CovSoc Vice Chair, Tim Brown, has been looking at recently published data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This is what he found…..
The government released an updated Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) in October 2025. The previous version was published in 2019. It is a complex and highly technical set of data. Although it might appear to be abstract and fulfil the proposition that they are ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’, it shows the lived reality for thousands of households in Coventry who face the daily grind of poor health and low incomes:
- Compared to the other 296 local authority areas in England, Coventry ranks in the top forty in terms of poor health
- Similarly it is in the top fifty on measures of low income
- Most worryingly, in relation to income deprivation affecting children, it is in the top thirty.
At a neighbourhood level, there is a stark contrast between wealthy and poor neighbourhoods:
- 33 out of 174 neighbourhoods in Coventry (nearly 20%) are in the worst 10% of neighbourhoods nationally on seven combined measures of deprivation
- 4 neighbourhoods are in the worst 1% of neighbourhoods nationally
- 8 neighbourhoods are in the best 10% nationally.
Geographically, the poorest neighbourhoods are in our inner city areas of Foleshill, Hillfields and Upper & Lower Stoke together with peripheral former council estates such as Henley, Tile Hill, Willenhall and Wood End. The wealthiest neighbourhoods are in Coundon, Stivichall and Wainbody.
If we review similar government measures over the last fifty years, this geographical pattern is persistent and long-standing.
How does Coventry compare with other local authority areas? In summary:
- On the combined measures of deprivation, Coventry ranks between 57th and 61st worst of all local authorities
- The worst performing areas are Blackpool, Burnley, and Manchester with Blackpool having 7 of the poorest ten neighbourhoods in England
- The poorest neighbourhood in England is Jaywick Sands near Clacton.
Does all this matter? Yes, as it ought to influence the planning and delivery of policies and services in the city. Also, the government announced in November 2025 that the IMD 2025, population / household growth, and service demand will determine the level of financial support for every local authority for 2026/27 onwards.
More information about the Index of Multiple Deprivation here.