Life expectancy gap between rich and poor only growing

Labour

And Labour is doing little to improve working class life

People in the most deprived parts of England and Wales spend less than 50 years in good health. In the richest areas, it’s nearly 70.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) lay bare the class divide at the heart of Britain. And they show that in almost two years in office, Labour has done little to improve working class life.

For men in deprived areas, healthy life expectancy has fallen below 50 years for the first time since records began in 2013. 

The ONS reports that men in the poorest parts of England are expected to live 68 percent of their lives in good health, with the proportion dropping to 62 percent for women.

But in the richest areas, men can expect to live 83 percent of their lives in good health, while for women the figure is 79 percent.

The statistics for Wales follow a similar pattern.

Other ONS figures show that those in the poorest areas can also expect their lives to be much shorter than those in the richest ones—on average, as much as ten years shorter.

Life expectancy at birth–meaning life expectancy without any other factors considered–in the most deprived areas of England was 73.2 years for men and 78.3 for women. This is compared to 83.6 and 86.4 respectively in the richest areas.

Diana, an NHS occupational therapist in east London, told Socialist Worker that the new figures were “shocking,” but that they reflect conditions she witnesses every day in her job.

“I see people in their own homes, often people with long-term conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis or respiratory illnesses,” she said.

“The extent of poor housing is really dreadful and is a massive reason why people’s quality of life is deteriorating. You see damp and mould everywhere, but especially in social housing flats. 

“And there’s often poor heating and ventilation to make matters worse.

“That’s really going to exacerbate lots of health problems—and lead to new ones, like asthma and fungal infections.

“I see people who can just about manage the stairs where they live, meaning they won’t get rehoused, but the strain involved often puts them off going out. The limited amount of exercise you can do, especially in a cramped and overcrowded flat, hits poorer people most.”

It’s not just worsening housing conditions that are making people sick, says Diana.

“A lot of people in work are struggling because retirement age has gone up, especially for women,” she said.

“As a union rep, I’ve noticed this with my colleagues at work, where many people do very physical jobs.

“A lot of those people can’t afford to go part-time. And in addition to their jobs, many older people are also looking after their grandkids because the cost of childcare is sky high.

“Sometimes they are looking after elderly family too, because the social care system has fallen apart.”

Labour could have done so much more since it was elected, says Diana.

“I hoped it would make a difference in areas like housing,” she says. “They could have built more social housing of a decent standard. That would have meant fewer people would be stuck in inaccessible, overcrowded and dangerous homes.

“And I think they could have done more to help people reduce their hours as they get older. Everyone’s working hours should be able to come down, because we can’t expect a 65 year old to do the same amount of work as someone who’s 55 or 45 years old.”

Instead, Keir Starmer’s government has made many people’s lives worse. That’s something even mainstream thinkers are starting to pick up on.

Tony Travers, from the London School of Economics, said the huge disparity in quality and length of life correlates “very closely with people feeling disaffected with politics.”

“These figures are very important to British politics because they explain a lot about how people, in some places, feel that the public sector doesn’t work for them.

“That has political consequences.”