My hometown of Blackpool is often talked about as a place in decline rather than a place of possibility. It’s seen as a symbol of what has gone wrong, rather than understood as a community living with the sharpest edge of national failure.
In October, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government updated the English Indices of Deprivation for the first time since 2019, marking a rare and important moment to reassess government action.
The Indices rank small areas in England according to deprivation across multiple domains – looking beyond income alone and taking account of housing, access to services, education, employment, health, crime and the living environment.
The Indices are not a league table for shame but a tool for targeting government action. And they should convince the government that action must focus on Blackpool. Because if we can turn around a town that contains seven of the top ten most deprived areas of the country, and ten in the top twenty, we can turn around the fortunes of the country.
Rather than being a poster child for deprivation, Blackpool, where 38% of adults live in one of the 10% most income deprived areas in England, can become a poster child for renewal. Put simply – when Blackpool succeeds, Britain succeeds.
Income deprivation figures show how close many families in Blackpool live to the edge. People like Leanne, who contacted me after her benefits were sanctioned following a family bereavement and despite staying in touch with here work coach. For two months she had no income, no heating and no food. This is not about poor choices. It is about a system that offers no safety net when life goes wrong.
Income deprivation links directly to employment deprivation and Blackpool is one of only nine local authorities ranked among the most deprived on both measures. Our labour market is seasonal, insecure, tourism reliant, low paid and low skilled. I hosted a jobs fair this year and 4,000 people turned up – we’re not lacking in ambition, but opportunity.
Education is where these problems repeat themselves. Just over half of Blackpool pupils meet expected standards at Key Stage 2. GCSE results sit among the lowest in England and fewer than half of young people secure strong passes in English and maths. Children start behind and struggle to catch up.
Health deprivation deepens the picture. More than half of Blackpool neighbourhoods fall in the most deprived 10% nationally for health and disability. Men here have the lowest life expectancy in England, severe mental illness is widespread and depression rates are the highest in the country.
When I hear from people like Steven, a mental health nurse who developed serious neurological symptoms, it becomes clear hour poor health, economic inactivity and deprivation reinforce each other. He can’t work until his first appointment – scheduled for October 2026.
Crime also concentrates where deprivation touches and residents like Chantelle suffer the consequences of antisocial behaviour. She lives in Bloomfield, one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, but she can’t afford to move so lives in fear instead.
Housing sits beneath all of this, with poor housing worsening health, disrupting education and limiting work. People are forced to privately rent damp and unsafe homes due to a huge shortage of social housing – our stock of 5,000 no where near meeting the need, with 12,000 people currently on waiting lists. People like Tia who has watched her babies health decline while they are stuck in B&Bs with no cooking facilities.
But Blackpool has enormous pride and potential.
Despite the challenges captured in these statistics, people in our town won’t be defined by them. Our communities are strong, our young people are ambitious and our organisations drive change every day. This spirit of resilience and determination is the foundation on which renewal can be built. With the right support, investment and political will, that local energy can be harnessed to transform opportunity, improve lives and rewrite the story of our town.
The people of Blackpool are doing their bit and the Indices have done theirs – by showing us where the need is greatest. Now the government must do its bit too. Because with enough political will, Blackpool doesn’t have to be a poster child for deprivation. It can be the poster child for renewal.
If this government can turn Blackpool around, it can turn the country around. And if Blackpool succeeds, Britain succeeds.
Blackpool doesn’t have to be a poster child for deprivation – It can be the poster child for renewal
