While most of the people living in the Arbroath locality enjoy a good quality of life, significant numbers do not. There are a number of areas and aspects of life in which some people do less well than others in the locality, across Angus and in comparable communities elsewhere in Scotland. The aspects of life in which parts of the area do less well include:
In parts of north and central Arbroath:
- children and young people’s attainment at school falls below the Angus baseline and other comparable communities
- the rate of people dying early (before 75) is higher than in other areas
- housing is rated comparatively poorly in terms of central heating and/or overcrowding
- crime rates, while falling, are still higher than in other areas
- the rate of child poverty is higher than in Angus as a whole and in some places is predicted to continue rising
- income levels are low with more than one in five people classed as “income deprived”
- the number of people who are not working and depend on benefits is high
In the Arbroath Harbour area life expectancy is significantly shorter than elsewhere in Angus and Scotland. This is particularly true for men.
In the Keptie area of west Arbroath:
- rates of recorded crime are rising and are above those for other parts of Angus and in comparable communities
- there has been a steep increase in the rate of premature deaths (under 75) amongst older people, which is well above the Angus baseline and predicted to continue rising