Author Archives: jf3@staff.staffs.ac.uk

New: Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2025

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Emeritus Professor Jon Fairburn, is part of the team that has just launched the new Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Jon has been involved with creating the IMD since the early 2000’s specifically creating the air quality component and for this edition reviewing potential environmental datasets for inclusion.

Jon said “There’s been a huge increase in available environmental datasets since the last edition of the IMD so users should have a good read of the reports to see what has been removed and what new inclusions have been made. We have updated the air quality data using the latest World Health Organization standards. The data is available on a range of spatial units including local authority boundaries, super output area (approx population 1,500 in England), local enterprises and more (see links below).

The Guardian, the BBC and the Financial Times have provided interactive maps so you can see the results for your area (see links below).”

The IMD is one of the most widely used datasets in England used by government departments, government agencies, local authorities, health organisations, charities and researchers.

Map showing the IMD for Newcastle under Lyme

Data

The data and accompanying guidance is freely available to download from gov​.uk

Some media coverage

Guardian Editorial – The Guardian view on deprived neighbourhoods: incomes as well as places need a boost 30/10/25

Jaywick’s continued decline and intensifying London poverty tell same story of ‘broken’ Britain 30/10/25

BBC – England’s most deprived areas named – see how your area is affected (includes interactive maps and graphics) 30/10/25

Financial Times – Interactive: explore England’s new deprivation map 30/10/25

Annotated research list on environmental inequalities

Walker, Gordon, Mitchell, Gordon, FAIRBURN, Jon and SMITH, Graham (2005) Environmental Quality & Social Deprivation Phase II: National Analysis of Flood Hazard, IPC Industries & Air Quality. Project Report. Environment Agency. This report for the Environment Agency was a landmark report for environmental justice in the UK, it provided a lot of the evidence needed to include environmental inequalities into future editions of the IMD.

Walker, G, Michell, G, FAIRBURN, Jon and SMITH, Graham (2007) Industrial pollution and social deprivation: evidence and complexity in evaluating and responding to environmental inequality. Local Environment, 10. pp. 361-377. ISSN 1469-6711 – a peer reviewed paper of the above report (quite a bit shorter than the main report).

Braubach, M. and FAIRBURN, Jon (2010) Social inequities in environmental risks associated with housing and residential location–a review of evidence. The European Journal of Public Health, 20 (1). pp. 36-42. ISSN 1101-1262 – a paper that was originally part of a briefing note for the World Health Organization as they started to look into this issue more.

FAIRBURN, Jon, Maier, Werner and Braubach, Matthias (2016) Incorporating Environmental Justice into Second Generation Indices of Multiple Deprivation: Lessons from the UK and Progress Internationally. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 13 (8). Contains a review of IMDs in the UK and Europe up until that time

FAIRBURN, Jon, Schüle, Steffen, Dreger, Stefanie, Hilz, Lisa Karla and Bolte, Gabriele (2019) Social Inequalities in Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution: A Systematic Review in the WHO European Region. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (17). ISSN 1661-7827 – a systematic review as part of WHO work showing the inequalities in air quality exposure

Other related research by Professor Fairburn can be found on this link

Environmental inequalities research was one of our case studies in REF2021

Research: Digital Stoke Reports

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by Prof Jon Fairburn

This project is interested in the presence in North Staffordshire (defined as Stoke on Trent, Newcastle under Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands) of an IT or digital sector of substantial size, high productivity, and continued growth relative to the local economy. The purpose of this research is to conduct primary research:

(i) to map the IT sector in North Staffordshire;

(ii) to analyse the IT sector origins, structure, performance, and current and potential role in the local economy; and

(iii) thereby to inform evidence-based policies to sustain and develop this emergent sector.

Very early findings of the project were reported in this blog

Report 1

Includes theoretical underpinnings of the project and analysis of a range of secondary datasets to illustrate there is a significant digital cluster in North Staffordshire

Suggested citation: Pugh G, Li Y, Gregory M and Fairburn J (2025) “Digital Stoke”: a new opportunity for a second-order post-industrial city. Report 1.

Digital Stoke report 1 – 25 July 2025Download

Report 2

Primary research including interviews with companies in the study area, a survey of companies in the area, analysis of a secondary data set and mapping of data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Due for release Sept 2025

Report 3

  • Covering history of the development of the cluster
  • Case study polices from elsewhere to support the digital sector
  • Recommendations for supporting the digital sector in North Staffordshire

This project has been supported by the following local organisations:

  • Stoke City Council,
  • Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
  • Newcastle under Lyme Council
  • Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce

Presentations of findings during various stages of the project have been given to:

Advisory Board

Funded through the ESRC in collaboration with the Productivity Institute at the University of Manchester.

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