“One in eight children live in poverty in Devon – and one in three in parts of Barnstaple.
The startling figures are revealed as part of a new Devon County Council strategy to create “Healthy and Happy Communities” in the county.
The strategy aims to address health and wellbeing challenges that the county faces and to address the considerable inequalities in health and poverty.
It states that there have been recent increases in child poverty and more people are accessing emergency food supplies, and that one in eight children (12.5%) are in poverty.
However in the Forches area of Barnstaple, one in three children are in poverty, compared to just 1.1% of children in the Teignmouth Road area of Dawlish.
Fuel poverty rates also fluctuate dramatically, with 27.9% of people living in Mount Pleasant in Exeter facing it, compared to just 3.6% in Douglas Avenue in Exmouth.
Life expectancy in Ilfracombe Central is just 75 years, compared to 90 in Liverton. While in Sidwell Street in Exeter, 8.2 per cent of 16-64 year-olds have a long term health issue, compared to just 0.8 per cent in Widecombe-in-the-Moor.
About 800,000 people live in Devon.
A consultation on the draft Devon Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2020 to 2025, runs until 5 September.
The final version of the strategy is due to go to the Health and Wellbeing Board in October for approval.”
East Devon Watch 