Much has been made of Cornwall’s attractiveness as a place to live and visit, but it is also well known that, for many, it is an impoverished place with significantly high levels of deprivation and social exclusion. Until now, there has been only anecdotal evidence to suggest the true extent of isolated and dispersed “pockets” of deprivation within what outwardly appear to be affluent areas. This is because deprivation analysis has been focused on an area based approach rather than the location of deprived individuals.

To evidence the true location and extent of deprivation in the South West region the seven Rural Community Councils through SWAN (South West ACRE Network) commissioned an analysis of existing Government deprivation and census data. Produced by OCSI (Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion) the findings of the report identify, for the first time, the full extent of deprivation in Cornwall and then articulate it clearly in terms of its rural share.

With this evidence, traditional analysis of the Index of Multiple Deprivation, which suggested that most of Cornwall’s deprivation is concentrated in estates within the larger towns, can now be shown to be a myth.

Now is the time for policy and decision makers to take full account of these findings and ensure policies, strategies and resources are appropriately targeted to meet the needs of those deprived individuals and families which have, previously, been unacknowledged.

Access the Rural Deprivation Reports Here

An executive summary of this data is being produced. However, in order to share the data with our partners at the earliest opportunity the data is being made available while work remains ongoing with the summary.

For new users, details on accessing the reports are available by contacting us on 01872 243535 or ruraldeprivation @cornwallrcc.co.uk