Census 2021: Most deprived areas in Chesterfield revealed in latest census figures

The figures come as part of a more detailed set of results from the snapshot of England and Wales captured in March last year. As part of the 2021 census, households in England and Wales were classified in terms of four different "dimensions of deprivation", which are based on certain characteristics.

The first is where any member of a household, who is not a full-time student, is either unemployed or long-term sick, and the second covers households where no person has at least five or more GCSE passes or equivalent qualifications, and no 16 to 18-year-olds at the home are full-time students. The third dimension is where any person in the household has general health that is “bad” or “very bad” or has a long-term health problem, and the fourth where the household’s accommodation is either overcrowded or is in a shared dwelling, or has no central heating.

Office for National Statistics data show 55.3% of households in Chesterfield were deprived in at least one of these "dimensions" when the most recent census was carried out.

It meant the area stood above the average across England and Wales​, of 51.7%. ​However, it represented a drop from 60.4% at the time of the last census in 2011.

A further breakdown reveals which of the area's 13 neighbourhoods were most affected by deprivation last year.

In Chesterfield, the three areas with the highest deprivation rates were: (1) Boythorpe and Birdholme – 68% of households here were deprived in at least one dimension at the time of the 2021 census, down from 73% in 2011; (2) Staveley and Norbriggs – 63.5%, ​falling from 70.1% in 2011; (3) Dunston – 62.7%, a drop from 70% in 2011.

By contrast, the neighbourhood with the lowest level of deprivation was Brookside and Walton, at 43.9% of households. The ONS said deprivation is a "complex topic", adding that more detailed information would come in future releases.

The census happens every 10 years and is designed to give a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales.

The answers to census questions help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services, including transport, education and healthcare.