Concerns about Corby life expectancy as report shows poorest live a decade less than richest
A Corby councillor has raised concerns about large gaps in life expectancy in deprived communities.
According to North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) newly-published Public Health Report, the average life expectancy across the whole of the region in 2021-23 was 78.7 years for men and 82.2 years for women.
However, the latest figures looking at disparities in life expectancy show that the gap between North Northants’ most and least deprived areas was nine years for men, and seven and a half years for women.
Speaking at a full council meeting on Wednesday, September 3, Cllr Mark Pengelly (Labour, Lloyds and Corby Village) said: “If you stand at the top of Rockingham Hill and look towards Oakham, people in Oakham live ten years longer than people in Corby.
“If you represent the Kingswood part of the estate, you live ten years less than if you live in Oakley Vale.
“There’s something wrong that people who are working class live less on this earth than people who aren’t working class. It’s something that has to be tackled.”
A quarter of Corby residents were classified as living in the top 20 per cent most deprived areas in England. This is followed by one in five residents living in the nation’s most deprived areas in Wellingborough and one in ten in Kettering.
People living in areas of high deprivation experience greater health inequalities, including higher rates of premature mortality and poorer health outcomes. They also often face additional challenges such as higher crime rates, greater exposure to narcotics, and lower levels of educational attainment.
Speaking on the report, Director of Public Health Jane Bethea said: “We need to do everything we do in partnership with that laser focus on improving outcomes for everyone, making sure that we are closing that gap that we sometimes see in some of our communities.
“There is still much to do and we need to keep the momentum that we’ve developed over the last few years.”
However, Cllr Pengelly raised concerns that the report didn’t go far enough to tackle inequalities such as issues with damp and mould in private rented housing, as well as criticisms on stop smoking and vaping initiatives ‘just not getting anywhere’.
Corby’s contaminated land
The Corby councillor also added that a “massive concern” for the town is the contaminated land, from a mishandled waste clean up after the closure of the former steelworks.
Cllr Pengelly said: “People are asking where certain substances were dumped. The Council have to be open and transparent with people asking these questions.
“I don’t know if there is contaminated land in Corby, we don’t know, but there is enough worry and concern with groups forming all over Corby saying that their kids have got cancer and other things because of this. So let’s, as a council, tackle this.
“I remember 24 years ago getting an email from the legal officer of Corby Borough Council saying there’s a guy going around, he’s asking about birth defects, it’s not going to go anywhere. We as a council had to pay millions of pounds.
“So what we have to do is work with the public and the town and tackle why Corby people die earlier than people in other towns- it’s wrong.”
North Northamptonshire Council has been approached for comment.