'Considerably higher levels of deprivation' in certain areas of Scarborough and Whitby
A report has been published by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty
A report shows certain areas of Scarborough and Whitby have considerably higher levels of deprivation than the rest of North Yorkshire, as well as shorter life expectancy than England’s average.
Scarborough has considerably higher levels of deprivation than the rest of North Yorkshire, according to a report set to be discussed by members of North Yorkshire County Council on September 23.
The chief medical officer’s report states that 43 per cent of the neighbourhoods in Filey, Scarborough and Whitby “fall within the most deprived national quintile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019”.
Meanwhile, across the rest of North Yorkshire, only one per cent of neighbourhoods fall within this most deprived category, according to the analysis.
The report also states that even though “coastal areas often have older, more deprived populations”, when adjusting for a range of factors including age, ethnicity and deprivation, “it was found that coastal areas had significantly higher rates of various disease outcomes”.
Presented to the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee, the paper also looks at how life expectancy varies within neighbourhoods compared to the national average.
For both men and women, it was found that when compared to neighbouring areas, coastal areas tend to have a lower life expectancy.
While the average life expectancy for men in England is 79.7 years, nine local areas had below average life expectancy and two areas – Whitby West and Ramshill and South Cliff – had an average life expectancy of less than 75 years.
Similarly, the average life expectancy for women in England is 83.2 years and five local areas had below average expectancy while two areas – Barrowcliff and Northstead and Ramshill and South Cliff – had an average life expectancy of less than 80 years.
The report notes several themes among the data, such as deprivation and health, mental health, migration and demography, and the economy and employment.
It also makes various suggestions and recommendations, including the development of a national strategy on the health and wellbeing of coastal communities, maintaining focus on the current and proposed future medical education reforms, as well as improving data and research into coastal communities.
Meanwhile, a report by the director of public health published at the beginning of September and published by NYCC presents similar statistics regarding fuel poverty in the borough.
Of the 20 North Yorkshire local areas with the highest proportion of households in fuel poverty, 13 are in Scarborough town and one in Whitby town, according to that report.
It also says that three of those areas are in Catterick Garrison in Richmondshire, while two are in Selby town, and one is in Skipton in Craven.
The latest report concludes that the upcoming local government reorganisation, which will see borough councils replaced by a new North Yorkshire Council, should be seen as “a major opportunity to address the recommendations within the annual CMO report”.
Liz Colling sits on the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee at the authority and said: "I think it's a disgrace but it's a feature of life on coastal towns. I wouldn't want anyone to listen to this and think that Scarborough borough is unique. It's a problem for all coastal towns in Great Britain. In general our coastal communities have a wage gap.
"Generally if you live on the coast you earn less than people further in-land, we have generally lower economy growth, it's harder to access key services and I'm sure we all know that by in large if you live on the coast you don't travel to York and Leeds for employment. There's also a widening life expectancy gap between that.
"I'm looking for the new North Yorkshire Council to carry on the work that's Scarborough has done and dial it up a bit. For me, we have a better homes project which will deliver housing for our residents. Is it enough and will it be quick enough? No. But we've got to start somewhere."