There are many factors which determine our health, not least our age, sex and what we inherit from our parents. These factors are, if you like, what we are born with and therefore cannot be changed, or changed very easily.

The way we choose to live our lives also affects our health. If we smoke or drink too heavily we significantly increase the risk of ill health at some point in our lives.

Having a supportive family or supportive community can make a lot of difference to our health and well-being. If we live alone without family or friends there is a greater chance that we will struggle with our health.

Where we live, where we work, where we play and where we learn all play their part. If we are to enjoy good health we need good housing, a pleasant and safe environment, employment opportunities, a good education or training, public transport and access to leisure opportunities and cultural activities

The Council is therefore in a key position to influence our health in terms of the various services it provides, from refuse collection to planning to social care to economic development and so on.

One of the most important ways in which the Council measures health is by life expectancy. Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a child born today would be expected to survive

Despite overall life expectancy rising in England, in Blackpool the picture is different.

Blackpool has the second-worst life expectancy for males in England and Wales although there has been some slight improvement over the past ten years. There has been little change for females over the same period. Life expectancy for males is currently 73.2 years and females 78.8 years compared with the England and Wales averages of 76.8 and 81.1 respectively.

There are also some significant inequalities within Blackpool itself with people residing in some areas living substantially longer than those in others.

As a result the Council has made health improvement a key priority in its strategic planning. As part of that work it has produced the Blackpool Health and Well-being Improvement Plan which makes sure that its policies are ‘health-proofed.’ This means that policies and strategies are carefully considered to make sure that any health benefits are increased and any negatives are reduced.

A Health and Well-being Improvement Group consisting of representatives from across the council carries out this work assisted by the Senior Policy Officer for Health.

The council is also working with partners across Blackpool through the Health Partnership of the Blackpool Local Strategic Partnership.  Health improvement is a key theme in the Local Strategic Partnership's Sustainable Community Strategy.