It is probably the case that Newham's score on a number of the indices is affected by the relatively low local proportion of lone parent households which is related to the large numbers of Asian people in the area, and distorted by the relatively high proportion of owner occupied homes, in indices which use housing tenure as a component. The degree of poverty is based on a simple average figure for each indicator. As might be expected Newham appears in the top 15 of almost all these tables. Clearly deprivation in Newham, relative to other districts has got worse in the 1980's especially in respect of unemployment. It shows how Newham moved from 2nd in 1981 to top place in 1991 on the overall DoE deprivation rankings, and how the decline in population was less than any other inner London Borough except Tower Hamlets which gained population.
Similar trends appear in women's patterns of occupational status.
This suggests a minor gentrification of Newham, in line with the change in the employment structure of the London region, which may indicate when placed alongside growing unemployment and poverty increasing local polarisation, and segregation of the haves and the have nots. In Newham the number of under fives has increased and the number of over 70s has decreased but not much out of line with the London average. Data about Unemployed claimants from the Benefits agency for the yeaars since the 91 census shows that the number of claimants peaked at 20,624 in April 1993. As a proportion of the total no of claimants in GB the figure remained constant, although generally the deprived areas of London produced an increased share of the total in those years. It is hard however to see any clear pattern in the local data other than that homelessness is at least double both nationally and locally than just over 10 years ago.