News release

News Release 2004/0109:
28 April 2004

BETTER METHOD OF IDENTIFYING DEPRIVED AREAS TO HELP TACKLE DISADVANTAGE LAUNCHED - ROOKER

The most comprehensive mapping of deprivation across England was today launched by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

The revised indices - the Indices of Deprivation 2004 - offer an in-depth approach to pinpointing small pockets of deprivation. The information will help target policies and funding, reinforcing the Government's drive to improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities.

The Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID 2004) include a number of new features to assess the relative levels of deprivation.

For the first time data on crime and the living environment are included. Another new feature is that ID 2004 maps deprivation in greater detail down to areas with a population of only a couple of thousand people. Data is now based on consistent Super Output Areas (SOAs) rather than wards. There are over 32,000 SOAs in comparison to 8,500 wards, and they are more consistent in size. ID 2004 replaces that of ID 2000.

Jeff Rooker, Minister for Regeneration, in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said:

"The increased detail provided by this new information offers a great insight into the geographic pattern of deprivation in England as never seen before."

"From the Government and local authorities to practitioners at the grass roots level, the new indices will help focus our efforts to tackle disadvantage and create sustainable communities.

"The indices should remind us that we must continue to strive to tackle variations in levels of deprivation and that there is still much to do. It also shows that our resources are targeted to the right areas. The Government's policy will continue to aim to raise the quality of life for those in the most needy areas and thus narrow the gap between them and the rest."

The Indices of Deprivation 2004 is based on 37 indicators which highlight characteristics of deprivation such as unemployment, low income, crime and poor access to education and health services.

The index is based on 32,482 Super Output Areas, which is a new smaller geographical base covering between 1000-3000 people. This provides a more in-depth appreciation of variations in deprivation at a more local level. Information will also be available at the local authority district level and county council level.

Notes to Editors
History And Revision Of The Indices Of Deprivation
1. Indices have been used since the mid-1970s. ID 2004 replaces that of ID 2000. The Indices are revised as new indicators emerged and change is likely to have occurred. There were two periods of consultation between November 2002 and November 2003 and a peer review, led by Professor Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York.

Indices Of Deprivation 2004
2. The Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID 2004) is based on Super Output Area level (SOA) data and is made up of seven domains of deprivation. These are:
  • Income deprivation
  • Employment deprivation
  • Health deprivation and disability
  • Education, skills and training deprivation
  • Barriers to Housing and Services
  • Crime
  • Living Environment

    3. Each of these domains is made up of a number of indicators, which reflect different dimensions of deprivation. The Index will be based on 37 indicators in total.

    4. The new domains of crime and living environment were strongly supported in the two periods of public consultation held to determine the best process for updating the 2000 Index.

    5. There are 32,482 SOAs in England and they are ranked according to how deprived they are, relative to other SOAs. Super Output Areas are small geographic areas and have a population of between 1,000 and 3,000. (Ward areas are much larger and less consistent, having a population of between 800 up to 35,000.)

    6. There is also information on each of the seven domains of deprivation and separate information for each SOA on the percent of children and older persons in England who live in households that depend on means tested benefits.

    7. The SOA level Index is summarised by six local authority district measures and six County Council measures.

    8. In addition, there are six different measures and therefore six different sets of relative ranking which capture the complex patterns of deprivation found at local authority district level and county council level.

    9. 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
  • 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 income 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.

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

    11. There are no immediate spending decisions to be taken on the basis of the new Index. Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) has been fully allocated to the existing 88 recipients of NRF up to March 2006.

    12. ID 2004 has been published on CD ROM which is being sent to all Local Authorities and in addition to the ODPM website. A full report on the ID 2004, giving details of the indicators, domains and analysis of the results can be downloaded at http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_control/documents/contentservertemplate/odpm_index.hcst?n=4610&l=3


    13. The Indices of Deprivation 2004 (like ID 2000) are about the relative position of authorities and neighbourhoods compared with each other, and do not measure absolute change. Floor Targets Interactive can be used to illustrate where progress is being made to narrow the gap between the 88 areas receiving NRF and the England average. These tables are publicly available on the Floor Targets Interactive website launched earlier this month. They do not use the same data as the Index (some of the data is newer) but they provide a ready indicator that the Government’s policies are making an impact. http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/fti.asp

    Indices of Deprivation 2004 – District Level Summaries

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    Published 28 April 2004

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