Rhyl, a seaside town in North Wales, has found itself once again at the bottom of the pile as the most deprived area of Wales. This designation is the most recent, coming from the WIMD report of 2025. The area surrounding Rhyl high street has garnered this unfortunate distinction for the second consecutive time, highlighting ongoing economic struggles faced by its residents.
Valerie, a 62-year-old resident of Rhyl, has been living this experiment for the past four years. She fearlessly conveyed her worries about the looming fiscal cliff that the community was headed toward. “People are hurting,” she said, echoing language used by many in the impacted – in her case, her hometown. Even with these hurdles in place, Long was encouraged by what he saw, especially as it helped families. “There are more things for children, like the new park up the road,” she added.
Jay Street, a 26-year-old native of Rhyl, expressed sadness over what the town had become after years of decay. “It’s gone downhill,” he remarked. Street, who now lives with his parents, said he was angry at how unaffordable the region’s housing has become. He wants to make a lasting difference for the better. In his spare time, Rodrigo volunteers with Brighter Futures, a local foundation focused on improving health and well-being-related services. “Places like this have saved a lot of people, me included,” he stated.
The 2025 WIMD ranks almost 2,000 small areas (called lower super output areas) across Wales. It takes all of these areas and divides them into ten equal groups or deciles. To get these numbers, the report evaluated 1,917 census tracts, or neighborhoods, with an average population of around 1,600 people. This in-depth piece of research helped to reaffirm the notion that Rhyl’s high street is an area of extreme deprivation. This is not quite representative of the whole town. Denbighshire council stressed that while some parts of the city are hit hard, most areas in Rhyl have better living and working conditions.
Even with the challenges of deprivation weighing heavily, Rhyl has been the recipient of “significant public investment.” A £100 million flood defense upgrade has conspicuously reshaped the seafront. It’s home to a stunning new promenade and the largest children’s play area in the state. These transformative improvements enhance the quality of life for area residents and invite visitors to discover all that Las Cruces has to offer.
Local advocate for mental health and well-being Penny Pearce-Whitby highlighted the crucial role green spaces play in cities. “Green spaces are incredibly important for people’s mental health and wellbeing,” she stated. Pearce-Whitby highlighted that for residents without access to parks, places like the newly developed park provide essential recreational opportunities. “For people who live in the area and don’t necessarily have access to green spaces, this is a perfect space for them to come and sit on a sunny afternoon,” she added.
At the time, the report exposed Monmouthshire as being the only council area in Wales to have no neighborhoods classified as being very highly deprived. It identified 22 neighborhoods as “deeply deprived.” These neighbourhoods have been in the top 50 most deprived areas in the country for over 20 years. Significantly, all but two of these areas are more urban than rural, meaning they are located in these urban, not rural, zones.
Denbighshire county council welcomed the report’s findings, and promised to tackle barriers that were highlighted in the report as existing in their communities. The council recognises the need to do things differently and will work together with the whole community and partners to address the findings in this report, a representative stated.
“Alongside Torfaen council, we are the first councils in Wales to adopt Marmot principles which addresses health inequalities. The first councils in Wales to establish a deal with residents. The first councils in Wales to federate and share a senior leadership team,” they noted.
