Sheffield city region mayor Dan Jarvis calls for Yorkshire investment to tackle health inequalities

Dan Jarvis made the call as medical and health experts and charities warned of the widening health inequalities of the most vulnerable as they face major challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.

You can read the full investigation here. Mr Jarvis, a leading proponent of One Yorkshire devolution, told The Yorkshire Post: “The coronavirus crisis has brought to the fore, many of the structural health inequalities that we have been dealing with for generations.

“The Government wasn’t doing enough before the crisis. If levelling up is about anything, it’s about levelling up life expectancy.

“Coronavirus has been horrendous, I’ve dealt with people who have lost family members, who have had businesses gone under... but what I am determined to ensure is that some good comes out of it and that we use coronavirus as a catalyst for change.

“You cannot solve health, economic and social injustice from Westminster. We need to see a radical transformation in the way that the country is run.

“Devolution provides huge opportunities to make better decisions and to make better use of resources.”

He called for long-term investment in Yorkshire’s assets, including Sheffield Hallam University’s £14m Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), a new unit dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the population through innovations that help people move.

He said: “This is a centre of excellence and they are doing some incredibly important academic research looking at some of the challenges that we face in a public health context.”

Mr Jarvis, 47, who is also Barnsley Central’s MP, said long-term investment was also needed in the growth of the Northern Forest, increasing tree cover in an area stretching from Liverpool to Hull .

A letter signed by over 120 cross-party members of Parliament and council leaders last year Mr Jarvis said by investing £500m in the Northern Forest could benefit the economy by as much as £2.5bn.

He said: “The Northern Forest is an initiative of international significance and I’m helping to lead the way and playing my part in growing it. I’m now calling on the Prime Minister to back this project, bestowing a legacy we can all be proud of."

And while he welcomed the Government’s £250m emergency active travel fund released earlier this summer, he stressed travel must be a priority in Yorkshire as lockdown restrictions continue to ease.

He added: “I don’t think the population at large will judge politicians kindly if they fail to seize this important moment for change and that is why despite the horrendous time this has been - let’s try and draw from it the opportunity in better investing in the health and wellbeing of our population.

“That is obviously the right thing to do and obviously good for communities - and there is a wide economic benefit to having a healthier and happier population.

“Investment in people’s health will save money and will reduce the burden and pressures on an already stretched NHS over the longer term.

“Let’s make sure we use this as a catalyst for change to actually invest in the health and wellbeing of our population in the future.”

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