co-ordinated, via 5 locality plans containing clear actions and

accountability.

Waste Plan

Create efficiency savings, reduce expenditure and provide additional income through the implementation

of a strategy that is financially and environmentally sustainable.

Railway Programme

Delivery of actions to maximise the full economic and social benefits of the Borders Railway.

Transport

Implement a better, simpler, more accessible and cost effective model of transport service provision,

through a multi-agency approach.

Digital Connectivity

Maximise community and town access to digital connectivity / broadband and mobile telephony.

Alternative Service Delivery Models

Review service delivery and Trust models to develop more cost effective service delivery models (e.g.

Limited Liability Partnerships and joint ventures). This has included the transfer of SBC’s cultural services to

Borders Sport and Leisure Trust (and on 1st April 2016, the formation of an integrated trust “Live Borders”),

as well as the creation of SBCares, an arm’s length organisation of SBC providing adult care services.

Workforce Transformation

Enable staff to deliver service improvements, review existing management and admin structures and

http://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=338


deliver an employee benefit strategy. Implementation of mobile technologies to deliver more effective and

efficient ways of working.

ICT Change Programme

IT underpins the majority of the corporate transformation areas and implementation of the ICT strategy will

support the delivery of financial savings.

Data / Information Sharing

Deliver information sharing requirements across partners.

Energy Efficiency

Implement spend to save energy efficiency schemes across the Council estate.

Customer First

Continued roll out and development of modern customer services across the Council.

Property & Assets (including Joint Delivery /Co-location)

Pursue opportunities around estate rationalisation, taking full account of future service delivery models

and school estate strategy, identifying specific targets for energy efficiencies. Actively pursue

opportunities for co-location with our partners and opportunities for joint working.

Business Process Re-engineering

Agreed approach to process improvement applied across a range of service areas.

For more information on any of these programmes, www.scotborders.gov.uk/transformation

http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/transformation


Key Sources

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) statistics:


Diabetes in Scotland: http://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/Publications.aspx?catId=3

Information Services Division (ISD) – NHS National Services Scotland: http://www.isdscotland.org/

Historic Environment Scotland: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/

Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF):


National Records of Scotland: http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data

NOMIS (Labour Market Statistics): https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Planning Research on Scottish Borders Council Website:

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20051/plans_and_guidance/124/planning_research

Registers of Scotland - Housing: https://www.ros.gov.uk/property-data/property-statistics

ScotPho (Scottish Public Health Observatory) – Health and Wellbeing Profiles: http://www.scotpho.org.uk/

Scottish Borders Council: https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/site/

Scottish Borders Household Survey (SBHS): https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/householdsurvey

Scotland Census 2011: http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/

Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration: http://www.scra.gov.uk/resources_articles_category/official-

statistics/

Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities: http://www.scld.org.uk

Scottish Environment Protection Agency: http://www.sepa.org.uk/

Scottish Funding Council – Further and Higher Education:

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatistics.aspx

Scottish Government Statistics: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics

Scottish Health Survey (SHeS): http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-

survey

Scottish Household Survey (SHS): http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002

Scottish Natural Heritage: http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) : https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/publications-

statistics/statistics/

Statistics Scotland – official statistics about Scotland: http://statistics.gov.scot/#explore_home

Transport Scotland: http://www.transport.gov.scot/publications-stats



http://www.isdscotland.org/



http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data

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

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20051/plans_and_guidance/124/planning_research

https://www.ros.gov.uk/property-data/property-statistics

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/site/





http://www.scld.org.uk/

http://www.sepa.org.uk/

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatistics.aspx

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/16002

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research

https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/publications-statistics/statistics/

https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/publications-statistics/statistics/

http://statistics.gov.scot/#explore_home

http://www.transport.gov.scot/publications-stats

KnowBorders: Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership …€¦ · informative range of data...

Documents

Transcript of KnowBorders: Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership …€¦ · informative range of data...