Town's strategy for wellbeing

TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington will next week be asked to adopt a strategy for wellbeing for the borough for the next three years.
It will have five specific priorities including “Closing the Gap” – reducing inequalities between the most and least deprived areas of the borough – which will be an underpinning principle.
The other four priorities are
* Building safe sustainable communities
* Ensuring the best start in life and transition to adulthood
* Living and working well
* Promoting wellbeing for older people
In addition, the strategy highlights four cross cutting key issues – alcohol, an ageing population, building mental health and resilience and the need to reduce future demand on services by focussing on prevention.
The strategy has been developed and agreed by the Warrington Partnership Board and the Warrington shadow Health and Wellbeing Board as an overarching strategy for partner organisations in the borough.
There has been wide consultation with stakeholder groups, individuals and community groups.
The vision is for a place where everyone can be proud to live, work and do business.
The document to be presented to the council’s executive board by Cllr Pat Wright (pictured), executive member for health and wellbeing, will be the first in a series of three-year strategies working toward achieving the vision between now and 2030.
Warrington is a place of stark inequalities between the most and the least deprived. Life expectancy ranges from 69.7 years to 79.7 years depending on whether male or female and where in the borough you live.
The “Closing the Gap” programme was put in place in 2010, focusing on the most deprived areas – Dallam, Bewsey, the town centre, Howley, St Peters Way, Watkin Street, Westy, Longford, Greenwood, Orange Avery, Vulcan Valiant and William Sutton.
However, although the levels of inequality stand out most starkly when comparing the most deprived areas with the rest of the borough, there are inequalities in health outcomes, life expectancy and life opportunities across the whole spectrum of society.
The document states: “Wellbeing is related to an individual’s position in society at every level and the costs of inequality are borne by everyone.”