Leeds best city for health and wellbeing status confirmed by independent study

Leeds ranks highest amongst the Core Cities according to recently released analysis from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.

The analysis looks beyond economic and performance indicators such as gross domestic product and use of health and care resources to look at how well infrastructure, education and a wide range of other factors impact on people’s everyday life and consequent health and wellbeing.

Using a range of indicators, Leeds consistently does well, delivering on areas which link together to underpin positive wellbeing. Among the areas where Leeds was identified as performing as one of the top cities were self-reported happiness and life satisfaction; unemployment; income deprivation affecting older people; child subjective wellbeing; healthy life expectancy; use of natural environment; life satisfaction inequality.

These have been measured using a mix of data from trusted, independent sources such as the Office for National Statistics and Public Health England.

Cllr Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“Leeds has a bold ambition underpinning our health and wellbeing strategy to be the best city for health and wellbeing. This independent research highlights that we are the strongest performing core city using these measures, leading on a wide range of indicators for health and wellbeing as they actually impact on the people living across our varied communities.”

Cllr Rebecca Charlwood, Chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, said:

“We are committed to having a community centred approach where wellbeing starts with people. We understand that health and wellbeing is about more than the services provided by the NHS and the council. Our city is full of assets which make a difference to people’s wellbeing, including a strong, embedded community and voluntary sector, a strong economy, excellent natural resources, cultural opportunities and a real ambition that we improve the health of the poorest fastest.

“However, we’re certainly not complacent and know there are many areas we need to continue improving and learning from best practice elsewhere. We can be very proud of the hard work and effort made by so many people to put us in this strong position and reflect on what we can do to make Leeds healthier for years to come. I am keen to thank everyone in the health, care, education and community system for all the work they do, collaborating to improve the lives and health the people of Leeds.”

Ingrid Abreu Scherer from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing said:

“The Centre's independent, evidence-based analysis supports local government and other organisations to make better decisions to improve wellbeing. This report – ‘Understanding local wellbeing data needs’ - draws on a wide range of different sources to come up with measures that have been agreed by experts as key drivers of wellbeing. I am glad Leeds has been able to use our report to look at how well the city is doing and intends to use it to inform further improvements.”

Tanya Matilainen, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Leeds, said:

“By working together across the city and understanding what influences long term and short term health, individuals and organisations are making real progress in making improvements in wellbeing for people in Leeds. This is a sound platform to build on as we face the challenges ahead.”

Among the wide range of measures used were happiness, feeling worthwhile, anxiety, employment and job quality, material deprivation, learning, children's wellbeing, healthy behaviour, overall health, democracy, crime and security, green space, housing and infrastructure, local environment, culture, volunteering, community cohesion and inequality, sport, dance and physical activity.

Notes for editors.

The full report is available to read at: https://www.whatworkswellbeing.org/product/understanding-local-needs-for-wellbeing-data/#

A copy of the data analysis used is available on request.

The What Works Centre for Wellbeing is an independent collaborative centre that puts high quality evidence on wellbeing into the hands of decision-makers in government, communities, businesses and other organisations. We bring pioneering thinkers together from across these sectors to share ideas and solutions. Our goal: to improve, and save, lives through better policy and practice for wellbeing. whatworks.org