Commenting on ONS statistics on life expectancy by local area, Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Independent Age, the older people’s charity, said:
“These figures demonstrate a persistent, deep-seated North-South divide in older people’s life expectancy.
“For example, in Kensington & Chelsea men aged 65 can expect to live a further 21.6 years and women a further 23.8 years. But in Manchester men can expect to live for just a further 15.9 years and women 18.8 years.
“We know that poverty and poor housing are linked to lower life expectancy, as well as lifestyle factors such as obesity, drinking and smoking. So it is alarming that the government has cut £200m from this year’s public health budgets – money that councils could have used to tackle exactly these types of problems.
“A focus on public health, and particularly on prevention, must be a key factor in a joined-up approach to tackling our health as a nation.”