A stark new study has identified multiple towns and cities across the Midlands as being among the 50 most deprived areas in England. The analysis, which ranks all 296 local authorities, places Birmingham in a distressing second place nationally.
Birmingham's Deepening Deprivation Crisis
Birmingham has been ranked as the second most deprived local authority in the entire country. This marks a significant deterioration from its previous position of seventh place when the list was last compiled in 2019. The city's well-documented struggles with poverty have been exacerbated in the post-Covid era.
The scale of the challenge is immense, with 43% of Birmingham's neighbourhoods – nearly half – now classified as highly deprived. This means a huge proportion of the city's residents are living in areas suffering from severe poverty.
Midlands Towns Feature Heavily in Top 50
Birmingham was the sole Midlands representative within the top 17, but it was far from alone in the upper echelons of the list. Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent secured 18th and 19th places respectively, cementing their status as areas of significant need.
Further down the rankings, other Midlands locales appeared. Walsall was ranked 25th nationally, with its near neighbour, Wolverhampton, placed 32nd. Leicester and Coventry also featured, coming in at 38th and 48th place.
A Notable Shift for Sandwell
The report also highlighted a notable change for one Black Country borough. Sandwell, previously considered among the top 10 most deprived areas, has now fallen out of the top 50 entirely, landing in 54th position. This suggests a relative improvement in its circumstances compared to other areas, though it remains a location facing considerable challenges.
This national deprivation list, the first update since 2019, provides a crucial and sobering snapshot of regional inequality in England, with the Midlands bearing a disproportionate burden of the country's poverty.
