Life expectancy gap in Cornwall revealed
NEW data has revealed that there is a five-year gap in life expectancy in Cornwall between some of the poorest and richest parts of the county.
According to analysis by Health Equals, a group campaigning to reduce health inequalities in the UK, the lowest life expectancy in Cornwall is in the TR14 postcode, where people live to be age 79 on average. The area includes Camborne, as well as Clowance Wood, Troon, South Tehidy, Tuckingmill, and Praze-anBeeble.
Meanwhile, in PL27, PL28, PL29, and TR3 the average life expectancy is 84 years of age. These postcodes contain more affluent Wadebridge, Padstow, Port Isaac, Feock and surrounding towns and villages.
Health Equals’ campaign, #LivesCutShort, draws attention to regional disparities in life expectancy, highlighting the millions of lives being “needlessly” cut short in the UK because of where they live.
Carrie Hume, head of Health Equals, said: “Our members are diverse but carry the same message. The size of the UK’s life expectancy gap is entirely preventable, but not enough attention is paid to how our health is shaped by our interactions with the world around us.
“We’re calling on politicians to take action, doing more to understand what shapes our health, and creating plans to improve our opportunities for good health.”
John Godfrey, director of Levelling Up, Legal & General, added: “Life expectancy has stalled for the first time in 100 years – while for some areas of the UK, life expectancy is reversing.
“The UK is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and yet people are spending more time in poor health. It’s harming society, our economy and leading to lives needlessly cut short across the UK.”
Nationally, the largest gap is 18 years between the FY1 postcode area of Blackpool, where life expectancy is 73 on average, and the London postcode area of SW7 – which is home to Harrods – and EC3B in the City of London, where people can expect on average to live to 91.
The data also shows that postcode areas in Northern and Scottish cities have far lower life expectancies than more affluent parts of the South and more rural Northern regions.