About The Area
Dumfries and Galloway is the third largest region in Scotland, covering 2,380
square miles. In the 2001 Census the population was 147,765.
The largest town in the region is Dumfries with a population of 32,136, next is
Stranraer with 11,348 people and then Annan with 8,930. All other villages and
towns have a population of 4,000 or less. There are about 60 people for every
square mile, which is significantly lower than the Scottish average of 168
people for every square mile and reflects the sparsely populated rural areas of
the region.
In the region there are a few international companies, clusters of agricultural
and forestry-related businesses, food-processing, tourism, manufacturing and
service sectors. They are all important contributors to the local economy.
There is a large number of small businesses, with 79% of companies turning over
less than £250,000 and 92% with fewer than 10 employees. The region has a
strong entrepreneurial spirit, with about 300 new businesses starting up during
2002/2003. About 60,000 people in Dumfries and Galloway are employed, either
full time or part time, with around 15,000 people employed by the local
authority and health board. Industries like agriculture, forestry and fishing
are highly represented in the region's total workforce. Unemployment levels in
the region are the lowest for 20 years and are now 0.5% below the Scottish
average although there are still pockets of high unemployment in some areas of
the region. Exports from the region have increased steadily and reached £149
million during 2002.
The economic growth of Dumfries and Galloway depends on high-quality transport
and information technology systems. There are more than 2,900 miles of roads
carrying local, national and international traffic. The M74 provides a vital
motorway link between Scotland and England, and the A75 Euro Route, a priority
route in the Trans European Network, connects the motorway system with the
important Irish Sea ferry ports in the west of the region. There are regular
ferry crossings to Northern Ireland to Belfast and Larne. There are seven rail
stations in Dumfries and Galloway, including main stations at Dumfries and
Lockerbie, with regular services connecting to all main UK destinations. We
need to continue to improve our rail and road networks to develop the region as
a competitive place to work. Widespread access to information and
communications technology (ICT) is also important to the region's economic and
social wellbeing, and developing a region-wide broadband network is one of our
main priorities.
The region offers a quality of life that is difficult to find anywhere else in
Scotland. The area has less crime than much of Scotland and is set within an
excellent natural environment combining coastline and countryside. The quality
of our landscape has been recognised in three National Scenic Areas and three
environmentally sensitive areas. In working towards a cleaner, greener and
safer environment, we are planting and protecting more local trees and shrubs,
and encouraging people to recycle more materials. Health improvement and
healthcare are delivered to high standards in Dumfries and Galloway, but
changing demands on the service mean that we will need to develop new
approaches to maintain and improve the health of our communities. Dumfries and
Galloway is well-known for the quality of its education, with local primary and
secondary schools achieving above-average results in national league tables.
All of the region's children in Primary 1 to 3 can now enjoy being taught in
classes of fewer than 30 children, and all secondary schools have IT networks
where there is one computer for every five children. The Crichton Campus in
Dumfries is the first joint university and college campus in the UK with two
universities and two colleges sharing the site. Dumfries and Galloway College
has two main campuses in Dumfries and Stranraer, and the Barony College
provides agricultural and forestry training, making further and higher
education widely available throughout the region.
However, the region faces some important challenges. The number of young people
in the region is falling as many people move out of the area to find work, and
the number of elderly people is increasing. This means that there are fewer
people of working age in the area. These changes are having an effect on the
availability of future workers, which is made worse by a shortage of skills.
Dumfries and Galloway has a low-wage economy: 9% below the Scottish average and
17% below the UK national average. With a high dependency on industries such as
agriculture and tourism, we need to provide new and different opportunities for
long-term economic growth. Many people who live in the region depend on
benefits, and we need to tackle poverty wherever it exists.
Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board:
www.dumfriesandgalloway.co.uk
