Men and women are expected to live up to 12 years longer in rural areas of Cheshire East than in the centre of Crewe.
Latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics highlight an alarming inequality in life expectancy across Cheshire East.
Men in the Crewe Central have the lowest life expectancy at just 72.6 – while women in Crewe Central have the county’s lowest life expectancy of 76.8.
Yet, in nearby Wybunbury it’s the highest for men at 84.4.
Women in Nantwich South and Stapeley are expected to live two years longer (84.6) than those in Nantwich North and West (82.7).
Cllr Dorothy Flude is the Labour Cheshire East Council member for Crewe South, which has a life expectancy of 78.6 for men and 80.2 for women.
She believes the town still has a legacy from heavy industrial work, and believes more investment needs to be made to improve residents’ wellbeing.
Cllr Flude said: “In Crewe there was a lot of heavy industry.
“We still have the legacy of that with asbestosis and chest conditions.
“But that should be working its way out as people get older.
“We need to see that come down by more investment into health and social care, the council and the education system in our more deprived parts of Cheshire East.”
Other figures show that women in Wilmslow East are expected to live 10 years longer than those in the Wilmslow Lacey Green ward, while men in Cheshire East can expect to live longest in Wynbunbury.
Leighton near Crewe is the only ward in the two boroughs where men are expected to outlive women – with a life expectancy of 81.2 compared to 79.7.
Cheshire East leader Cllr Rachel Bailey believes that both education and the proposed Crewe HS2 hub, which received backing from the Department for Transport last month, can help to close the inequality gap in her borough.
“We have six main outcomes and one of those is improving the wellbeing of our residents,” she said.
“If we can educate people to live more healthily, if we can give information in relation to smoking cessation and control of alcohol, working with health, working with partners in education, that’s the key factor.
“And with regard to the case for a hub station in Crewe, an area that we’ve had to evidence is that social improvement. It’s about raising the aspiration of an area, and it’s a tactic that’s been applied for generations, but it’s improving that opportunity that brings improved wellbeing.”
Here are some life expectancy figures for selected wards in and around Nantwich and Crewe:
(Image, top: for display only, courtesy of Pixabay, free licence)
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