Deprivation is also an issue in the South

A number of southern councils have shown some of the biggest increases in deprivation over the past three years, according the the Government's own official rankings. Castle Point in Essex showed the second biggest increase of all England's councils in the 2010 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), compared with the rankings for 2007. It rose 45 places in the rankings, moving up to 204. Kettering in Northamptonshire recorded the largest rise (up 50 places from 214). The IMD is put together by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and assesses the relative deprivation within a council arfea , using a series of indicators that include local levels of income, unemployment, health, education and crime. Four other southern authorities featured in the list of top ten risers: at no. 4 was Cambridge City Council; 5. Cherwell in Oxfordshire; 7. West Berkshire Council; and 10. Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire.