Dundee's drug problem remains 'a challenge'
- Published
Dundee has Scotland's highest rate of drug-related deaths
Dundee still faces a "significant challenge" in tackling the city's drugs problem, a new report has found.
The Accounts Commission found improvements had been made in some areas but the city still has Scotland's highest rate of drug deaths.
The watchdog praised the city council for projects such as redeveloping the waterfront.
But it said poverty and inequality meant the city still faced "complex and deep-rooted challenges".
The latest available official figures for drug-related deaths show that 66 people died in the Dundee council area in 2018.
Its five-year average drug death rate was 0.31%, almost double the Scottish national average and one of the highest rates in western Europe.
The figures for 2019 should have been released in July this year but have been delayed.
Other official statistics point to high levels of poverty and deprivation in the city.
The commission's report said Dundee City Council was ambitious and "well-led" but needed to move "from incremental to transformational change across all its services".
In particular it flagged up the need to "make quicker progress in narrowing the attainment gap for more vulnerable or disadvantaged children".
Tim McKay, interim deputy chairman of the Accounts Commission, said projects such as the V&A Dundee and the new railway station had helped reinvigorate the city.
But he added: "Whilst there has been much improvement to the city and services, those in disadvantaged areas have not all benefited from that transformation.
"The significant investment to transform parts of the city, most notably the waterfront, sits in marked contrast to the endemic poverty, inequality and drug-related deaths."
Dundee City Council welcome the recognition of improvements made since it was last audited five years ago.
Council Leader John Alexander, said: "This report showcases the excellent work that's being carried out in the city by the council and its partners in a number of areas.
"It reflects well the progress we've made as well as some of the challenges we face going forward."