Farage’s Clacton-on-Sea constituency worst ‘tree desert’ in England, research shows

Nigel Farage’s constituency of Clacton-on-Sea is a “tree desert”, leaving people more exposed to air pollution, poorer health, lower life expectancy and the impact of rising temperatures, according to a new report.

The Essex town is rated the worst-performing for equal access to trees in England, with the highest proportion of urban residents – 98.2% – living in neighbourhoods with critically low access to trees.

The research, which covered the whole of the UK, found a significant north-south divide, with 15 of the worst-performing towns and cities for tree cover located in the north. Hartlepool’s population has particularly low access to trees, with 86.9% of residents at risk from a lack of access.

Caroline Gray, Woodland Trust tree equity programme officer, said: “More than a million people in the UK are living in these ‘tree deserts’, places of critically low tree equity where communities are missing out on the many benefits trees provide.

“That can mean hotter homes and streets, dirtier air, higher rates of asthma and heart disease, and poorer physical and mental health. These challenges affect daily life in countless ways and, combined with wider inequities, can even contribute to lower life expectancy.”

Scarcity of trees in urban areas puts people more at risk of stress, anxiety, depression and poor physical health, research suggests. Trees in urban environments reduce the risk of floods, keep the air cleaner and protect from rising temperatures.

The north-east was identified as the region with the highest number of “tree deserts”, with 13 of the worst-performing English towns. London and the south-east fare the best for access to tree density, including Woking and Tunbridge Wells, with five of the best-performing areas located in the capital, including Lambeth, Islington and Hackney.

Gray said everyone should have easy, nearby access to the environmental and health benefits of trees – known as tree equity. Wealthier areas, however, tend to have more tree abundance, while areas of social deprivation have far fewer trees.

The Woodland Trust said tree equity should be embedded into urban planning – and trees that are planted must be cared for and protected to ensure they continued to thrive and improved the quality of life of residents for years to come.

Gray added that the aim was not to criticise local authorities but to raise awareness of where people are most impacted in order to encourage greater support, investment and action. “Schools and communities in areas can apply for our free trees – we want to support local authorities and the people that live there.”