I also live in the north of England, in a supposedly deprived area. However, the items on sale in the local corner shops probably reflects the local diet....mainly, crisps, snacks and fizzy drinks. The most thriving shops are food outlets. I acknowledge that some people are genuinely in need, but I also think many people need advice on budgeting.
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How deprived is your area?
(98 Posts)What a disgrace in a relatively wealthy nation in the 21st Century.
www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2025/oct/30/how-deprived-is-your-area
I consider the 'leafy suburb' I'm fortunate enough to currently live in to be "as good as it gets", and we have a marvellous Booths, but.........three and a half miles into the town centre and it's another world.
Around a third of the shops are boarded up and the rest seem to be greasy chicken or kebab takeaways, betting shops and little else. I don't go there unless I desperately HAVE to.
My local news had a report on Jaywick. My early memories of Jaywick was the beautiful sweep of beach, so no idea why it seems to have been missed as a great day out/holiday beach. It showed people complaining about nothing for the kids - what? I wish we had such a resource. They have a library, community centre, youth club, scouts & guides.
My ward is on the high deprived index, but you would not think so when you see bin bags full of nearly new school uniform and designer coats being shipped off to Africa at the end of each term. We have all of the above, pus a swimming pool and sport centre.
Mt61
keepingquiet
I think my area is probably deprived according to others, but the community here is very rich with great people.
People are the best asset in any community.How true.
I have just looked it up and I live in a town in the top 50 deprived areas.
I love it here- can still leave my door and car unlocked sometimes. I have a bus stop across the road, green spaces and trees, shops on the end of the street- two pubs and a club, good GP surgery, library, dentist and cafes.
An award winning park, a museum and a national walking path just down the road- if this is deprivation bring it on!
I’m in the North West approximately one mile from an affluent area in Liverpool. According to the link in the Guardian where I live is one of the least deprived areas.
It’s unfair to stereotype any area just by observing statistics deprivation takes many forms and be anywhere.
keepingquiet
I think my area is probably deprived according to others, but the community here is very rich with great people.
People are the best asset in any community.
How true.
My area is absolutely beautiful, I would not live elsewhere. Five minutes to the beach and the mountains.
Moii
Always makes me think when I read this because benefits are the same wherever you live so wouldn't you be better off living in a cheaper area than an expensive area, surely those living in more expensive areas are going to struggle more. Slums aren't built they are made by the people that live there.
As someone who grew up in what would later become what was called the London slum clearance I think there’s more chance of me digging a hole in the North Sea than you understanding how wrong you are.
I think my area is probably deprived according to others, but the community here is very rich with great people.
People are the best asset in any community.
I live in what is considered to be a nice area
Largely developed on the thirties - it has rows upon rows of mock Tudor houses and the streets are called -- Gardens or Walk or Way .
My father used to think that it was a bit pretentious and that it was Hyacinth Bucket land .
It is right next to one of the most dangerous places in Greater London .
We used to shop and eat there .
It had a fantastic range of shops and was colourful ,fun and safe .
Now most people are too scared to go there.
I went three times last year and had racism directed at me apart from being followed around by a drunk man on one occasion and a woman high on drugs on another .
I really don't know why it's happened and what can be done about it .
It doesn't bode well for the future .
.
It's rubbish. My Postcode, so say, ranks lowest on Health and highest on income. That doesnt equate.
I doubt there's a house worth under £1m, they all have £100k cars in the drive and most seem to have chikdren at private schools (uniforms) and employ gardeners.
The thought that they would all be on a lowest tier for their health is beyond ridiculous as I would suspect most, if not all, would have Private Medical Insurance.
As I said, rubbish. Best ignored.
.
Mt61
Oh yes yours is a lot more.
We got rid of a sofa & chair, my neighbour wanted rid of her bed (classed as two items base & mattress), we went half’s on the bill. A lot cheaper that hiring a van to go to the tip, loading & unloading to boot.
Of course some folk don’t care & will just fly tip.
