Professor Sir Michael Marmot and several other health and planning experts, including from Cambridge Public Health, have written to the Housing Secretary calling on him not to ignore health inequality in the Levelling Up Bill. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill must include specific objectives that require authorities to put health and wellbeing at the centre of their decision-processes.
Why?
Where you live has a significant impact on your health. Men in the most deprived areas of England have, on average, 18 fewer years in ‘good’ health than men living in the least deprived areas, while for women this is 20 years. The recent Coronavirus pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have reinforced previously existing inequalities and created new ones – the inequality gap keeps widening.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill must address this and provide regulations to improve the places we live - creating healthier and happier lives. Research found that 64% of planning officers cited ‘lack of robust planning guidance or regulation’ prevented them from ensuring facilities were within walking, wheeling or cycling distance. Yet, our recent ‘Coronavirus: Mental Health in the Pandemic’ UK study found that people’s key coping strategies with the stresses of the pandemic were to go outside for a walk and spending time in nature. There are clear wider benefits too:
- In 2021, walking, wheeling and cycling prevented 24,576 serious long-term health conditions in the UK.
- Current green space provision results in estimated savings for the NHS of at least £100 million a year from fewer GP visits.
- One in three people in England, mainly in economically deprived communities, do not have access to a green space within 15 minutes’ walk of home.
What do we want?
We support Simon Stevens, former CEO of the NHS, in tabling an amendment that there should be a specific objective for local authorities to reduce health inequalities and improve people’s wellbeing when making planning decisions. This would also require local authorities to include policies to meet this objective in their development plans.
Local Planning Authorities would have to:
- Plan for amenities such as shops, schools and green space to be within walking distance of where people live
- Create opportunities to increase everyday physical activity such as walking, wheeling or cycling
- Increase access to high-quality natural spaces
To tackle the vast health inequalities we face, we need to put the power in the hands of those who understand their areas best – local councils. The Government must produce a clear statutory duty that shows that they support local planners to do what’s necessary, so they can address the most pressing health and wellbeing needs in their areas.
Through our Cambridge Public Health local strategic work and our regional NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) partnerships, we aim to work towards this by understanding and addressing inequalities across our city and region and to work together for the benefit of our local people, places and the long-term interests of our communities.
Read Sir Michael Marmot's letter to the Housing Secretary [[{"fid":"1082","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":"marmot_health_inequalities_amendment_letter.pdf","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]