North-South Life-Expectancy Gap Widens, Study Finds
The gap in life expectancy between the north and south of England has widened, according to research reported on Sunday, underscoring the entrenched regional inequalities Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle. People in the poorest northern areas can expect to live several years fewer than those in the affluent south, with the divide having grown over the past decade.
The findings add weight to the new Prime Minister’s “rewiring Britain” pitch and his moves to shift power and resources northward, including his “Number 10 North” in Manchester. Researchers point to differences in income, housing, work and health services as drivers of the widening gap, which the pandemic and the cost-of-living squeeze are thought to have deepened. Ministers face questions over whether devolution and local growth funds can reverse a trend decades in the making. Watch whether the government’s regional agenda translates into measurable change on the ground.