Region’s health and wealth divide widens

The study reveals life expectancy has increased in England but there is a widening gap between the wealthiest and most deprived neighbourhoods, most notably in Yorkshire.

In Leeds, there was a gap of 12.4 years in life expectancy at birth in 2008-10 among men from the poorest and wealthiest areas – the 12th widest in the country out of 150 areas – nearly twice the divide of 6.3 years in North Yorkshire.

Among women in the region, the gap was widest in North East Lincolnshire at 9.5 years – the 11th worst in England – falling to 4.1 years in the East Riding.

Nationally, the report finds the gap in life expectancy rose in 104 out of 150 council areas for men and in 92 for women between 2008-10 compared with 2007-9.

In Yorkshire, it widened the furthest of any region.

The study by leading expert Sir Michael Marmot recommends action to tackle social inequalities to improve health outcomes amid estimates the divide costs the taxpayer £70bn each year in lost productivity and taxes and higher welfare payments and NHS costs.

It comes as the coalition makes tackling health inequalities a key target under plans to transfer public health from the NHS to councils in April next year.

Coun Keith Wakefield, the Labour leader of Leeds Council, said the gap between communities in the city that in some cases were only four miles apart was “embarrassing”.

The authority had made tackling inequalities one of its top priorities but this would be hampered by a decision by Ministers to reduce NHS funding for the problem which redistributed cash from the North to the South.

“Tackling this is about transport, jobs, education as well as health which all contribute to quality of life and expectations and that’s why it’s a very very tough challenge,” he said.

Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for Pudsey, said the Government’s health reforms would devolve money to local areas to address their own problems.

“But it is unacceptable in a city the size of Leeds that people are living a decade longer than others and we have got to face that head on,” he added.

“It is extraordinary to me that we have had this problem for so long so there is almost an inner and outer divide within Leeds. I want to see everybody in the city get the best health and education they can.”

Sir Michael said children in England were being failed “on a grand scale” owing to inequalities, with two in five failing to achieve basic levels of social and emotional development at the age of five.

Poor development in early childhood had a big impact on life chances and was closely linked with deprivation but he expressed “deep concern” about cuts to services for children.

He said: “I think that one of the best things we can do and one of the best trends in policy in Britain had been focused on early childhood and so my concern is that we preserve what we’ve done.”

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: “It is great that people are living longer but we know that much more must be done to narrow the gap of health inequalities.

“This is one of the driving forces behind our reform of the public health system. Health inequalities are caused by a complex web of factors and need a cross-cutting approach at every level of government. That is why we are giving councils the power and the budget to tackle public health.”

Comment: Page 12.