Standards of health are generally better in the South than in the Yorkshire and Humber region, according to a new report which reveals marked differences in aspects of life across the country.

The Office for National Statistics report exposes regional inequalities in health and income, and predicts that our ageing population will create new challenges.

The Regional Trends report is aimed at assisting authorities in designing strategic policies to help reduce inequalities.

HEALTH

Regional health inequalities are exposed in the ONS report, with studies showing that the North-South divide persists. The overall picture is of health being better in the South than the North, with some exceptions.

The findings reveal that Yorkshire has lower life expectancy and higher mortality rates from cancer, respiratory and circulatory diseases and other causes compared with the England average.

Death rates as a result of circulatory problems in 2007 numbered 193 per 100,000 in Yorkshire, against 15 per 100,000 in the South-East, and in the same year respiratory diseases accounted for 81 deaths per 100,000 people in Yorkshire compared with 64 in the South-East.

A spokesman for NHS Bradford and Airedale said: “We are aware of health inequalities that exist between the North and South, including a lower life expectancy in the North. There are also local health inequalities and marked differences between the health of different communities within Bradford and Airedale.

“Like other parts of the country we are seeing an increase in the number of older people in the district but we also have a growing young population.

“In recent years we have seen a reduction in early deaths from cancer and circulatory disease. However the deaths from heart disease and strokes in Bradford are worse than the England average, and our life expectancy is two years below the national average.

“Our public health priorities are tackling infant mortality, obesity and the harm caused by alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use and we are committed to working alongside our partners such as Bradford Council, to take a strategic approach.

“We will continue to invest in a wide range of screening programmes and long-term initiatives to help people stop smoking, increase their physical activity and manage their weight; but also to focus on improving access to these services among our disadvantaged groups.

“The number of early deaths from cancer or circulatory disease in the Bradford district are not significantly above the national average.”

Health inequalities can start early in life and persist not only into old age but subsequent generations.

Professor Paul Gately, director of Carnegie Weight Management, which holds weight loss camps in Bradford district, said adult obesity is set to grow in Yorkshire.

He said: “Obesity is one of the strongest contributing factors to Type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, stroke and a range of other health concerns. Unfortunately, the projections are that levels of adult obesity are growing faster in Yorkshire than anywhere else. The Foresight report of 2007 projects that by 2050 Yorkshire will have the highest levels and a large proportion of those people are children now.”

Prof Gately said higher London statistics are a result of the fast-paced “24-hour lifestyle”, lending little time for people to take sufficient exercise and eat healthily.

“The North has areas of deprivation where many people don’t exercise or have access to healthy foods,” he said. “As the North starts to have more of a 24-hour way of living, which it will in the future, we are going to see levels of obesity, and other diseases increase. This would also lead to a rise in mortality levels.”

He added that, according to the Foresight report, projected obesity figures for 2050 are estimated to cost the NHS £50 billion each year.

AGEING

According to the ONS report, 30 per cent of the population in Bradford and Leeds is elderly.

This is in line with the north of England and contrasts with lower levels found in London and around urbanised areas of central England.

People aged over 65 make up an increasingly larger percentage of the population and the effects of falling mortality rates are especially visible among the ‘oldest old’; those aged 85 and over.

Population ageing is projected to continue, with the number of people aged 65 and over increasing by nearly two-thirds to reach 15.8 million by 2031.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, speaking on behalf of the Bradford branch, said: “The fact that there are growing numbers of people in later life is a cause for real celebration. However, the growth of an older population will mean significant challenges for policy makers in terms of funding and investing in the sort of services which an ageing society will rely on.

“We recognise the urgency of cutting the budget deficit and the likelihood of spending cuts across public services, however the axe must not fall on entitlements and services that people in later life rely on most. There is no excuse for not planning ahead to ensure that health, care, pensions and other services are able to meet the needs of an ageing population. It is also essential that medical research continues to receive funding or we will pay the price in generations to come.”

Daniel Park, information and research officer at Bradford Link, at Keighley and Ilkley Voluntary and Community Action, said: “Bradford Link agrees with what they (Regional Trends) say about the number of older people growing in the next few years. For Bradford this will mean that much more help will need to be given to older people to make sure they are healthy and able to stay independent.

“Mental health conditions like dementia that mostly affect older people will grow, and the local health trusts know they will need to put more money into this. Local health trusts need to spread the word about people taking care of themselves better and visiting their GP.”

INCOME

The ONS survey examines wide variations in patterns of average household net income across regions, pointing out the lower average weekly income in Yorkshire cities in 2007/08 compared to London.

Seventeen years ago 24,600 people were registered as unemployed in Bradford district. Between 1989 and 1991 the district had lost 11,000 jobs. About 84,200 people were in receipt of some form of means-tested benefit.

The latest Bradford figures show that in April this year 15,659 people were claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance, a fall on the previous month of 343, though the 5.1 per cent rate of claim is slightly higher than the rest of Yorkshire and Humber.

But against that the Economic Partnership report states: “The district is forecast to have the fastest rate of economic growth in West Yorkshire over the next ten years with a projected increase of new jobs of 50,000.”

In 1993 Bradford was, and still is, a low wage economy. The average weekly wage last year was £409.90 compared to £452.40 regionally and £488.70 nationally. But that’s not the lowest in the North.

Bradford Councillor Dave Green, who has the regeneration portfolio at City Hall, said: “Bradford has always punched above its weight in manufacturing, even when it was being decimated in the early 1980s and early 1990s. It remains above the national average.

“There has been a recent spike in unemployment, but that was due to the credit crunch. Some initiatives such as the Future Jobs Fund that was helping to get people back into work have been pulled by the Government.

“Often the pessimism around Bradford’s economy is one of the things that holds us back. But I do think there is a bedrock which with imagination and hard work we can build on over the next 12 to 18 months.”

An updated report by Bradford Economic Partnership, a public-private sector body including Bradford Council, shows that nine companies employ more than 1,000 people.

The city also has leading research departments at the ever-expanding Bradford University, including the new £1.2m Centre for Skin Sciences.