The government’s new ‘levelling up’ bill has set closing gaps in life expectancy as one of its key measures, as life expectancy in some of the poorest parts of the UK is about 10 years lower than in the wealthiest parts. 

 

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove said the new bill puts in place reforms needed to create opportunity. 

 

“It enshrines our levelling up missions in law, which will shift resources and focus throughout this decade to the parts and people of the country who need it most. It enables every part of England which wants a London-style mayor to have one. It empowers local people, not the big developers, to take back control of regeneration in their community,” said Gove. 

 

By 2030, the government will have a legal duty to address “the gap in pay and productivity between the richest and poorest areas, effectively eradicating child illiteracy and innumeracy, closing gaps in healthy life expectancy, getting the rest of the country’s transport connectivity much closer to the standards of London’s, and making sure everyone has a local community they can be proud of”. Progress will be reported on annually. 

 

While life expectancy is set to be one of the “missions” of levelling up, the bill in its current form is mainly concerned with the creation of combined county authorities, including their role for the health service, as well as planning and development. 

 

Compared with similar countries, the UK has one of the lowest life expectancy improvements for both males and females, according to the Office for National Statistics. Male life expectancy at birth reduced in many regions including London, while female life expectancy saw reductions in Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire in recent years.