Link forged between inequalities in wealth and health

Published: 26 November, 2010

• THE statistics published last week on health inequalities in Islington are shocking but they are not surprising (NHS shock figures back council’s Fairness Commission, November 19).  There is a large body of evidence which demonstrates that communities like Islington which have high levels of inequality in wealth tend to have larger inequalities in health, as well as poorer health overall.

While I applaud the establishment of the Fairness Commission to investigate the potential for the council and other public services to reduce inequality in the borough, we cannot avoid the fact that inequality is determined by many things outside local control.

Theresa May, of the Coalition government, has just abolished provisions which would have required councils to tackle social inequality, which is a real blow to hopes for the establishment of a more equal society. 

But Labour is implicated too. Under its watch we saw increases in inequality across the country, and a reckless approach to managing the economy which led to deep recession, the bail-out of the banks and the current squeeze on public spending.

As our rapidly increasing membership numbers show, more and more people are realising that, for those seeking a political route to a fairer, more equal and more sustainable society, the Green Party offers the only plausible answer.

FRAN BURY
Islington Green Party