‘Virus worsened inequalities’

ANDY STREET’S office, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), commissioned the Health of the Region report last year.

It examined disparities in various industries across the region, including healthcare and education. It found there were “entrenched” health inequalities, which had been both exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic. The findings also showed the highest rates of Covid-19 related deaths had come in more deprived areas, and neighbourhoods with a greater proportion of residents from ethnic communities.

There were 50 recommendations from the report’s authors, urging the government to produce a plan to act on race disparities and the NHS to take local action on tackling health inequalities.

Although Street acknowledged most recommendations needed to be put together by external organisations, he still had a role to ensure they were implemented. “What I can do is be the glue in the middle of it,” he said. Street backed the report for its honesty. “It tried to answer what lay behind the headline numbers,” he said, noting his political manifesto had given “clear commitments” to tackle inequalities.