The revised English Indices of Deprivation 2004 published in April 2004, offer an in-depth approach to pinpointing small pockets of deprivation. The information will help target policies and funding, reinforcing the Government's drive to improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities. The Indices of Deprivation 2004 (ID 2004) include a number of new features to assess the relative levels of deprivation. For the first time data on crime and the living environment are included. Another new feature is that ID 2004 maps deprivation in greater detail down to areas with a population of only a couple of thousand people. Data is now based on identified neighbourhoods (Super Output Areas) rather than wards. There are over 32,000 neighbourhoods in the new ID 2004 replacing the 8,500 wards used to construct the current ID 2000. Targeting of Government neighbourhood renewal funding will continue to be based on the IMD 2000 until March 2005. After that funding will be based on the new ID 2004.

The ID 2004 is based on the following domains:

• Income deprivation
• Employment deprivation
• Health deprivation and disability
• Education, skills and training deprivation
• Barriers to Housing and Services
• Crime  
• Living Environment.

Implications for Devon County Council

The table below compares the areas in Devon ranked in the most deprived 25% nationally, the number of wards in 2000 and the number of neighbourhoods in 2004, together with the population of these areas.

The application of the new index reduces the population in Devon perceived to be living in the most deprived areas by around 50%. This is probably due to the addition of crime and the living environment to the index in which the area covered by Devon County Council would have scored well compared to the national average.

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