2.4. Socio-economic deprivation

• A third of families in Bradford are experiencing poverty, with 17% experiencing more than one form.
• Unemployment rates in Bradford are high (7.1%) compared to England (3.8%), but there has been a reduction in the past year.
• Some parts of Bradford have high levels of deprivation while others are relatively prosperous, although the District overall is ranked as the 13th most deprived local authority and has worsened six places since 2015.

Socio-economic deprivation refers to the lack or scarcity of resources and opportunities necessary for an individual or community to meet their basic needs and have a decent standard of living. In Bradford, like in many other local authorities in the UK, there are areas and communities that experience high levels of deprivation, leading to a range of social, economic and health problems.

Some of the indicators of deprivation in Bradford include low income, poor-quality housing, high unemployment, low educational attainment and poor health outcomes. 17% of households in Bradford experience multiple forms of deprivation. These factors often intersect and reinforce each other, creating a cycle of poverty and disadvantage that is difficult to break.

35.6% and 28.9% of children in Bradford come from households living in absolute and relative poverty respectively¹⁹  (compared to 24.2% and 31.3% for Yorkshire and The Humber and 24.5% and 30.8% for England²⁰).

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is the recognised means of measuring deprivation at the local scale.²¹ The latest edition of the IMD was published in September 2019 and shows that Bradford is the 13th most deprived local authority in England. Bradford’s position has worsened by six places since the last IMD publication in 2015.

In total, 17% of households in Bradford experience multiple forms of deprivation. 22% of children are living below the poverty line, 15% of people are experiencing fuel poverty and the local authority district is ranked the 5th most deprived for income and 6th most deprived for employment in England²². Rates of unemployment in Bradford are high – 7.1%²³ compared to 3.8% for England.²⁴ However, there are signs of improvement – there was a reduction of over 20% in levels of unemployment in the last year and self-employment in Bradford has grown 23% in the last 10 years.²⁵
 

Table 1: Indices of Multiple Deprivation in England 2019

Source: English indices of deprivation 2019.

In comparison to other cities in England, Bradford has a larger percentage of LSOAs (Lower Super Output Areas) that suffer from high levels of income deprivation in the top 30% bracket. The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) rankings were used to measure the percentage of localities in each city that fall into each decile (1-10) of deprivation, with decile 1 representing the 10% with the highest levels of deprivation in England. 

Bradford is also in the lowest 20% of the country for median earnings, has fewer schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and has one of the 20% largest earnings gaps between the lowest and highest resident incomes, signifying reduced opportunity.²⁶

Figure 11: Indices of Multiple Deprivation map of Bradford 2019

Source: City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Intelligence Bulletin (4th October 2019).

There are significant local socio-economic variations within the Bradford area. The data above does not reflect the differences at the local level within the Bradford district. The least deprived areas are mostly in the north of the district in Ilkley, Burley in Wharfedale, Menston, Bingley and rural villages around. Areas suffering from the highest levels of deprivation, include the local areas in and around central Bradford such as Bradford Moor and Manningham and outlying Bradford housing estates - particularly Holme Wood, Ravenscliffe, Buttershaw and Allerton and in Keighley. 

Next: Gaps in the data