Nearly a quarter of households in Maldon are classed as among the most privileged in society, new census figures suggest.

The social grade is an overall score of households with a 'reference person' aged between 16 and 64 derived from 2021 census data.

It calculates a grade based on household income, economic activity, qualifications, the type and tenure of the household, and other socio-economic factors.

There are four social grade classifications, AB, C1, C2 and DE, with AB – higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional occupations – the highest, and DE – semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations and the unemployed – the lowest.

The latest Office for National Statistics data shows 10,915 of 48,450 applicable households - 22.5 per cent - in Maldon were ranked in the highest band – where the household reference person was in a higher or intermediate occupation.

This was slightly below the average across England and Wales of 23.3 per cent.