The publication of the Index of Multiple Deprivation 25, 30 October 2025, by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) demonstrates continuing inequalities across the UK which has a severe impact on communities. The Index of Multiple Deprivations ranks neighbourhoods according to the extent of them experiencing multiple deprivation: income, employment, education, health, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment and compares neighbourhoods.
In line with findings from previous years, the English Indices of Deprivation for 2025 show “concentrations of deprivation in large urban conurbations (such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Greater Manchester and parts of Teesside), areas that have historically relied on heavy industry, manufacturing or mining . These findings are of immediate relevance for our ongoing research on marginalisation and representations of post-industrial communities. Indeed, our research in Teesside, specifically Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, maps onto two areas the reports finds are experiencing high relative deprivation. Middlesbrough is ranked as the council with the highest proportion of deprived neighbourhoods (50%). One of the top ten most deprived neighbourhoods in the country (a Lower-layer Super Output Area) was located in Rotherham, another of our research locations in the UK.
High levels of deprivation in parts of London notwithstanding, the report emphasises the continued connection between a post-industrial past and high levels of multiple deprivation. The concentration of highly deprived areas in the North of England confirms a persistent North South divide. In response to the publication of the new figures, an article in the Guardian by Goodier, Butler, and Aguilar García suggest that “attempts at levelling up have failed to shift stubbornly high levels of deprivation in so-called left-behind towns and cities in the Midlands and north of England.” In doing so, the article does not only lay blame with the investment strategy and policies of the previous – even more so than the current – government but also employs the rhetoric of the “left behind” in describing deprived areas in England’s North. It is this use of lexical markers and tropes that is the focus of our analysis of lived experiences and media representations of marginalised communities in England and Germany as part of the DFG/AHRC funded VOICES project.
We find long-term residents of these areas experience deprivation as a decline in their standards of living, access to services and infrastructures. Inadequate public transport, the loss of high street shops, community meeting spaces, and fears of safety are immediate concerns. Longer-term they see few opportunities for themselves or their children and grandchildren locally; leaving the area is seen as the only way for younger residents to improve their life chances. Despite large funding schemes promised, residents perceive support as sporadic and atomised, with little co-ordination or structured planning. The support that reaches members of these communities is provided ad hoc by small, often voluntary organisations who have to compete for small grants. The community centres that exist provide a lifeline to residents but are limited in their ability to serve the wider community. For many residents of areas suffering high relative deprivation the existence is lonely and hopeless, impacting both physical and mental health. The Index of Multiple Deprivation provides data on areas that urgently require more support. Our data offers insights into the lived experiences of residents of these neighbourhoods and offers indications how deprivation can be ameliorated.
