Deprivation

The National Context

The Government’s Indices of Deprivation 2004 uses a wide range of indicators to produce nationally consistent measures of deprivation across seven different domains or themes. The indices have changed considerably since the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, to include new measures such as crime, housing affordability and air quality. On the Index of Multiple Deprivation, Rotherham has improved its position between the 2000 and 2004 indices and the Study of Deprivation in Rotherham 2005 has confirmed a reduction in deprivation.

The Rotherham Deprivation Study 2005 and more information on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 can be found on the following page:

Rotherham Deprivation Study 2005

Rotherham – Boroughwide Deprivation

The key domains which are driving deprivation in Rotherham are Employment (51st most deprived), Health & Disability (42nd most deprived), and Education & Skills (30th most deprived). However, Rotherham has average or low levels of deprivation in other domains; Living Environment (147th most deprived), Barriers to Housing & Services (285th most deprived), and Crime (136th most deprived). These ranks are out of 354 districts in England.

Rotherham - Neighbourhood Deprivation

There is a wide range of deprivation within the Borough with some neighbourhoods being very deprived and others more affluent. Inequalities within the Borough are far greater than those between Rotherham and England. Generally, the highest deprivation is concentrated in the inner urban areas of Rotherham, particularly in Masbrough, Town Centre, Eastwood and East Herringthorpe. There are also outlying pockets of deprivation within communities such as Maltby and Dinnington. Over, 33% of Rotherham population live in areas within the 20% most deprived areas in England.

At a Local Authority level the English Indices of Deprivation is available at a Super Output Area (SOA) Level. More information on SOAs and the deprivation levels within these areas can be found in the:

Ward and Area Assembly Profiles

Interactive Maps

Rotherham's Local Index of Multiple Deprivation (LIMD)

In order to identify deprived neighbourhoods with maximum precision, Rotherham has developed its own Local Index of Multiple Deprivation using local indicators such as benefit claims, free schools meals, school attainment, crime, anti-social behaviour levels and health indicators. This index was validated by expert consultants in the Study of Deprivation in Rotherham 2005 (see the above link) and described as “an effective and accurate method for identifying the geographical areas to be targeted under the Rotherham Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy.”

Rotherham’s local index provides data for Output Areas (with about 125 households) which has been used to identify target areas for Rotherham’s Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, targeting the most deprived 25% of the Borough. Many deprivation measures show that Rotherham’s poorest areas are more than twice as deprived as the Borough average, and there is a clear correlation between low income, ill health, worklessness and educational attainment. The most deprived areas often have high crime rates and poor liveability.

More information on the Local Index of Multiple Deprivation can be found in the Neighbourhood Statistics section of the website:

Neighbourhood Statistics

The Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy (NRS)

More detail about how Rotherham is tackling deprivation can be found in the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy 2005-27 on the policy section of the website:

Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy