AS we began to feel the initial dramatic effects of coronavirus two years ago, there was a sense that we were all in this together - that the virus did not differentiate nor discriminate.
Yet as places with higher deprivation levels frequently recorded higher rates of infections and deaths, there are those who believe it became apparent that the virus did in fact discriminate against the poorest in society.
With much of these places located across the North of England - including St Helens - these communities were devastatingly exposed to a global health crisis like coronavirus, and they appear to have felt the effects of the virus disproportionately more than other areas of the country.
Throughout the pandemic, infection and mortality rates of coronavirus have been consistently higher in Northern England, with the Northern Health Science Alliance finding that Covid-related deaths between March 2020 and March 2021 were 17 per cent higher in the North than in the rest of the country.
Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency also shows that, accounting for population sizes, the North West has both the highest rate of coronavirus cases and deaths since the pandemic began.
In St Helens, comparative analysis aligns with this trend, with the region having the second-highest rate of total covid cases and deaths across Merseyside.
As of Friday, February 4, the town has recorded 639 deaths with Covid-19 registered on their death certificate, which at a rate of 352.9 deaths per 100,000 people is just behind Sefton at 373.7 per 100k.
In terms of infections, there have been 57,238 positive cases of coronavirus in St Helens; a rate of 31,606.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Across Merseyside, this infection rate is second only to Knowsley; an area that has the second-highest number of total cases since the pandemic began.
With such high infection and mortality rates in St Helens and the wider North, this appears to highlight the reality of the North and South divide.- which is not a gimmick or a political hot-topic, but a structural and economic imbalance that disproportionately affects communities in the North, especially in times of crisis.
To better understand this regional divide, you only need to look at the figures of Northern deprivation pre-Covid.
Out of the 20 most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK, a 2019 government report found that 19 of these are in the north of the country.
In St Helens, we have 29 neighbourhoods classed as being in the 10 per cent most deprived in the country and 42 per cent of children are living in households below the poverty line - 11 per cent higher than the national average.
Further analysis shows that men and women in St Helens have the second-lowest levels of general life expectancy across Merseyside, estimated at 77.5 and 81 respectively.
In terms of healthy life expectancy, which is defined as living without serious illness or health conditions, it is predicted that men and women in St Helens only have around 58 years of healthy life – almost 14 years below that of men in Richmond-upon-Thames.
Combined together, these statistics result in St Helens being classified as the 26th most deprived local authority on the government’s English Indices of Deprivation 2019 - shortly behind Liverpool and Knowsley.
Critics of the government argue the divide between poorer areas such as St Helens and more well off regions has been widened by the devastating austerity cuts on public spending over the past eleven years.
Analysis shows that St Helens Council’s core spending power was hit by a loss of £510 in spending per person between 2010 and 2019, which, somewhat unfairly, is £104 more than the national average.
In normal times, these statistics were a cause for concern.
But when the pandemic arrived, local political leaders believe they took a devastating toll.
They highlight the uncomfortable correlation between deprivation and high coronavirus infection and mortality rates, with your chances of survival in some part dependent on your locality.
Looking forward, it is true that the £25million Towns Deal Fund and the 20-year project with the English Cities Fund give the town something to shout about.
The plans to regenerate St Helens and Earlestown town centres are exciting and hope to secure wider investment, jobs and opportunities in the region.
The Government have also acknowledged the inequalities that exist between the North and South, promising £4.8billion to ‘level up’ towns and cities in the North.
What are authority figures saying about the situation?
David Baines, leader of St Helens Council, said: “Deprivation is without doubt a key factor in the impact of the virus, as it is with other health factors.
“This is a well-established fact and it’s why we’ve just set up a Health Inequalities Commission to work with partner organisations to address these underlying causes of poor health.
“We’ve had 11 years of funding cuts in St Helens, not just to the council but to other public services, and all this has an impact on communities and quality of life.
"We have had to make lots of very difficult decisions about managing budgets - like many other councils in the North West who have been particularly hard hit."
Acknowledging that the town already had “high levels of poverty and poor underlying health prior to the pandemic”, Cllr Baines said that the council and the wider NHS staff have provided the best possible care to residents throughout the pandemic – including the recent booster programme.
Looking to reverse the worrying deprivation trends in St Helens, he added: “We need to do everything possible to create new jobs, new training opportunities, new skills and new quality homes – not just for those most in need but for all residents who want to see St Helens thrive and do well.
“Growing the local economy and getting more investment into the local area is critical and that’s why projects like Parkside, M6 Major, Omega, and Glass Futures are so important; it’s why we’re so determined to regenerate the town centres, providing new jobs in the building phases and new opportunities for local businesses when complete.”
Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston said: “Covid-19 has been a stark reminder of the inequalities that exist in our country.
“This is why the Government needs to get serious about its so-called ‘levelling up’ agenda for St Helens and the North in general.
“When it comes to St Helens, we have a lot of ex-miners that historically have had health problems related to their lungs. Covid-19 is a virus that causes complications in the lungs, and due to our history, this has had tragic consequences.
“When the pandemic is over, the Government needs to conduct an urgent review into the areas that bore the brunt of the virus. We need to rely on our scientific and medical professionals to provide those answers [and] then we need the Government to act upon them."
After a decade of austerity cuts, Ms Rimmer stated that the pandemic could “not have come at a worse time” and has “shed a spotlight on problems that were already there".
She added: “The pandemic did not cause inequality across our country, it merely showed how bad it is.
“The Government needs to invest in areas like St Helens so that we can attract high skill, high paying jobs [and] it is through stimulating and attracting businesses that St Helens will thrive.”
Conor McGinn, MP for St Helens North, added: “Before the pandemic, our community faced huge levels of inequalities which, though complex, stemmed from the legacy of our industrial heritage, historic underinvestment from central Government in local services, and a decade of grinding Conservative austerity.
“These deep inequalities and the Government’s failure to help us address them left our health, care and wider public services severely weakened and exposed for when the virus hit."
Noting that the regeneration plans in St Helens and Earlestown will attract jobs and investment, he emphasised that ministers "must give our communities the proper tools and resources to deal head-on with these issues and boost our resilience for the future.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are committed to levelling up health and the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will support people of all ages, in all areas of the country, to live healthier lives.
“The government is helping local authorities improve public health by increasing their grant to over £3.3 billion this year, as well as making over £10 billion available to address the wider costs and impacts of COVID-19.
“We are also investing £36 billion in health and care over the next three years - including £5.4 billion for social care – to put in place comprehensive reforms that are sustainable and fit for the future.”
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