Tale Of Two Cities

Story: Douglas Johnson

Burngreave residents can expect to live 15 years less than those living on the other side of Sheffield.

The shocking figure shows that men in Burngreave only live to 74 and women to 77, whilst those in Lodge Moor, Fulwood and Millhouses survive until 89.

The ‘Tale of Two Cities’ report, from the University of Sheffield, shows differences in education, health , housing, transport, unemployment, poverty and public spending across our city.

David Blunkett MP, who commissioned the report, points out that Sheffield because the very affluent west of the city brings the average wealth up. He argues that poor areas need more resources:

“In simple terms, to narrow the gap between rich and poor – between inequalities in education and health, asset wealth and personal income – the family, the neighbourhood and community together have to be targeted.”

The report shows how Burngreave falls behind the rest of Sheffield, from birth to death. Babies in Abbeyfield are 5 times as likely to be of critical low birth weight, compared to Ranmoor. Children under 5 are far more likely to have damaged teeth in Abbeyfield and Woodside than in the west of the city.

Only 75% of young people from Burngreave get their first choice of secondary school. This is similar to Nether Edge and Gleadless Valley but far behind the rest of the city.

In Dore and Totley, a typical 18-21 year old is more likely to be at an elite University, compared to national trends; in Woodside or Firshill, they are more likely to be unemployed.

Mortality rates are a third above the national average and twice as high as Hallam constituency.

The sources are not always current and some people may see this report as an openly political attempt to use objective data to support Labour’s “closing the gap” policy, abandoned when Labour lost control of the City Council. But above the party politics, it is a stark reminder of why politicians need to address real and entrenched poverty that affects all of us.

The full report can be read at http://sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/research/sheffield/ or at the Local Studies Library.

If you have problems downloading the file – smaller versions are available here.