People living in the wealthiest part of York live 11 years longer than those in the poorest, according to a council report warning that life expectancy trends are worsening.
Men in Westfield can expect to live to around 76 on average and women to about 80, compared to roughly 87 and 92 respectively in Copmanthorpe.
City of York Councils report said trends were heading in the wrong direction, with larger amounts of poverty, unemployment, overcrowded homes, obesity and substance misuse in more deprived areas among the causes.
Council public health director Peter Roderick said the number of years people were spending living in ill health across York had increased at a dramatic rate.
It comes as York’s Health and Wellbeing Board heard updates on work to try and reduce inequalities between the richest and poorest in the city.
Bringing the gap in life expectancy between the wealthiest and most deprived areas of York is among the goals York’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy aims to achieve by 2032.
The latest figures from 2021-3 showed York’s life expectancy was 79.8 for men and 83.6 for women, compared to the English average of 79.1 and 83.1 respectively.
Healthy life expectancy, the number of years people typically live before becoming ill with age, was 62 for men and 62.7 in York compared to England’s 61.5 and 61.9 respectively.
But the report stated the number of years people could expect to live in bad health was 2.4 more for men and 3.6 for women compared to 2011-3.
Recently released figures for life expectancy from birth for UK parliamentary constituencies covering the period 2016-20 put York Central’s at 78.89 compared ot 83.5 for York Outer.
York Central was in the bottom 20 per cent of constituencies while York Outer came 61st out of 650.
Growing gap
Data shows that the gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived people in York has grew from 9.1 years for men in 2001 to 9.7 by 2020.
The gap for women went from 6.3 years to 8 years during the same period.
Mr Roderick said efforts to try and reverse the trends included brain health cafés, welfare advice and supervised teeth brushing in schools which required relatively few extra resources.
But the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on Wednesday, May 7 heard Government plans to cut disability benefits would only make the problems worse.
Disability rights activist Flick Williams told the meeting: “It’s strikingly clear that the Government’s proposed cuts to social security are taking us in the wrong direction.
The Government unveiled plans to cut £5bn-a-year from welfare spending by 2030 including by changing the way benefits such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are assessed.
“How are council services preparing for the tsunami of need coming your way?”
Ministers have said their measures aim to stop a spiralling welfare bill and the reforms will introduce greater protections for those unable to work while supporting those who can.
Labour’s Cllr Lucy Steels Walshaw, the council’s health spokesperson, said they were committed to supporting those in need including those affected by the Government’s proposals.
She added that while efforts were being made to tackle health inequalities locally they would not bear fruit for years and in some cases decades.