BOURNEMOUTH has some of the most deprived council wards in the country, according to a nationwide census.

The English Indices of Deprivation for 2004 reveal that parts of the borough are in the bottom 20 per cent for factors such as barriers to housing and services, income deprivation and geographical barriers to services.

Income deprivation is one of seven criteria used to indicate the relative poverty in more than 32,000 council awards. It is assessed according to the number of adults on income support, job seekers' allowance and working families tax credit, among others. Factors considered under "geographical barriers" include accessibility to services such as GPs, shops and convenience stores, primary schools and post offices.

Among the most deprived areas in the borough and in the country are West Howe, the Keebles estate, Townsend, Boscombe West and East Howe.

Results from the survey, which was carried out by the Social Disadvantage Research Centre at Oxford University, will allow more deprived areas to bid for extra government resources, as well as determining stamp duty exemptions.

Steve Garrett, principal planning officer for environment and community services at Bournemouth Borough Council, presented the findings to members of the Bournemouth Partnership Forum For Caring for People.

He said that barriers to housing and services was a particular problem in the borough, which was reflected in the large number of wards in the lowest 20 per cent bracket for deprivation - 91.

"House prices in Bournemouth are six times the average income," he said. "Either people can not afford to own their own houses or they live a long way from services, so they have to use their cars."

He added: "There are pockets of deprivation which are quite considerable."

West Howe was rated among the most deprived areas, which is confirmed by the low levels of car ownership and the high number of free school meals.

Peter Kegg, chief executive of Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, said: "Most people in West Howe do not possess a car, which is one of the reasons why this area does badly in the deprivation indices for geographical barriers."

First published: Sept 14