The statistics published (Gazette, November 18) on health inequalities in Islington are shocking but they are not surprising. 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 Islington Council’s 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 are implicated too. Under their watch we saw increases in inequality across the country, and a reckless approach to managing the economy which led to deep recession, the bailout of the banks and the current squeeze on public spending.
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, via e-mail.
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