Nigel Farage says parts of Jaywick very depressed

Nigel Farage has said he is “sad” to see a village in his constituency named the most deprived neighbourhood in England for the fourth consecutive time.

The Reform MP for Clacton in Essex described parts of Jaywick as “very depressed”.

Seven areas in Blackpool were among the 10 most deprived neighbourhoods identified in the government data, alongside one in Hastings, East Sussex, and one in Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, Mark Stephenson, the independent leader of Tendring District Council, said Jaywick was a “truly special place” and that the authority had made progress in the village.

But Farage, who was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2024, told PA Media he was “obviously sad that things aren’t improving more quickly”.

He said he felt he had helped with investment and tourism in the area but continued: “There’s a limit to what one person can do.”

Jaywick previously topped the Index of Multiple Deprivation – published by Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government – in 2010, 2015 and 2019.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged by anti-poverty campaigners and some Labour MPs to raise taxes on gambling firms, to cover the cost of lifting the two-child benefit cap.

“I’m worried with the budget coming up that the situation might get worse,” said Farage.

“Everybody just feels very, very burdened these days.”

Jaywick received international coverage in 2018 after a bleak-looking picture of a street in the village was used in a US Republican election campaign advert.

It warned voters about the consequences of not backing Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

Jane O’Kane, a former school supervisor, has lived in Jaywick for the past two years.

The 59-year-old said everyone loved “being here” and she had no plans to move, but admitted: “I think it needs to be cleaned up and a lot of police patrolling in the area, and it needs a lot of upliftment in the properties.”

Christopher Thompson, 60, said: “It is deprived, it needs investment, there is nothing here for the kids.

“The community is amazing – amazing people down here, they all help each other out.”

In a statement on the Tendring District Council website, a spokesperson says the data highlights “the scale of the challenge” but does not “reflect the progress made since 2019 or the strength of the people who call Jaywick Sands home”.

Stephenson said: “Jaywick Sands is a truly special place, full of heart, pride and real community spirit.

“Together with local residents, we’ve made real progress and have a bold plan to go even further. But we cannot do this alone, we need government to do its part.”

He said the council wanted £100m in national flood defence funding for Jaywick Sands and a “cross-departmental taskforce to help resolve the policy barriers that hold our community back”.

“Jaywick Sands deserves a future that matches its spirit,” added Stephenson.

Speaking to the BBC, Stephenson added: “To be at the top again is very disappointing and we are working our way through trying to understand that because we have done some great things over here.”

The council is leading a 20-year project to regenerate the area, which is costed at about £126m, and includes plans for new affordable housing and improved transport links.

In September 2023, a new covered market and business centre – Sunspot – was opened at the coastal village.