Midlands borough named as third 'poorest' place in whole of UK

Richard Guttridge
·2-min read
West Bromwich's High Street
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


People living in a Midlands borough are some of the most financially desperate in the country, according to a new study. Sandwell has long suffered with problems with deprivation and poverty and residents are some of the worst off anywhere.

It has now been named as third nationally in terms of the proportion of residents living in "financially vulnerable circumstances" - meaning they are struggling to get by from one week to the next. And the latest research by Fair4All Finance shows the situation has only got worse over the last few years following the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

Over two-thirds of adults in Sandwell (68%), which contains the towns of West Bromwich, Smethwick and Oldbury, are said to be financially vulnerable - an increase of 15% in the last two years. Having suffered with deprivation and inequality for decades, it remains by far the worst affected part of the Midlands, followed by Stoke-on-Trent (56%), Birmingham (53%) and Walsall (52%).

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Fair4All Finance said: "The research reveals the rising tide of those struggling with financial vulnerability in regions across the UK as inflation and rising living costs eat away at the spending power of those who were already struggling to get by, as well as those who have fallen into difficulty for the first time. It also highlights rising living costs, low or unstable incomes, persistent debt and a lack of ‘safety nets’ such as insurance, credit and savings are among the factors which exacerbate financial vulnerability for millions of households."

It comes as it was confirmed energy prices would be rising again in January, while millions of pensioners have had their Winter Fuel Payments removed this year amid warnings of another incredibly difficult winter for those on the breadline. Helen Torresi, chair of the board for Advance Credit Union, said: “We have seen a significant increase in the number of people turning to us for financial help in the last year with the number of new members almost doubling on the year before.

“Requests for loan applications from members has skyrocketed, while fewer non-members are joining to save with us. As higher household costs take priority over putting money aside for emergencies, we are also seeing higher numbers of members withdrawing their savings.

“The demand for top-up loans is also higher and fewer members are repaying their loan in full before applying for a new loan. Additionally, the biggest increase in debt we have seen is with utilities – a higher number of credit reports show defaults with utility companies and with higher balances in default."

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