Why are Southerners living longer in the UK than Northerners, and will Andy Burnham address this?
New prime minister launches No 10 North and other schemes to help bridge gaps in England
Andy Burnham has taken steps to address UK north-south inequality, with a report suggesting that the gap has widened.
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The King’s Fund found life expectancy reached its highest ever levels, but there is now a difference of three years between London and the North East.
Since entering No 10 last week, the new prime minister has announced measures to level up the UK, both in terms of the economy and in a sense of care.
In announcing a No 10 North, an office in Manchester where he has pledged to operate out of at least one day per week, Mr Burnham said: “For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve.”
Here is the deprivation situation in the UK as it stands and what could be done next.
Why are Southerners living longer in the UK than Northerners?
The government has said that the life expectancy gap, which can be as much as three years, can be attributed to health inequalities and general disparity in resources.
“There is a social gradient in lifespan; people living in the most deprived areas in England have on average the lowest life expectancy and conversely, life expectancy is higher on average for those living in areas with lower deprivation,” a report read.
Higher incomes, which are more often seen in the south, can lead to better housing and access to medicine, as well as preventative measures, such as exercise equipment and healthier food options, the House of Commons has heard previously.
Smoking rates are also higher in areas of depravity, according to the ONS.
Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at the King’s Fund said: “That people in our Northern and deprived communities have seen little or no improvement in longevity over a decade.
“[This is] in contrast to the health gains in their Southern and more well-off counterparts, is a mark of shame for an affluent country.
“Addressing this inequity in the nation’s health is not just a matter of social justice, it would reduce pressures on the NHS and the high economic costs of ill-health.”
Will Andy Burnham address this?
No 10 North
A slew of senior ministers and aides close to the new Prime Minister are set to work regularly from No 10 North, an office borne from the desire to move decision making out of London.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and Louise Haigh, who is overseeing No 10 North in her role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, are reportedly planning to work from the Manchester hub.
The office will initially be based at Heron House in the city centre and later in the government's 'Digital Campus' once completed in 2032.
The former Manchester Mayor aims to base himself at the site at least one day a week and establish the hub as “the dominant driver of the UK’s economy".
A spokesperson for the PM previously said the running of No 10 North will be covered by existing Cabinet Office budgets and that there will be no additional cost to taxpayers.
Department for Health and Social Care North
In addition, Yvette Cooper is to set up a 'Department for Health and Social Care North' to be based in Leeds.
A source close to the new Health Secretary told LBC: "She has asked the Department to draw up plans that would complement the plans for Number 10 North on the other side of the Pennines.
“This will allow Ministers to work from Quarry House in the North, and strengthen DHSC operations in other parts of the country.”
Taxing southern homeowners more
The Prime Minister suggested Southern homeowners could be made to pay higher property taxes to “create fairness” in the North of England.
Council tax is currently based on property values set out in the 1990s, meaning the rates in Hartlepool, County Durham, are 13.5 times higher than those in Westminster, one of the richest, in proportion to local property values.
Asked if wealthier homeowners should be ready to pay more tax under his premiership, he said: "There are people here in Greater Manchester who pay a much higher council tax than people living in much larger homes in London.
"Rachel Reeves was right to start to reform council tax to create some fairness there in relation to people in homes that are of much greater value, who haven’t seen their council tax go up over the years because of the failure to revalue the banding.
"That’s an example of something that I think was right and fair."
Ms Reeves, the Chancellor under Sir Keir Starmer, announced a mansion tax on homes worth more than £2million.
Business rates
While not a move to strictly benefit the North, Mr Burnham has announced a 20% business rate cut for pubs, clubs and live music venues across England from April next year.