Two Teessides?—A Legacy of Inequalities

Teesside is a place of contrasts; it is profoundly unequal. In Stockton-on-Tees male life expectancy at birth varies by 17 and a half years and female life expectancy by 11 and half years between the most deprived and least deprived parts of the town, the largest health gap in England. This pattern is similar across the wider Teesside region. The poorest places are as deprived as any within England, the richest as affluent as any within England. This chapter examines the economic and social inequalities on Teesside, asks how the industrial past contributed to them, and examines whether current national social policies and local initiatives are likely to have an impact upon them.