LARIA members may wish to use the new indices of economic deprivation, published by Department for Communities and Local Government on 13 December 2012.

The indices allow users to track changes in deprivation at neighbourhood (LSOA) and LA district level between 1999 and 2009. They comprise indices of income and employment deprivation, and in index for children in income deprived households.

DCLG commissioned the Social Disadvantage Research Centre at the University of Oxford to produce these indices on a consistent basis i.e. taking account of changes to the tax and benefit systems over the period.

The resulting time series complement the snapshot provided by the English Indices of Deprivation 2010 (which are based mainly on 2008 data). They are produced using the same general methodology as the ID 2010 Income and Employment deprivation domains and the supplementary IDACI index, albeit with narrower definitions of income and employment deprivation.

Some key findings:

  • In 2009, the proportion of people aged under 60 living in income-deprived households ranged from 0% to 71% across LSOAs. Employment deprivation rates and rates of child income deprivation were similarly wide-ranging.
  • On average, income deprivation rates fell between 1999 and 2008, but increased between 2008 and 2009. The most deprived LSOAs saw the greatest decreases between 1999 and 2008 and the greatest increases from 2008 to 2009. The pattern was similar for employment deprivation.
  • Five local authorities appear in the 10 most economically deprived local authorities nationally each year between 1999 and 2009: Hackney, Knowsley, Liverpool, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
  • Similarly, there were seven consistently deprived local authorities in terms of child income deprivation: Tower Hamlets, Islington, Hackney, Newham, Manchester, Lambeth and Haringey.

Key findings are reported in a Statistical Release, which is accompanied by datasets at LSOA and LA District level

Local area researchers can explore the changes for their areas in detail using the accompanying datasets. The SDRC reports include local authority case studies (covering Sandwell, Barrow-in-Furness, Newham, Enfield, Birmingham and Knowsley).

For further information please email the indices deprivation team.