WOMEN living in Surrey live an average of NINE years longer than their counterparts in Bolton and the rest of Greater Manchester.

The shock figures have been obtained by Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly.

And they reveal that in some inner cities, male life expectancy is lower than the retirement age.

"Health inequalities have got markedly worse over the last two decades," said the MP.

"This is a major scandal that the previous Government refused to address.

"A person's life expectancy should not depend on whether they live in Bolton or Buckinghamshire.

"Access to good healthcare facilities and a healthy living environment should be available to everyone regardless of geography or class."

Other figures also show that men of working age in a low social class are three times more likely to die than upper class males whereas 20 years ago the difference was two times greater.

Ruth Kelly says the Labour Government is already taking steps to tackle issue including planning to introduce a minimum wage, starting Welfare to work to end youth and long-term unemployment, investing in health services and preventative schemes and publishing a public health Green Paper in the Autumn. "These measures will not only begin to deal with the root causes of the problem but will also set in place the right government machinery to ensure that tackling health inequality remains a permanent goal," said Ms Kelly.

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