Communities at risk: The early impact of COVID-19 on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods
This report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods and OCSI explores the early impact of COVID-19 on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods and their residents.
225 neighbourhoods across England already identified as ‘left behind’ prior to the pandemic are likely to suffer more because of the impact of COVID-19 but have received less emergency funding and support than other areas.
This research report uses the latest socio-economic data to identify the high level challenges faced by ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. It explores these challenges in terms of economic impacts and health inequalities, the presence of vulnerable groups and their greater exposure to risk, alongside the community response in ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods.
The report finds that ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods:
- Have higher proportions of people with long-term illness or disabilities
- Have higher proportions of people with high–risk health conditions including cancer (especially lung cancer), obesity, asthma, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and coronary heart diseases
- Have residents who are more likely to work in the health and social care sectors and have higher exposure to the virus
- Experienced a faster rise in unemployment between March and April 2020 than elsewhere in the country.
Local Trust acted as secretariat to the APPG for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods over the course of its activities in the 2019-2024 parliament.
