Wirral Council have joined with other authorities in the region who are determined to tackle health inequalities and improve life expectancy.
Life expectancy in Merseyside is lower than the national average. Women live for 80.4 years, whilst men live for 76.6 years.
A Wirral Council Health and Wellbeing meeting heard that genetics and lifestyle are not the only factors that affect how long people live.
Issues such as poverty, unemployment, poor housing, and unhealthy environments are all major contributors.
People living in the poorest neighbourhoods in England will on average die seven years earlier than people living in the richest areas.
Wirral Council declared organisations across the Merseyside region must come together to improve social inequalities towards the region’s health.
Councillor Janette Williamson said: “I have said on numerous occasions the levelling up agenda must include social inequalities and levelling up on these inequalities that have been with us for so long.
“We have to make an impact on residents’ lives”.
Merseyside is seeking to achieve Marmot Community status, which cities like Greater Manchester and Coventry have already attained.
The Marmot report was undertaken by Professor Sir Michael Marmot in 2010 and aims to review health inequalities in England.
Merseyside can only be awarded this status if it can prove through policy it has improved residents’ overall health and reduce inequalities.
Michael Gove visits Liverpool to discuss levelling up at the Convention of the North
