One in 20 people in Carlisle say they are living with poor health, as a think tank warns of the growth of ‘bad health blackspots’ across England and Wales.

A new analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research found areas with higher sickness rates are associated with lower productivity, high poverty and more economic inactivity.

It proposes new health and prosperity improvement (HAPI) zones, that “would serve as an innovative response to growing poverty and ill-health”.

The figures show 5.5 per cent of people in Carlisle reported bad or very bad health as of the 2021 Census.

Meanwhile, 21.9 per cent of all 67,460 adults in the workforce in the area were economically inactive during the same period.

This meant Carlisle was ranked joint 170th for health and economic activity out of 330 local authorities, along with Gravesham.

The IPPR said its analysis shows people living in the most deprived areas are nearly one and a half times more likely to experience economic inactivity and are twice as likely to be in poor health than those in the least deprived authorities.

People living in these areas are also more likely to experience worse levels of productivity, material deprivation, child poverty, unemployment, and household income.

READ MORE: Carlisle residents call for more retail options as projects move ahead

A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to increasing healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035 and narrowing the gap between local areas by 2030 including by investing up to £14.1 billion to improve health services and help people live longer, healthier lives.

“Our Major Conditions Strategy will look at the prevention and management of conditions responsible for over 60 per cent of ill health and our plans for a smokefree generation will make a significant difference with people in more deprived areas almost twice as likely to die for smoking related conditions.

“Our Back to Work Plan will also help up people to look for and stay in work that’s suited to their needs including through integrated mental health support such as NHS Talking Therapies.”