The publication of the English Indices of Deprivation (IoD) 2025 provides a detailed picture of deprivation across England. These indices measure relative disadvantage at a very local level, using seven domains: income, employment, education, health, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment. Together, they offer a comprehensive view of the social and economic challenges facing communities.

The latest findings confirm what many of us already know: deprivation in parts of the North is both deep and persistent. While deprivation has increased slightly across all regions since 2004, the North continues to experience the highest concentrations of disadvantage.

Persistent Deprivation Across the North

The report highlights that some areas have remained among the most deprived nationally for two decades. These include parts of Liverpool, Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Rochdale, and East Lancashire, where local neighbourhoods consistently rank in the top 1% most deprived in England. This persistence matters because it signals entrenched disadvantage that cannot be solved by short-term interventions. The latest figures show that 58% of the nation’s neighbourhood ranked in the top 10% for deprivation are in the North of England.

Regional Comparisons

The North East has the highest proportion of neighbourhoods in the most deprived decile nationally, with 32.1% of its Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) falling into this category. The North West follows closely at 29%, and Yorkshire and the Humber at 26.5%. By contrast, the South East and South West have less than 12% of their areas in the most deprived decile. London sits in the middle, with significant deprivation in inner boroughs but offset by more affluent areas.

This means that deprivation in the North is not only more widespread but also more concentrated, affecting large sections of communities and neighbourhoods rather than isolated pockets.

Domain-Specific Challenges

Income and employment deprivation remain the most pressing issues in the North, particularly in towns such as Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Blackpool. Health deprivation is also severe, with Liverpool and Blackpool ranking among the worst nationally for health outcomes. Educational attainment continues to lag behind in places like Middlesbrough and Bradford, while crime rates are disproportionately high in urban centres such as Manchester and Middlesbrough.

These patterns show that deprivation is multi-dimensional. Poor housing conditions, low incomes, and poor health outcomes reinforce each other, creating a cycle that is difficult to break without coordinated action.

Housing and Living Environment in the North

The IMD 2025 shows that housing and living environment deprivation is a significant challenge across the North of England. These domains together account for 18.6% of the overall IMD score, with Barriers to Housing and Services weighted at 9.3% and Living Environment Deprivation also at 9.3%. More than 40% of the neighbourhoods ranked in the most deprived decile for living environment nationally are in the North, and rural areas in North Yorkshire and the North East record some of the highest scores for barriers to housing and services due to long distances to GPs, schools, and shops. Urban centres such as Liverpool, Manchester, and Bradford rank poorly for housing quality, reflecting older housing stock and higher rates of homes without central heating, while coastal towns like Blackpool and Hartlepool face severe issues linked to substandard housing and environmental hazards. These patterns underline the link between poor housing, health outcomes, and economic disadvantage, making housing quality and accessibility critical priorities for regeneration and policy intervention.

Change Over Time

Although all regions have seen slight increases in deprivation since 2004, the North remains disproportionately affected. Between 2019 and 2025, around 28–30% of neighbourhoods in the North East and North West moved into a more deprived decile, while only a small proportion improved. Across England, 51% of areas stayed in the same decile, underlining the persistence of disadvantage. London saw the largest improvement, with 30% of its areas moving to a less deprived decile, but this is not the case for the North.

In Conclusion

The IMDs show the challenge of persistent deprivation, including in many of the areas our members work in. They also highlight the importance of both housing supply and housing quality in tackling disadvantage. Government policy, including recent commitments to improve housing standards and increase supply, will hopefully begin to address these issues. However, the need for comprehensive regeneration remains urgent, as many communities continue to experience entrenched deprivation that short-term measures alone cannot resolve.

Last week’s Northern Housing Summit brought together senior housing leaders from across the North. Our Chief Executive Tracy Harrison opened proceedings and set the scene for the day – saying that the focus is now moving from ambition to delivery. She outlined how the NHC has been working with the Government to move the dial on northern housing policy and launched the Call for Evidence for our inquiry about housing-led regeneration, Renew. 

Up next was Leeds City Council Chief Executive Ed Whiting OBE who welcomed us to Leeds and shared how housing plays an important role in the Leeds Vision. He was followed by Selvin Brown MBE, from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, who updated the audience on warm homes funding, finishing with a poignant tenant video which reminded everyone that warm homes really do improve lives. 

