London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Mar 06, 2026

Cost of living: The hidden poverty in England's least deprived area

Cost of living: The hidden poverty in England's least deprived area

Christmas is looking "cold and very, very bleak", says Anne-Marie, a domestic abuse survivor who volunteers at her village's toy library.

She is one of a number of people who use the food bank in Prestwood, Buckinghamshire, part of which is officially England's least deprived area.

The prime minister's country residence - Chequers - sits less than three miles (5km) away.

Anne-Marie, whose energy bills have tripled, has occasionally seen the prime minister driving through the village.

"You've got the two cars and you've got the prime minister," she says. "You've got the motorbikes that go out first. That's great when you see them living the life that you don't have."

The government's Indices of Multiple Deprivation uses seven categories to assess deprivation levels across the country including income, employment and people's health.

While Jaywick in Essex and Blackpool are the country's most deprived areas, the northern part of Prestwood sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.

But it does not feel that way to some who live in Prestwood.


'We're very much hidden'
Sam and Anne-Marie are both regular users of the Prestwood foodbank


Like Anne-Marie, Sam also uses the village food bank, volunteers at the toy library and is struggling to make ends meet on benefits.

Sam says she has had to borrow money to cover the cost of looking after her two children.

"Drive around Prestwood and walk around you can see beautiful houses, some very lovely areas," she says.

"But there are places like where I live that is very deprived and I do feel that there is a major gap.

"I'm borrowing money, unfortunately, which is going to put me into debt.

"I can only speak about what I see, and where I live I feel like we're very much hidden."

She says her financial worries are affecting her mental health.

"It's been a very hard time, especially with Christmas coming up. You don't want to let your children down.

"And keeping the heating on in this cold weather - so, electric, gas, all of that - the cost is a lot higher than it was.

"It's a very big struggle."


'Heartbreaking'
Local head teacher Amanda Cook says many residents are not aware of the deprivation in their midst


The difficulties experienced by Anne-Marie and Sam seem all too familiar to Amanda Cook, the executive head teacher of the Prestwood Village Schools Federation.

Just over one in 10 of her 400 pupils are on free school meals, while 61 qualify for the Pupil Premium, which gives schools extra money to support the most disadvantaged children. And those numbers are rising, Ms Cook warns.

She says less well-off parents of pupils with special educational needs often struggle to obtain a diagnosis for their child and find "navigating the system" to access the right support difficult.

The wealth in the area entrenches inequality in accessing services, she says.

"If a family have the knowledge and the money," she says, "they can go and access a private paediatrician or obtain a private diagnosis and push it through."

The Prestwood food bank was set up after Ms Cook started meal packs for pupils in 2016. She describes the situation as "heartbreaking".

She recalls a councillor coming in for a meeting one day and spotting the meal pack bags in the school office.

"He wanted to know what it was about," she says. "He didn't realise there was that need in this area."

Ms Cook has written to the last five prime ministers asking them to pop into the school on their way through the village "to have a look what is going on in the real world".

Each time she has been told there was not enough time for such a visit to take place. The BBC approached No 10 for comment.


'Things can derail you'
Local head teacher Amanda Cook says many residents are not aware of the deprivation in their midst


Reverend Deiniol Heywood, the Rector of Prestwood and Great Hampden, has what he calls his "two pothole" theory of how even relatively well-off residents can face financial difficulties.

Housing in the village, he says, is expensive and many people will stretch themselves when buying a home.

It means their household budgets are often very tight.

"When you're living in a way where income and outgoings match very closely, things can derail you very easily," he says.

"It's a perennial thing on Facebook and things like that - people get very irate about potholes. You think well, 'Why did people get so concerned about potholes?'

"But the thing is, if you pop a tyre at the start of the month, probably all your excess cash for that month is going to go on fixing that tyre.

"But if it happens again in the same month, suddenly you lack the funds to sort that out and that pushes you into debt and immediately you've crossed that threshold."

Most of Prestwood falls within the top 10% of least deprived communities in England


'Data can mask the real experiences'
Councillor Peter Martin says the deprivation data can mask big disparities even in small areas


Peter Martin represents the Great Missenden ward, which includes Prestwood, on Buckinghamshire Council.

Asked about Prestwood's "least deprived" status, he says: "Statistics like this are not always helpful as they can never tell the whole story of a particular area."

"While we don't dispute the findings of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation around this very localised area, the reality for many Prestwood residents is very different.

"It's an area with some affluent households and is also home to many people and families facing significant struggle and hardship.

"This is why resources such as the local food bank are still vitally needed in places like this. In some ways the headline data can mask the real experiences of individual households and we have to make the case even more strongly as to why they still need resource and support."


'Two worlds colliding'
Fran McLean is the families worker based at Holy Trinity church in Prestwood


Fran McLean works with some of the village's most deprived families as a support worker attached to the local church.

She says the hardship is focused in a particular area of the village which many local people are unaware of.

"The congregation here at Holy Trinity, their eyes were opened - they didn't think I needed to be doing that work because they didn't realise that the deprivation was there.

"My children go to a local school and they were invited to a birthday party in a very big garden," she says. "I know that two children were there from (this area) - two worlds colliding - and how lovely that the friends could play together.

"But you have got such different families all at that one primary school.

"You've got a lot of wealth and then you've got a lot of need."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
British Base in Cyprus Targeted as Drones Intercepted Amid Expanding Iran Conflict
Starmer Diverges from Trump on Iran Strategy, Rejects ‘Regime Change from the Skies’
U.S. and Israel Intensify Strikes on Iran as Conflict Expands to Lebanon and Gulf States
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
×