Children attending schools classified as deprived were reported to have experienced more tooth decay than children in non-deprived schools, according to further analysis of the 2003 Children s Dental Health Survey.
Source: Press release 20 December 2004, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: ONS press release (pdf) | Analysis
Date: 2004-Dec
A report contained new indicators that revealed concentrations of child poverty, poor housing, school underachievement and crime. It said that the indicators should be used by government to intensify the struggle against deprivation and social exclusion.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Strategies Against Poverty: A shared road map, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report concluded that area-level estimates of social capital contributed little to the explanation of variations in health outcomes.
Source: John Mohan, Steve Barnard, Kelvyn Jones and Liz Twigg, Social Capital, Place and Health: Creating, validating and applying small-area indicators in the modelling of health outcomes, Health Development Agency (020 7430 0850)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Dec
A think tank reportedly said that the government's childcare policies failed to meet the needs of disabled, ethnic minority and working-class white families. Childcare services were targeted at particular groups or areas, and reached only 46 per cent of all children living in poverty.
Source: Report by Focus Institute for Rights and Social Transformation, reported in The Guardian, 11 October 2004
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
The government announced a package of measures designed to tackle persistent pockets of worklessness, following publication of a report which highlighted the problems of 'residential sorting' of unemployed people into particular areas. Measures included promotion of low-cost home ownership through job centres, to give people a stake in their communities and act as a work incentive; more help for people wanting to leave benefits and become self-employed; guidance for social landlords on how to create mixed communities; greater use of outreach services and community-based advisers to help people facing the most complex problems; and adapting business support services to help those with unregistered businesses to become legitimate.
Source: Jobs and Enterprise in Deprived Areas, Social Exclusion Unit/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 8133)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | ODPM press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
The Northern Ireland Executive issued a consultation document on proposed new official measures of spatial deprivation to be used across Northern Ireland.
Source: Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2004, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9127 9391)
Links: Consultation document (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
A cross-sectional analysis of the Scottish Household Survey 2001 examined a range of neighbourhood factors for links with three health outcomes and two health-related behaviours. The results supported the hypothesis that the neighbourhood had a multi-dimensional impact on health. There was also some evidence that the relationship between neighbourhood factors and health varied according to the population subgroup, although not in a consistent manner.
Source: Alison Parkes and Ade Kearns, The Multi-dimensional Neighbourhood and Health: A cross-sectional analysis of the Scottish Household Survey, 2001, CNR Paper 19, Centre for Neighbourhood Research (0141 330 5408)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Aug
A right-of-centre think tank published a collection of articles on policies for tackling the problems of deprived inner city areas.
Source: Damian Hinds and Guy Strafford (eds.), Go Zones: Policies for the places politics forgot, Bow Group (020 7431 6400)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Aug
A paper presented evidence on the income trajectories of people living in 'micro neighbourhoods'. The results suggested that the segregation of poor individuals into poor neighbourhoods might not have any substantial long-term detrimental effects - the distribution of income growth rates for people living in such areas was indistinguishable from that for people living in rich areas.
Source: Anne Bolster et al., Neighbourhoods, Households and Income Dynamics: A semi-parametric investigation of neighbourhood effects, Working paper 04/106, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Aug
Researchers found 'considerable variation' in many health outcomes between English local authorities. Much of this variation was linked to deprivation: but some areas had significantly high mortality rates even after adjusting for deprivation, and others had low mortality rates for the level of deprivation.
Source: Indications of Public Heath in the English Regions, Association of Public Health Observatories (0191 3340398)
Links: Report (pdf) | Link to appendices and tables
Date: 2004-Jul
Ward-level benefits data was published for mid-2003. The data covered all Census wards within Great Britain at August 2003.
Source: Ward Level Benefits Data: 2003, Department for Work and Pensions (web publication only)
Links: Report (Excel links) | DWP press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A report provided recommendations on how to ensure that comprehensive performance assessment and, in particular, CPA 2005, took proper account of local deprivation.
Source: Peter Kenway and Guy Palmer, Comprehensive Performance Assessment and Deprivation, New Policy Institute (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A report said that childcare initiatives targeting London s 20 per cent most deprived wards ignored many poor families in most need, and should be replaced by a strategy to increase affordable childcare provision across the capital.
Source: Childcare Needs of Low Income Families in London, Living Outside the 20% Most Deprived Wards, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350) for Association of London Government
Links: Report (pdf) | ALG press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A report confirmed that poor environmental quality was closely linked to deprivation, and that liveability issues were consistently felt more severely in deprived neighbourhoods. The government had a wide range of initiatives and policies with some form of positive environmental impact: but the disparate nature of these initiatives could be a hindrance to further progress.
Source: Brook Lyndhurst, Environmental Exclusion Review, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
Revised tables were published for the Indices of Deprivation 2004, correcting errors in an earlier version.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 17 June 2004, columns 46-47WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | ODPM press release | Revised report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
A report provided estimates of gross household income (including investment income and social security benefits) at postcode level. The national average annual household income for the whole of the United Kingdom was 29,374. High incomes were concentrated around London, where the wealthiest areas had over 10 per cent of their resident households earning incomes of over 100,000 per year.
Source: Wealth of the Nation 2004, CACI Information Solutions (020 7602 6000)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Observer report
Date: 2004-Jun
Research found that families in the most deprived areas were up to five times more likely to be disconnected from their energy supplies than in other areas. Energy suppliers said they were committed to ending disconnection of vulnerable customers, but had to retain the right to cut the power supply of those who were able - but refused - to pay their bills.
Source: Press release 22 June 2004, Energywatch (020 7799 8345) | Press release 22 June 2004, Energy Retail Association (020 7747 2932)
Links: Energywatch press release | ERA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
A new edition of the Scottish 'index of multiple deprivation' was published. The index ranked small areas across the whole of Scotland by their levels of relative deprivation. There were particular concentrations of deprivation in the Glasgow area.
Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004: Summary technical report, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Technical report | Data (Excel links) | SE press release (1) | SE press release (2)
Date: 2004-Jun
Ward-level benefits data were published for 2003, including income support, jobseeker's allowance and incapacity benefit (with separate data for England and Wales and for Scotland).
Source: Neighbourhood Statistics: Ward Level Benefits Data 2003, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report (Excel link)
Date: 2004-Jun
A journal article explored children's and young people's views and experience of public space in regeneration areas. It considered whether children's perspectives were accurately reflected in public policy. It drew on primary research with young people aged 10-14, and representatives from local organisations, in a disadvantaged urban area in Scotland.
Source: Susan Elsley, 'Children's experience of public space', Children & Society, Volume 18 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2004-May
A report summarised the findings of a study (based in deprived, high-crime communities) designed to to explore children s understanding of social and moral responsibility, community involvement, and political literacy. Children generally understood the reasons for rules and accepted their legitimacy. The biggest complaint by children, particularly about the school environment, was that they were not listened to. Children were quick to spot unfairness, especially where they felt that rules were not being applied reasonably.
Source: Jean Hine, Children and Citizenship, Online Report 08/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
The Indices of Deprivation 2004 for England were published, replacing those for 2000. They included data on crime and the living environment for the first time. Deprivation was also mapped in greater detail, based on 'super output areas' (SOAs) rather than wards: there were over 32,000 SOAs in comparison to 8,500 wards, and they were more consistent in size.
Source: Mike Noble et al., The English Indices of Deprivation 2004, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 28 April 2004, columns 46-50WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Data (Excel links) | Hansard | ODPM press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Apr
A report presented the findings and key practice and policy implications from two research studies undertaken with children and young people living in areas of high crime and high deprivation.
Source: Jean Hine, Francesca Lemetti and Sara Trikha, Citizenship: Young people s perspectives, Development and Practice Report 10, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
A new web-based tool was launched, designed to make it easier to monitor progress towards public service agreement 'floor targets'. Floor Targets Interactive (FTI) contained data for all of England s local authorities down to district level, with a focus on the 88 most disadvantaged areas receiving neighbourhood renewal funding. The system was built on existing data brought together from the government departments responsible for improving health, employment, crime, education and housing.
Source: Press release 14 April 2004, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: ODPM press release | FTI webpage
Date: 2004-Apr
The Office for National Statistics published a series of experimental ward-based average household income estimates. They covered England and Wales for 1998-99.
Source: Model-Based Estimates of Income for Wards (1998/99), Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (download page) | User guide (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
Environmental campaigners said that people living in England's most deprived neighbourhoods were also more likely to bear the burden of pollution caused by incineration. According to research, half of all municipal waste incinerators in England were found in wards that were in the 10 per cent most deprived in the country.
Source: Incinerators and Deprivation, Friends of the Earth (020 7490 1555)
Links: Report (pdf) | FOE press release
Date: 2004-Jan
The Environment Agency published new research showing that poorer communities bore the burden of environmental problems as diverse as air pollution, factory emissions and flooding risk. It identified the need for a 'joined-up approach' to addressing environmental inequalities alongside social and economic problems in deprived areas.
Source: Gordon Walker, John Fairburn, Graham Smith and Gordon Mitchell, Environmental Quality and Social Deprivation, Environment Agency (01793 865000)
Links: Report Part 1 (pdf) | Report Part 2 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
A report said that disadvantaged contexts impacted on the organisation and processes of schools, and that these effects differed significantly from one area to another, in ways that were not reflected by the usual indicators of disadvantage. It argued that school improvement in disadvantaged areas would not be achieved by generic measures, but only by policies tailored to disadvantaged areas and sensitive to differences between these areas. It suggested ways in which school improvement policies could be contextualised in order to raise quality in the poorest areas.
Source: Ruth Lupton, Schools in Disadvantaged Areas: Recognising context and raising quality, CASEpaper 76, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan
The Environment Agency published new research showing that poorer communities bore the burden of environmental problems as diverse as air pollution, factory emissions and flooding risk. It identified the need for a 'joined-up approach' to addressing environmental inequalities alongside social and economic problems in deprived areas.
Source: Gordon Walker, John Fairburn, Graham Smith and Gordon Mitchell, Environmental Quality and Social Deprivation, Environment Agency (01793 865000)
Links: Report Part 1 (pdf) | Report Part 2 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
Environmental campaigners said that people living in England's most deprived neighbourhoods were also more likely to bear the burden of pollution caused by incineration. According to research, half of all municipal waste incinerators in England were found in wards that were in the 10 per cent most deprived in the country.
Source: Incinerators and Deprivation, Friends of the Earth (020 7490 1555)
Links: Report (pdf) | FOE press release
Date: 2004-Jan