Frimley’s the town to be if you want to live a longer life

LIFE expectancy in Britain is highest for residents in the Sussex town of Frimley, a Cambridge University analysis has found.

Most of the healthiest towns in the UK are in the South East, while most of the unhealthiest towns are situated in former industrial areas of northern England, a study by Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute has said.

People living in England’s most deprived towns will have 12 fewer years of good health than those living in the wealthiest towns, the research suggested.

Towns with the longest life expectancy include Frimley in Sussex and Filton, near Bristol, while populations with the shortest lives, on average, were found in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley, and Oldham.

Hertfordshire was found to contain a number of England’s healthiest and wealthiest towns, such as Radlett and Harpenden, while many of the country’s unhealthiest towns – scattered across the North – are also those with the largest populations.

Analysts used data, including selfreports of general health from the 2011 census, to make their observations. People reporting in the census that their general health was good or very good were defined as in good health by the researchers.

They also examined data from the Office for National Statistics, Public Health England and NHS Digital.

Prof Mike Kenny, report co-author and Director of the Bennett Institute, said: “People in England’s most deprived towns lose over a decade of good health compared to the populations of wealthy towns.

“There is an overriding need for policies to address the large and widening gaps in the health and opportunities of many towns. These should be integral to post-pandemic economic recovery agendas.” The coronavirus pandemic could also worsen health inequalities due to the lower employment prospects and older populations in some deprived towns, according to lead researcher Ben Goodair.

He said: “There is every chance the pandemic will make the inequalities we see in our research even worse.

“Many deprived towns have an older age profile, and are more susceptible to the worst effects of the virus, as well as low employment prospects.”