6.19 Many of the challenges facing Blackpool are linked to the high levels of deprivation found in the town. Deprivation levels in the borough have worsened in recent years. In 2004 Blackpool was ranked 24th most deprived local authority area out of 354 across England. By 2007 this position had worsened to the 12th most deprived area. Closer analysis of the data
shows that Blackpool was ranked the 3rd worst district in terms of the concentrations of deprivation14. This clearly indicates that deprivation is a highly localised problem within the Borough, affecting a few severely deprived areas.