A panel discussion about “Beyond 1.5m homes: Once in a (re)generation?” with Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s Cathy Francis, Sheffield City Council’s James Clark, our Patrick Murray, Homes England Interim Chair Pat Richie and Karbon Homes’ Paul Fiddaman was next on the agenda. This looked at balancing long-term strategy with delivering immediate results. Panellists spoke about how regeneration is an integral part of delivering the homes communities need, especially in light of the recent Social and Affordable Homes Programme prospectus which offers more flexibility around net additionality requirements. 

A busy morning was rounded off with professional practice sessions around climate resilience, the Renters Rights act, regulation and the customer journey and the Green Book. Space was at a premium in the session on the Green Book which included Home England’s Chief Economist Andy Wallis. The Government recently reviewed it’s Green Book spending guidance following the NHC and others in the sector highlighting that rules, and the way they were being applied, was disadvantaging the North. 

In the afternoon the focus was on devolution. There was talk of a ‘devolution revolution’ and ‘devo delight’, as the North leads the way with devolved government. The social housing sector is well connected to this through housing partnerships, that cover the majority of the North. 

We were pleased to welcome Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin who was interviewed by NHC Chair Charlie about ‘Housing’s role in the Great North.’ She passionately put forward the case for collaborating to improve people’s lives – with housing at the heart of this. Tracy and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) work closely with the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership to deliver new social housing and warmer homes – with this set to ramp up when WYCA’s integrated settlement begins next April. 

Devolution was also discussed earlier in the afternoon with a panel session on ‘Mission Possible: Devolution and Better Places’. We heard from NHC Vice Chair Jane Everton CBE, Yorkshire Housing’s Nick Atkin, Greater Manchester Combined Authorities Warren Heppolette and Calderdale Council’s Robin Tuddenham about the impact devolution is having on communities, and how we can go further in the future.

We also had a series of professional practice sessions on housing, health and technology, building stronger communities and the temporary accommodation crisis in the North.

Thank you to all the event sponsors for making our Summit happen, and to all our speakers and delegates for being part of the day!  

Last week the Government published its implementation roadmap for the Renters’ Rights Act, setting out a detailed timeline for one of the most significant overhauls of the private rented sector (PRS) in decades. The roadmap confirms a phased approach, with the first major changes taking effect from May 2026.

From then, Section 21 “no-fault” evictions will be abolished and all new and existing private tenancies will convert to assured periodic tenancies. The Government will also introduce stronger protections around rent, limiting increases to once per year and requiring landlords to provide at least two months’ notice. Practices such as rental bidding will be banned, and landlords will no longer be allowed to ask for more than one month’s rent in advance. New anti-discrimination rules will make it unlawful for landlords or agents to refuse tenants because they have children or receive benefits, and landlords will be required to consider requests for pets within 28 days.

The abolition of Section 21 and wider tenancy reforms will not be implemented in the social rented sector until phase 2.

Local authority enforcement

The roadmap also places a strong emphasis on enforcement. In December 2025, local authorities will receive enhanced investigatory powers, including the ability to demand documents, carry out inspections, and access relevant third-party information. Tougher rent repayment orders are also being introduced, particularly for repeat offenders. To help deliver this, councils will receive £18.2 million in 2025/26 to build enforcement capacity, alongside national training and operational support.

The second phase of implementation will come later in 2026, when the Government intends to launch a mandatory PRS Database that will require all landlords to register their properties and provide key compliance information such as safety certificates and energy performance details. Alongside this, a new PRS Landlord Ombudsman will provide an alternative route for resolving disputes without the need for court action.

Housing quality in the PRS

Further reforms focused on quality and safety will follow in a third phase, with final dates to be settled following consultation. These include applying a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time and extending Awaab’s Law – with its strict timescales for addressing serious hazards like damp and mould – to private landlords.

The justice system is preparing for the transition with investment in a new digital, end-to-end possession system and further work to ready tribunals for an expected increase in rent and tenancy challenges. The Government will evaluate the reforms after implementation, using data from the English Housing Survey and feedback from key stakeholders.

For housing professionals across the North, these reforms mark a major shift in how the PRS will operate. Local authorities especially will face increased expectations around enforcement. The NHC will continue working with members to understand the implications of the Act and support effective implementation as further guidance is released.

You can read the full roadmap for the implementation of the Renters Rights Act here and key implementation milestones for councils and social landlords are below.