Urban deprivation: What it is and how to measure it

Abstract

Unable to break out of the straightjacket of local authorities’ administrative areas and the bureaucratic concept of ‘need to spend,’ the Department of the Environment has come up with an index of deprivation that is, to say the least, counter‐intuitive. If it were to use better indicators and to focus on smaller areas, it would stand a better chance of directing resources to where they are most needed.