HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 cc46-9WS
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Yvette Cooper)

Today I am announcing the publication of the revised "Indices of Deprivation—Indices of Deprivation 2004".

The Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID 2004) combine statistical indicators on economic and social issues into a single score and rank for each small area in England. This enables us to rank small areas according to their level of deprivation. The indices are used by Government and other agencies to identify where there are concentrations of disadvantaged people, so that resources can be targeted where there is greatest need.

The new index is a significant improvement on previous indices. It uses a new base geography, which is more consistent over time and in terms of size. This allows us to overcome some of the problems with electoral wards, which were of varying sizes and which were regularly changed. The new super output areas allow us better to identify where very small pockets of deprivation exist and to track changes over time.

We have also been able to include new indicators that give a more precise measurement of particular aspects of deprivation. For example, with the new pupil level annual school census, we are able to attribute educational deprivation to the area where the child lives rather than attributing it to the school, as was the case in the past. We have also overcome previous problems with crime data and have now included a crime domain for the first time. There is also a new living environment domain, which aims to identify deprivation in the indoors and outdoors living environment. Both of these new domains were strongly supported in the two periods of public consultation held to determine the best process for updating the 2000 index.

The index also allows us to rank local authority districts. Districts are complex to describe as a whole and as a result, six different measures have been designed which focus on different aspects of multiple deprivation in the district. No single measure is favoured over another, as there is no single best way of describing or comparing districts. The six measures are: The Concentration is an important way of identifying districts' hot spots of deprivation.

Rank Rank of Average Score Rank of Average Rank Rank of Extent Rank of Concentration Rank of Income Scale Rank of Employment Scale
1 Knowsley Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets Knowsley Birmingham Birmingham
2 Liverpool Hackney Hackney Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool
3 Manchester Knowsley Islington Manchester Manchester Manchester
4 Tower Hamlets Manchester Manchester Middlesbrough Leeds Leeds
5 Hackney Islington Liverpool Newcastle upon Tyne Bradford Sheffield
6 Easington Liverpool Newham Kingston upon Hull, City of Sheffield Bradford
7 Nottingham Newham Easington Salford Newham Sunderland
8 Islington Easington Knowsley Nottingham Tower Hamlets Wirral
9 Middlesbrough Nottingham Nottingham Wirral Hackney Wigan
10 Kingston upon Hull, City of Kingston upon Hull, City of Middlesbrough Rochdale Nottingham Newcastle upon Tyne
11 Newham Southwark Kingston upon Hull, City of Hartlepool Sandwell Wakefield
12 Hartlepool Haringey Southwark Redcar and Cleveland Leicester Nottingham
13 Salford Barking and Dagenham Haringey Bradford Wirral Doncaster
14 Halton Sandwell Halton Blackpool Bristol, City of Bristol, City of
15 Haringey Stoke-on-Trent Hartlepool Halton Lambeth Sefton
16 Birmingham Halton Birmingham Stockton-on-Tees Kingston upon Hull, City of Kirklees
17 Stoke-on-Trent Lambeth Sandwell Birmingham Haringey Stoke-on-Trent
18 Southwark Hartlepool Stoke-on-Trent Gateshead Southwark Sandwell
19 Sandwell Middlesbrough Blackburn with Darwen Tower Hamlets Newcastle upon Tyne Kingston upon Hull, City of
20 Blackburn with Darwen Birmingham Salford Westminster Sunderland Barnsley
21 Blackpool Salford South Tyneside St. Helens Kirklees Lambeth
22 Sunderland Blackpool Sunderland Blackburn with Darwen Brent Leicester
23 Newcastle upon Tyne Camden Wolverhampton Derby Lewisham Coventry
24 Rochdale Greenwich Camden Sheffield Wolverhampton Newham
25 Camden Sunderland Barking and Dagenham Easington Coventry Southwark
26 Barking and Dagenham Waltham Forest Newcastle upon Tyne Leicester Doncaster Hackney
27 South Tyneside Blackburn with Darwen Gateshead Stoke-on-Trent Ealing Salford
28 Wolverhampton Wear Valley Rochdale Oldham Enfield Bolton
29 St. Helens Hastings Lambeth Sunderland Wakefield Wolverhampton
30 Gateshead South Tyneside Mansfield Bolton Islington Knowsley
31 Leicester Barrow-in-Furness Barnsley Leeds Croydon Rotherham
32 Lambeth St. Helens Blackpool Bristol, City of Walsall Haringey
33 Barrow-in-Furness Bolsover St. Helens Barrow-in-Furness Sefton Gateshead
34 Barnsley Barnsley Doncaster North East Lincolnshire Stoke-on-Trent Tower Hamlets
35 Mansfield Leicester Greenwich Sefton Salford Dudley
36 Wear Valley Mansfield Hastings Preston Greenwich Walsall
37 Hastings Wolverhampton Bradford Barnsley Waltham Forest Lewisham
38 Bradford Lewisham Barrow-in-Furness Coventry Knowsley Islington
39 Greenwich Gateshead Leicester Burnley Bolton Brent

The Extent portrays how widespread high levels of deprivation are in a district. The Income Scale measure gives the number of people in the district who are income deprived. The Employment Scale measure gives the number of people in the district who are employment deprived. The Average of SOA Ranks summarises the district as a whole, taking into account the ranks of both the deprived and least deprived SOAs. The Average of SOA Scores also describes the district as a whole, taking into account the full range of SOA scores across a district.

The table below summarises the districts that are amongst the 50 most deprived on each of the six district measures.

Rank Rank of Average Score Rank of Average Rank Rank of Extent Rank of Concentration Rank of Income Scale Rank of Employment Scale
40 Doncaster Rochdale Wansbeck Mansfield Wigan St. Helens
41 Redcar and Cleveland Penwith Walsall Hastings Dudley Rochdale
42 Burnley Doncaster Oldham Wolverhampton Rotherham Ealing
43 Wansbeck Sedgefield Preston Haringey Camden Brighton and Hove
44 Waltham Forest Burnley Burnley Islington Derby Oldham
45 Bolsover Tameside Wear Valley Great Yarmouth Barnsley Tameside
46 Oldham Wansbeck Sedgefield Wansbeck Rochdale Plymouth
47 Wirral Derwentside Norwich Wigan Barnet Camden
48 Westminster Wigan Bolton Doncaster Oldham South Tyneside
49 Tameside Westminster Redcar and Clevaland Wear Valley Gateshead North Tyneside
50 Wigan Ashfield Bolsover Tameside Brighton and Hove Croydon