Growstuff
Oh yes yours is a lot more.
We got rid of a sofa & chair, my neighbour wanted rid of her bed (classed as two items base & mattress), we went half’s on the bill. A lot cheaper that hiring a van to go to the tip, loading & unloading to boot.
Of course some folk don’t care & will just fly tip.
I live in the north and whilst I don’t think it’s a deprived area where I live. There are parts of Newcastle that are wealthy and parts who depend on food banks. I live adjacent to Sunderland and there’s child poverty there on a wide scale.m
Mt61
Mt61
£15 for 4 items GS
Not too bad I would say
If your only income is Universal Credit, £15 is quite a lot.
Mine is:
£52.90 for the first 3 items
£8.10 per extra item when booked at the same time
If your area is anything like mine, the local council seems to make it as difficult as possible to use the local tip. An appointment has to be booked online in advance. For some reason which nobody has ever been able to work out, appointments are never available on the day (worse than seeing a GP). You're not allowed to take bulky items such as carpets or sofas.
Just wondering! I've never fly tipped and I haven't a clue why people do it.
We live in greater London in a very mixed area. People passing through could imagine that it is a fairly deprived area but this isn't really the case. There are huge estates of social housing close by and our primary school has a lot of immigrants and children for whom English is a second language. The school is really great and does well for all its pupils, most of whom are very happy and doing well.
Our own estate was built with both privately-owned and social housing in the late 1970's.
There is now a lot of new and expensive development locally which is far too expensive for most local young couples, or so the grandmothers on the bus tell me. They are supposed to be building some "affordable" housing but I suspect that this will not happen until everything else if finished and sold, if at all.
There is just one block of social housing which looks nice but certainly doesn't provide nearly as many council homes as are being pulled down by the developers. It's almost as though they're trying to reduce the number of social homes that are visible near the new developments.
The listings provided above say that our borough is more deprived than most neighbourhoods and that our particular area is amongst the most deprived within it. I don't know where they get this from and I'd dispute this, even the social housing on our estate is of good quality and well maintained. The private housing sells well and can be worth as much as £700k - hardly indicative of a deprived area!
What’s it got to do with looking after surrounding area? GS
Mukticolourswopshop. Like many other areas in the UK within the deprived areas there are the opposite. East Neuk of Fife doesn't seem to be deprived - holiday homes galore and St Andrews thrives on foreign students.
So out of 33,755 areas I live 28,987 least deprived areas ( think that's quite good )
But then I put in my childhood area and it is 2,453 the most deprived areas .
Oh dear 
Mt61
£15 for 4 items GS
Not too bad I would say
£15 for 4 items GS
I was born in the south, Brighton to be exact, and have lived in West Yorkshire for 48 years. I live on the outskirts of Bradford, a gritty city where there used to be more millionaires than London due to the textile trade. It has deprived areas, as do many places, but I love living here. It is friendly, affordable with wonderful scenery and lots to be involved in.
Yes there are rough sleepers in the city, food banks, soup kitchens , unemployment, poverty . But I love the social history and we have experienced City of Culture so that has been a bonus. It has a diverse culture to enjoy with great curry places. I have no desire to go south again, in fact if I were younger I would head to Northumberland.
The EU used to financially support deprived areas. I saw lots of their blue plaques up north. Not sure if the previous government did the same after Brexit.
Mt61
I dont understand why people in these areas can’t go to the tip, pick up litter around their door,
tidy the front garden & weed the edge of the pavement outside the front door.
Oh & learn how to hang a pair of curtains.
I’ve noticed the council have provided these huge gates to the alley way, is that to stop people fly tipping?
How much does your local council charge to remove unwanted furniture and other large items?
Moii
Always makes me think when I read this because benefits are the same wherever you live so wouldn't you be better off living in a cheaper area than an expensive area, surely those living in more expensive areas are going to struggle more. Slums aren't built they are made by the people that live there.
That's exactly why people on benefits/low incomes gravitate towards cheaper areas, so deprivation becomes self-fulfilling.
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