Overview
- Birmingham is placed second worst in England in a new deprivation index from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with Blackpool ranked first.
- The index compares councils using seven measures that track income, jobs, education, health, crime, housing and the local environment.
- Other Midlands councils in the top 50 are Nottingham in 18th, Stoke-on-Trent in 19th, Walsall in 27th, Wolverhampton in 32nd, Leicester in 38th, Derby in 46th and Coventry in 48th.
- Sandwell has moved to 54th on the list, which means it no longer sits in the top 50 most deprived areas on this measure.
- Lichfield, South Staffordshire, Bromsgrove and Stratford-upon-Avon have no neighbourhoods flagged as highly deprived, while Birmingham has 43% classed as highly deprived, a gap likely to drive debate on funding and local support.