AN approach to addressing poverty, inequality and poor health adopted by public services across Gwent has been explained as avoiding focussing on just one issue.
The Marmot Principles have been adopted by all five local authorities and the area’s Aneurin Bevan University Health Board as a way of guiding how they work with communities and to address deep rooted poverty evident in many areas.
Torfaen Borough Council chief executive Stephen Vickers, who also holds the same post at neighbouring Blaenau Gwent, told councillors: “The principle of Marmot is you can’t tackle inequality alone.
“We know we’ve got a housing crisis in the borough, across Wales and the UK. It’s important to build houses, but you also need the right economy, infrastructure and environment for people to live in otherwise, what you’ve got is more roofs over the heads of more poorly people.
“The second point is Marmot really does start to take those problems, if necessary, street by street, area by area as opposed to imposing a set of national ambitions but they always fail, I think, to follow a community approach. This way I feel that happens.”
Marmot Place
Gwent, including Newport, Monmouthshire and the Caerphilly local authorities, has been designated by local leaders as a Marmot Place, with some 50 other local areas in England and Scotland also having done so.
According to the Institute of Health Equity, a Marmot Place recognises the conditions in which people are born, live and work and their age determine health inequalities, and they will take action to reduce inequalities to improve health.
Members of Torfaen Borough Council’s resources scrutiny committee questioned if members of the public would understand the Marmot term with council officers having identified it as a key part of the ‘deal’ they are proposing as a new way of the council working with communities on providing and delivering services.
Blaenavon independent member Nick Horler said: “The person in the street probably doesn’t understand the terms, like Marmot.”
Labour member for Panteg Nathan Yeowell said the council needs to discuss the proposals at a time that is relevant to people and avoid overloading them with unnecessary detail. He said: “They don’t need to know what Marmot is.”
The Marmot Principles date back to a 2010 report on health inequalities in England by Professor Michael Marmot.