England’s widening health gap

This report confirms widening inequalities in life expectancy between regions in England and within local authorities since 2010. These widening inequalities are associated with an average reduction in local authority spending power of 34%. The study looked at every local authority in England and, for each, plotted levels of health, inequalities in health, and cuts in their spending power. Local authorities fund many of the services (such as housing, education and social care) that support or ameliorate the drivers of health inequalities. The report shows that since 2010, central government spending cuts to local authorities were highest in areas with lower life expectancy and more health inequalities.