Understanding what the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 tells us

Getting to grips early with the Indices of Deprivation 2007 is critical – GOs will want to see evidence of analysis in LAA refreshes, and communities, local members and other stakeholders will want evidence on how programmes are delivering locally.

Key questions that partners should be thinking about include:

Are we closing the gap against the country / region? Are our most deprived areas closing the gap against the LA as a whole? Do the IMD and domains show any (indirect) evidence of the impact of local programmes.
What is the likely impact on future funding streams? How have local deprivation levels changed relative to the national or regional perspective? Are we likely to gain or lose funding from regional or national pots?
How do local priorities match-up with the latest evidence? Have priority areas got better? Do the Indices highlight areas that we haven’t previously focused on?

As there is little change in the methodology from the Indices of Deprivation 2004, direct comparisons can (and should!) be made.

For further information, contact Tom Smith on Tom.Smith@ocsi.co.uk or 01273 201 345.