“Today’s statistics are a damning indictment of a system that has left some communities broken,” said Alison McGovern, the minister for local government and homelessness, after the English Indices of Deprivation were released this morning, Thursday 30 October 2025. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the five‑year update at 09:30, confirming where hardship is most concentrated.

The headline finding will grab attention in Essex, but it matters in the North. Jaywick, near Clacton, is named England’s most deprived neighbourhood for a fourth consecutive index since 2010. Seven Blackpool neighbourhoods sit alongside it in the national top 10, with one each in Hastings and Rotherham - a pattern that underlines how coastal and post‑industrial areas continue to bear the brunt.

For northern readers, the picture is stark and familiar. Blackpool remains the country’s tightest cluster of acute deprivation. In Teesside, Ayresome in Middlesbrough is again flagged among the most deprived 100 neighbourhoods on multiple measures - a reminder that the town’s challenges cut across income, health and education. Liverpool has seen improvement on overall rankings since 2019, but health deprivation across the city remains severe by national standards.

The index measures relative disadvantage at neighbourhood level, not individual hardship. It ranks every one of England’s 33,755 Lower Layer Super Output Areas (around 1,500 people apiece) across seven weighted domains - income and employment carry the heaviest weight, followed by education, health, crime, barriers to housing and services, and the living environment. A lower rank means a more deprived area.

Officials stress the points of continuity. MHCLG’s statistical release shows persistence at the sharp end: 82% of the places in the most deprived decile this year were already there in 2019. Deprivation is also widespread rather than isolated - around two‑thirds of local authorities now contain at least one area in the most deprived 10%.

Residents’ voices cut through the spreadsheets. “It is deprived, it needs investment, there is nothing here for the kids,” said Christopher Thompson, 60, in Jaywick - before adding that the community “is amazing” and people help each other out. Tendring District Council called Jaywick “a truly special place”, saying the data shows the scale of the task but not the progress since 2019, and pressed ministers for extra funding.

Politics flows through the numbers. Clacton MP Nigel Farage said he was sad improvement is not coming faster and argued he can only do so much as one MP, adding that his profile has helped put the area on the map. In Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Rotherham, council leaders will make the same case - sustained, long‑term support beats one‑off pots.

Westminster points to new cash. September’s “Pride in Place” programme promises up to £5bn, with 169 neighbourhoods due to receive £2m a year for a decade and 95 more getting an immediate £1.5m for public spaces - selections announced a month before today’s index, so councils expect the 2019 figures were among the inputs. Ministers say the fund, plus investment in children’s development and crisis support, will start to shift the dial; critics say delivery must be targeted and long‑term to stick.

Health gaps underline why this matters in the North. National data shows inequalities widening since the pandemic: people in the most deprived areas live fewer healthy years and face higher risks from conditions such as cancer. For families and employers here, that feeds back into worklessness, pressure on services and weaker local growth.

What to take from the new map? It’s a guide to where help is most needed, not a label for every street. For northern councils and community groups, the priorities are clear: stable multi‑year funding, homes that are warm and safe, and practical support for skills and health. For Whitehall, the test is whether the money and powers now promised reach Blackpool’s back streets, Ayresome’s terraces and estates in Rotherham - and stay long enough to make a difference.

Elsewhere in the UK, each nation updates its own index. Wales has confirmed it will publish WIMD 2025 on 27 November, with Scotland and Northern Ireland updating on separate cycles, so cross‑border comparisons should be handled with care.