Councillors hope a new three-year plan will close an “unacceptable” gap in health and life expectancy between wealthier and poorer parts of Enfield.

The council’s health and wellbeing strategy aims to ensure people living in the borough have a healthy diet, keep active, avoid smoking and have good social connections.

It is designed to cut the prevalence of conditions like cancer and heart disease, improve mental health and reduce inequality in health outcomes.

The latest figures show life expectancy for men in the most deprived parts of Enfield is 7.6 years shorter than males in the least deprived areas. For women, the gap is 4.8 years.

There is also a big gap in the number of years lived in good health between different parts of the borough.

In Edmonton Green, for example, the average number of years that a female is expected to live in poor health is 28 years – almost twice the borough-wide average of 15 years.

Enfield’s cabinet approved the strategy at a meeting on Wednesday (November 13).

Cllr Alev Cazimoglu, cabinet member for public health, told the meeting: “When you look at the statistics around this – such as the life expectancy gap between women in Edmonton Green and more affluent parts of the borough – that is really unacceptable.

“The figures that really got me is 28 years lived in bad health if you live in the poorer side of the borough compared to the 15-year average. That is something we really need to work on.”

Among the measures being taken by the council are expanding and promoting walking and cycling.

It wants to ensure people in Upper Edmonton have five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, providing residents with information on healthy eating.

The council plans to work closely with schools to ensure youngsters have a healthy, balanced meal during the school day.

It will also put up more no-smoking signs in schools and other areas and crack down on under-age and illicit tobacco sales.

To improve social connections, the council wants to raise awareness of the clubs and activities taking place in the borough.

The strategy sets several targets the council wants to meet by 2023.

These include halting the increase in overweight children, ensuring 70 per cent of adults perform 150 minutes or more of physical activity a week, and achieving a ten per cent reduction in the proportion of the population aged over 65 who feel lonely.

Cllr Cazimoglu said: “We wanted a very clear, simple, realistic strategy that would set out clear objectives and measurable outcomes, which would deliver improved health and wellbeing for Enfield residents.”

The full strategy can be viewed at: https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/s78454/LBE%20JHWBS%20FINAL%20V4.0.pdf