THE ‘CROSS-CUTTING DEPRIVATION’ CLUSTER

e.g. Ystrad Mynach, Peterlee, Bloxwich, Bootle

The towns in the ‘cross-cutting deprivation’ grouping over-index for economic, health, and educational deprivation – as well as for the overall IMD score. They have also experienced a COVID-19 health impact which is more pronounced than that in the average town. Examples include Hartlepool, Colne, or Bootle. 

There are 115 places landing in this grouping, and they are very heavily centred around the UK’s traditional industrial bases. Many are satellite suburbs of places like Liverpool or Birmingham, suggesting that they face ‘inner-city problems’ like overcrowding, without the economic centre of gravity to go with it. 

The towns which fall into this cluster are overwhelmingly more negative than positive about migration and diversity. This hostility is likely to stem from genuine anger and disillusionment, from a feeling that the economic system puts others first, and from a very low sense of political agency and trust. 

Ingrained deprivation is clearly a very hard problem to address. Targeted spending is clearly part of the solution. But some of the best ideas we have come across, when researching this report, stem from an emphasis on schools as central hubs, from which healthcare, adult skills, mental health services etc all flow.