A HEALTH committee reacted with horror at the difference in the death rates of babies in some of Bradford’s richest and poorest areas.

The eye-opening statistics were read out by Jonnie Dance, a senior analyst in Bradford Council’s public health team.

He said: “There is no overwhelming genetic reason why, between 2006 and 2013, more than one in every 100 babies in Clayton and Fairweather Green died before their first birthday, whereas in Wharfedale, no babies died before their first birthday.”

He said there had been huge improvements in infant mortality rates over the past 15 years, but the figures showed the impact of poverty on people’s health.

Mr Dance said major areas of concern in Bradford were childhood obesity rates, high alcohol use, low take-up rates of breast cancer screening, a high number of injuries and falls and low rates of activity and healthy eating.

Cllr Vanda Greenwood (Lab, Windhill and Wrose), chairman of the health and social care overview and scrutiny committee, said: “All of this points back to deprivation, which is the main factor in a lot of things these days, which I find really tragic.”

She said she found the disparity in infant death rates “unbelievable, to be honest”.

The meeting heard there wasn’t just one reason for the big difference, as there were many risk factors for child deaths which were more common in poorer areas, such as mothers smoking, drinking or using drugs during pregnancy.

Councillor Mike Gibbons (Con, Ilkley), said: “I share the incredulity that there isn’t one in the Wharfedale area.

“There are far fewer factors to look at firstly, when you are looking at infant mortality as opposed to adult mortality. I don’t understand why it isn’t possible to try to come up with a better understanding.”

Dr Shirley Brierley, consultant in public health, said one major factor – smoking during pregnancy – had improved substantially.

She said: “It is now about 15 per cent of women who smoke but we recognise, for example, that is is harder to give up smoking when you are in poverty, in debt or you are worried about your house being repossessed.”

Councillor Sarfraz Nazir (Lab, Manningham) asked what extra work was being done in poorer areas to address the problems they had.

He said if they plotted the worst places for different health problems on a map, the same neighbourhoods would crop up time and time again.

He was told extra work was being done, but this differed depending on the area of health being tackled.

The committee also heard that 33,000 children in the Bradford district lived in poverty.

It will next look at the public health statistics in 12 months’ time.