Walsall, once the centre of the UK’s leather trade, has been ranked the most deprived place in the UK in the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025.

Residents say the town, which used to boast major retailers and independent stores, had steadily declined over the last 20 years due to many factors including rising unemployment and lack of investment.

One local resident Daniel Briars, 40, said: “I know a lad who runs a market stall and some days he takes home less than £100. I’ve spoken to homeless people who earn more than that by begging outside Spoons.

“This town used to be buzzing. Every shop unit was taken in the 90s and people used to come for the nightlife here over Birmingham believe it or not. Day or night it was thriving, and now look around – its vape shops, charity shops or empty shops.” 

One resident who lives on the Blakenall estate – previously dubbed Britain’s roughest – said Walsall deserved the moniker as the worst place in the country.

He said: “It does serve the rating, it’s horrible. I’ve been here 40 years, it used to be okay but now it’s gone so much downhill. It’s rubbish and drugs which are the issue. The council and police aren’t interested in us. The fire engines are here a couple of times a week as the kids keep setting stuff alight. It’s scandalous, no wonder no one wants to live here. This is worse than Shameless, it’s honestly terrible here.”

Walsall was also named the second least healthy high street and third worst job market in the country, according to the study. The Good Cities Index is based on a city’s economy and says the town struggled more than anywhere else for growth in the past year. The list is based on 12 different categories including job availability, skill level of the working population and housing affordability. 

One market trader, who only gave his name as David, said: “I was born in Walsall and it’s gone downhill. When I was a kid it was very good, it was fantastic. It’s all gone now, all the industry. If you go to any of the suburbs you get run down areas that the council doesn’t care about. Caldmore is terrible, it’s always bad.”

Walsall resident Alan Sharrat, 79, grandad-of-two, a retired retail worker, said: “It used to be a fantastic thriving town, but now there’s more empty shops than being used. It’s a shame. When I was at school in the 50s it was a thriving area. There was a market in the town centre and you could buy anything you wanted to. I had relatives from Wales who would come and spend hundreds of pounds, it was that good. 

“It started getting worse 25 years ago. I think unemployment is the main driving force. I don’t know what the town centre is like of a night time, I wouldn’t dream of going into it with all the risks. The whole area needs a lot of money spending on it. The shopping centre was stunning when it first opened 40 years ago. If there are any jobs around here, they aren’t paying them enough to get out of bed. There’s no incentive for them here.”

High street shopper Sam said she was moving to Poland to escape the area after claiming she felt unsafe on the streets. 

She said: “I live and was born in Walsall and 20 or 30 years ago it was much different, the area was thriving. 

“Since the mass immigration came in it’s been going down. I’m an Asian woman, and I’m not racist, but a lot of people have come here and aren’t working. 

“I only come into town for what I need, I don’t feel safe living here. As a kid I used to walk into town alone. But now my husband doesn’t want me heading out alone. Then there’s all the stabbings – 30 years ago you hadn’t heard of a stabbing. Now it happens all the time. I tend to do all my shopping online, run to collect it and then run home. My husband checks in on me, it’s that bad.”

Vanessa Terry, 64, has lived in Blakenall for over 40 years and says she has seen the area go “from good to bad.”

She said: “Our estate was ranked the worst one in England, which says something. We’ve got good neighbours and we all try to help each other. When I moved here it was all OAPs, it was lovely and quiet. You can live somewhat of a good life. But my family wouldn’t live around here.”

Community workers Andrew and Jayne, both 38, said a lack of amenities and violence in the area made the result unsurprising. 

Andrew said: “You’re more likely to get caught up in knife crime here than 90 per cent of the UK. There’s not as many amenities as other areas and has one of the highest council tax rises. The ranking does not surprise me.”

Jayne said: “I go into schools and teach first aid. What I found really grim is that we had Year 6’s having anti-stabbing ambassadors to tackle knife crime. These are kids who are nine or 10-years-old. There’s some areas where you just don’t go.”

Jameel, 48, owner of Suits U men’s clothing shop, says he’s worried about growing numbers of shoplifters affecting his business.

Jameel said: “It’s poverty in the area that’s the problem. People drink and don’t work. I’m scared in this stall as when we close up at night time, gangs hang around the front of the shop. They try to rob and steal the things.”

But Mary Davis, 83, who moved to the area from Ireland as a teenager, says she is proud to live in Walsall.

She said: “I’ve never been mugged or had my purse stolen or anything. My daughter was in a Galway in a posh store in Ireland and had her bag stolen, so it’s hard to judge. I can only speak for myself and we like it. There are shops closing down, the ones I used to like going into back in my day. But there’s still shops I love going into.”

‘It’s time to change the conversation about Walsall’

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, said it was “time to change the conversation about Walsall” and pointed towards several redevelopment currently going on. 

He said: “Too often, we hear people talking our borough down, but Walsall is on the rise. The challenges we face are not unique but what sets us apart is the determination and ambition that’s driving our transformation and creating positive change.

“We continue to work to raise Walsall’s profile regionally and nationally to secure much-needed investment. Working with our partners across health, enforcement, education and skills we have laid out our We Are Walsall 2040 plan to help tackle these inequalities across the borough. 

“Transformative projects are already underway delivering much-needed infrastructure and opportunities. These aren’t just plans; they’re happening now and Walsall’s future is bright.”