ONLY weeks after a business survey declared Warrington the second most profitable town in the country, a new report lists Warrington's poorest areas among the most severely deprived in Britain.

In a national government survey, the town ranked in the top 25 per cent of local authorities nationwide for the intensity of its social deprivation.

The 1988 Index of Local Deprivation ranked Warrington 77th out of 354 local authorities. Summarising the implications of the report, Mark Smith, council policy advisor, concluded that small pockets of severe poverty existed in areas like Bewsey, Westy, Holwey and Longford.

He said that these wards suffered extremes of unemployment, benefit dependancy, poor educational achievement and overcrowded households.

Council leader John Gartside said he was concerned that some parts of the community were not sharing in the town's prosperity.

"It's true that some people are being left behind, and that's why we have an Anti Poverty Committee. The trickle down aspects of wealth creation are not coming into their areas, so it's vital that people obtain relevant skills.

"It is through education and employment as opposed to benefits that people can get themselves out of the poverty trap. With the launch of schemes like the Skills Forum, we're trying to build the capacity of people, not just buildings," he said.

The council's Anti-Poverty task force will use the report to bid for a slice of the government's Single Regeneration Budget, which allows authorities to apply for grants to improve run-down areas. Bids for Blackbrook and Grassmere have already been successful.

Social Services officer Mark Smith said: "This report proves that our most deprived areas compare with those of Manchester and Liverpool, so there is now no reason why we can't apply for funding to address problems particular to each area."

Warrington fared better when its poverty was assessed as an average across the borough, ranking in the middle third of local authorities.

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