PEOPLE in York and North Yorkshire have the longest life expectancy in Yorkshire, new figures have revealed.

Public Health England has this week published local health profiles providing a snapshot of health and wellbeing in the city.

Life expectancy at birth for men in York and the East Riding of Yorkshire is 79.6 - slightly higher than the national average of 79.2 - and is longer in North Yorkshire at 80.

Women in York live to the average age of 83.2 compared to the national average of 83, women in North Yorkshire to 83.6 and to 82.9 in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

However, while the health and wellbeing of people in York and North Yorkshire is generally better than the England average, the number of women who smoke during pregnancy is higher in our area. More women smoke in pregnancy in York and North Yorkshire - 13.7 per cent - than the national average of 12.7 per cent. The figure in the East Riding is higher at 14 per cent.

Cllr Linsay Cunningham-Cross, City of York Council’s cabinet member for health and community engagement, said: “While it is good to see that York’s results are above the England average for the majority of indicators, there is no room for complacency when it comes to the health and wellbeing of our residents. I am not content with even one child living in poverty and we will continue to work with partners around the city to reduce this and other indicators further still.

“I am also particularly concerned about the number of women who continue to smoke during their pregnancy and the implications this will have for the long term health of the city’s children. I will be sharing the results with York's Health and Wellbeing Board to ensure that colleagues across the city understand the findings and do what we can to tackle these issues head on."

Deprivation in York is lower than average, however about 13.1 per cent (4,000) children live in poverty.

And while York is rated comparatively well in figures for the number of people killed in road traffic accidents, with 29.7 per 100,000 people, levels in North Yorkshire and the East Riding are notably higher than the average with 78.6 and 56.3 respectively.