Communities and Local Government have updated the 2004 deprivation indices, which present a picture of a range of economic, social and housing issues at local authority district level and county council level.

In the most deprived 20% of areas across England just over a third of people are income deprived and one in five of men and women are employment deprived. Just under half of children live in families that are income deprived and more than one third of older people are income deprived.

Of the 80 districts categorises as the ‘most deprived ‘ in the 2004 Indices, 78 remain within this category in 2007.

The North West of England is the region with the greatest deprivation with 1420 areas, which is 31.8 per cent of the total areas within the region falling within the most deprived 20%. London has 1,351 areas which represents 28.4 per cent of all areas.

The publication, Indices of Deprivation 2007, is available from DCLG. www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/576659