London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 17, 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
Asthma Charity Warns of Major Gaps in Childhood Diagnostic Testing Across England
TUC Chief Paul Nowak Appointed to Bank of England Court
Bristol Opens £35 Million Deep-Tech Innovation Hub at Temple Quarter
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Asylum Housing Plan
Andy Burnham Deepens UK Defense and AI Cooperation With NATO and Canada
UK Government Announces Neonatal Safety Reforms After Thirlwall Inquiry
Bank of England Weighs Rate Decision as UK Inflation Rises to 3.1%
UK Health Unions Warn of Staffing Pressures as Public and Private Pay Growth Diverges
Rockstar Games Faces Tribunal Claims From 23 Former Grand Theft Auto VI Developers
UK Treasury Faces Tighter Budget Constraints as Borrowing Costs and Pension Spending Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Plan for Greater Public Oversight of Utilities
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Coordinate Push for UK Constitutional Change
Police Tighten Public-Order Measures After Anti-Immigration Protests in Dover and Portsmouth
UK Ministers Pressed for Answers After US Diplomat Accused of Child Abuse Images Leaves Britain
Jaguar Land Rover Pursues NATO Defense Contracts for Defender Vehicles
British Service Member Dies in Road Accident While Deployed in Ukraine
George Osborne Calls for Britain to Rejoin EU Customs Union
Anthropic Chief Dario Amodei Urges Faster UK Action on Advanced AI Risks
UK State Pension Set for 3.9% Rise Under Triple Lock
UK Labour Market Cools as Payrolled Employment Continues to Decline
Reform UK’s £72 Million in Donations Faces Scrutiny Under Proposed Retrospective Funding Rules
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
×