Poorest ‘will die a decade’ before rich
LATEST FIGURES SHOW SHOCKING GAP IN LIFE EXPECTANCY AMONG BOYS
THE poorest boys born in Kirklees will die nearly a decade before the richest – and the gap is getting wider.
On average a boy born in the district between 2015 and 2017 will live to be 78-and-a-half years old.
But boys born into the most deprived 10% of families can expect to die nine years and two months before those born into the least deprived 10%.
That gap has risen from eight years and seven months for boys born between 2013 and 2015. The shocking statistics mean boys attending the same school from neighbouring areas potentially have vastly different life expectancies.
The data, newly published by Public Health England, shows that there is also a significant gap between the richest and poorest girls in Kirklees. However this is smaller than the one seen for boys.
The richest girls born between 2015 and 2017 can expect to live six years and four months longer than the poorest. This was a slight fall from the difference of six years and 11 months for those born between 2013 and 2015.
In Kirklees some of the wealthiest postcodes are located beside some of the poorest.
Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, whose constituency includes the wealthiest area in the borough – Kirkburton – and some of the most deprived in Dewsbury and Ravensthorpe, said: “These startling statistics are a stark reminder of the growing inequality between the richest and poorest in this country and are another incredibly worrying outcome of this government’s failed austerity policies.
“Recent years have seen the decimation of many local services that were there to support low income families.
“With household incomes being driven down and a rise in insecure work, I am worried that the gap will widen even further if nothing is done to tackle the root cause.
“Life chances and expectancy should not depend on where you were born and I will continue to use my time in Parliament to push for a fairer and more equal society.”
Dr Max Davie, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Officer for Health Promotion, said: “Sadly, child poverty lies at the root of many risk factors for children and young people’s health, as well as mortality.
“We know that children born in the most deprived areas of the UK are more likely to have negative health outcomes than their more affluent peers.
“This is unacceptable, and with child poverty predicted to increase over the next decade it is clear that urgent action is needed to protect the health of all our children.”