Unemployment in Buchan has more than doubled in the last year, with nearly 600 people out of work.
New figures from Aberdeenshire Council show that only 255 people identified themselves as unemployed and living on benefits in 2015.
But this year, that number has spiked to 585.
Last night, Peterhead councillor Alan Buchan claimed his town had suffered for decades and hit out at failures which have forced hundreds of jobs out of the area.
He claimed the loss of engineering firms, and the bulk of the area’s fishing fleet meant that the council figures did not reflect the “true rate of unemployment”.
But while senior administration councillors accepted the loss of heavy industry had affected Peterhead, they accused Mr Buchan of “talking his town down”.
According to the council figures, Mr Buchan’s own ward of northern Peterhead and Rattray experienced the biggest rise in unemployment, with the number rising from 140 to 305 in the last year.
The independent councillor said: “However, these figures don’t reflect the true rate of unemployment, since many who are unemployed do not receive or claim unemployment benefit.
“Others, especially in the oil sector, are still actively looking for work, but have not made a claim for benefits. They are aware that they will receive little or nothing in the way of state help, but will have to fill out endless pieces of paperwork.”
And it is the oil sector where Mr Buchan believes further jobs will be lost.
Branding it a “deep concern”, he said it was forecast that even more people would be out of work in the next 18 months as a result of low oil prices and firms going out of business.
Firms related to the sector have already disappeared from the town, including Terex, which closed in 2010.
Cleveland’s factory was eventually demolished in 2002 and replaced by houses.
General Motors and Crosse and Blackwell also previously operated bases in the town.
The latter’s factory was taken over by a local fish processing firm which still operates from the site today.
Mr Buchan has said losing them from the area has been “failures”, and called on the SNP to focus on the issue rather than “more referendums”.
He added: “With the Scottish economy in decline, education smashed and the NHS crippled, isn’t it about time to start rebuilding the country?”
Last night, Stephen Smith, SNP councillor for Peterhead, said the loss of heavy industry had affected the town but that his party was not to blame.
“Alan Buchan’s greatest talent is talking our town down,” he added.
“Yes, the loss of heavy industries and manufacturing from the town was a blow to the workers affected and the local economy at the time, but some of these closures happened 20 years ago and, in the case of Crosse and Blackwell, there’s been more people employed on that site than there were when Crossies moved out for many years now.
“It would be more helpful if he (Mr Buchan) tried to do something positive with his remaining time on the council.”
Earlier this year, the SNP announced funds to help former oil workers retrain as teachers.
The £12million Transition Training Fund, announced in February, is designed to address chronic staff shortages at schools in the north-east while helping those hit by the downturn in the energy sector.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We have a highly skilled oil and gas workforce and it is important that we harness their abilities to benefit the next generation.”
