Leyton and Lea Bridge have much higher rates of preventable deaths than Chingford wards. The council has said it will focus on ‘joined-up radical action’ to challenge the health gap, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council has published its official response to a report that highlighted stark health inequalities between the north and south of the borough.

The report by Professor Sir Michael Marmot at the Institute of Health Equity, published in 2022, found a “stark link between deprivation and early death” in the borough.

It noted that wards in the south of the borough such as Leyton and Lea Bridge had much higher rates of preventable deaths for under 75s than wards in the north, such as Chingford Green.

It also found that women in the borough’s most affluent wards can expect to live nearly eight years longer than in the poorest wards.

In January this year, more than a year after the report was first published, a cabinet review set out the council’s “extensive incremental improvements” to its services and planned “tactical improvements”.

Work the council is already doing include employment schemes such as Waltham Forest Jobs, cost-of-living support and social prescribers.

The council says it will now focus “joined-up radical action” on three areas: good work, better health; healthier homes; and greener and healthier places.

To “do more” for people who want to work but struggle to find a job that suits their health condition, the council says it will deliver “targeted training” to 300 residents, collaborate with the Department for Work and Pensions and provide guidance to local employers.

Waltham Forest will also work with women from South Asian communities to better understand the barriers they face in finding “good quality work that meets their needs”.

The council also says its private rental sector enforcement team will  “build on positive work” it has already done to drive up housing standards.

Further ambitions include the setting up of an  “cross-sector Food Partnership” that is aimed to help residents access “healthy, affordable and sustainable food”.

As the report describes, the council will develop a “clear action plan” and measure “performance metrics” to gauge its success, although when publication of these will begin remains unclear.

To read the full report, click here and to read the council’s response, click here

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