Four Greater Manchester boroughs named among UK’s top 30 most deprived areas

Four Greater Manchester boroughs are in the top 30 most deprived areas in the country, according to a new study.

The report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), an independent social change and anti-poverty organisation, states that 3.8million people in the UK experienced destitution in the UK in 2022, including one million children. This is almost two and half times as many people as in 2017.

JRF define ‘destitution’ as not being able to meet basic physical human needs, including food and heat. The report found that some groups were more at risk of destitution than others, including people with disabilities, migrants and people from black communities.

In Greater Manchester, Oldham was named the 28th highest level of destitution in the UK, followed by Rochdale in 25th and Salford in 12th. Manchester ranked highest among all the Greater Manchester boroughs, coming in second overall.

JRF is now calling on the government for urgent action in tackling poverty in the UK. They say that the ad-hoc payments during the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis have done little to stop the increasing levels in destitution in the UK.

The top 30 most destitute areas of the UK:

1. Newham
2. Manchester
3. Middlesbrough
4. Leicester
5. Nottingham
6. Brent
7. Newcastle upon Tyne
8. Southwark
9. Kingston upon Hull, City
10. Luton
11. Barking and Dagenham
12. Salford
13. Coventry
14. Slough
15. Ealing
16. Tower Hamlets
17. Liverpool
18. Birmingham
19. Westminster
20. Wolverhampton
21. Blackburn with Darwen
22. Hounslow
23. Haringey
24. Camden
25. Rochdale
26. Glasgow City
27. Sandwell
28. Oldham
29. Hackney
30. Blackpool