2,222 before life expectancy climbs back to when Gordon Brown left office

 

When the UK government published its much-vaunted   “levelling up”  white paper in February, it set a goal of adding five years to healthy life expectancy by 2035. The health and longevity trends for men between 2009-11 and 2015-17 had implied this would be achieved in 75 years, the Health Foundation said, but the inclusion of data from 2017-19 had dramatically worsened with both experts in the field of public health, and organisations such as shelter and age UK believing and reporting that it will now take 192 years to level up the disparity between the haves and the have nots. With the blame lying fairly and squarely at the feet of the Government.

During 2010 the Northumberland Labour Group reported on how the deprivation gap had closed considerably during 15 of Labour's 18 years in office and praised the final years under Labour with Gordon Brown leading the Nation as life expectancy rose to a new level and the disparity gap was closing faster than in previous years.

That progress which was also national, was used by the incoming Tory Government to raise the pension age, stop free tv licences for the over 75’s and power their austerity, social care charge increases and their flagship benefit slashing agenda.

During 2020 Northumberland Labour Group reported on the first 10 years of damage for most of Northumberland on the changes following a decade of austerity. The increase in poverty levels and the downward alterations to life expectancy were dramatic and Labour Group's leader Councillor Susan Dungworth pointed towards the 10 years of increased life expectancy for women living in Cramlington North the top 'have' ward when compared with those living in Cowpen/Kitty Brewster.

The latest deprivation reports show how at this moment in time 12.5% of the Counties population suffer from problems caused by deprivation and future forecasts expect that figure to double this year with 1 in every 4 residents slipping into the deprived category.

In Northumberland two of the Government's Cabinet members represent the County, Guy Opperman (pensions) and the Russian sponsored Anne-Marie Trevelyan (business). 

It seems the problems of deprivation in Northumberland can be directly linked to both of these Government posts yet they are still talking up the raising of the pension age further and still not helping business by opening up better road links with Scotland to improve the lot for all working people in Northumberland to make better use of the whole borderlands region and the Scottish nation as a market place and not just leaving Northumberland locked into the Tyne and Wear conurbation.