The last printed copy of Regional Trends was published on 8 June. Futures editions of the this Office for National Statistics (ONS) publication will only be available online.

Key articles in the latest edition reveal marked differences in ageing, health and income levels in different parts of the United Kingdom.

Three of the articles are 'Ageing across the UK', 'Regional health inequalities in England' and 'Understanding income at small area level'.

Among the facts revealed are:

• People aged 50 and over made up at least one-quarter of the population in each region and country in the UK in 2008; the highest percentages were found in the South West (39 per cent) and Wales (37 per cent)
• Wide variations in patterns of average household income in 2007/08 – London having the widest spread and Wales the narrowest
• The highest percentage of child obesity was found in London and the lowest in the South East of England in 2008/09.

With a rapidly ageing population there is cause for celebration that people are living longer but also a realisation that there are new challenges to face regarding housing, health and welfare services. The article 'Ageing across the UK' examines the differences in the older population that exist between the UK countries and English regions and how their numbers will change in the future.

Included in the findings are:

• The region with the largest population aged 50 and over is the South East (2.9 million; 35 per cent of the total population of the region)
• London and Northern Ireland had the lowest percentages (26 per cent and 31 per cent respectively). Although Northern Ireland had the smallest number of older people (0.5 million), London had 2.0 million people aged 50 and over, making the number of older people there one of the largest among the regions
• The greatest growth in the number of people aged 65 and over was projected to occur in the East Midlands and the East: between 2006 and 2031 the East Midlands was projected to have a 90 per cent increase in men and a 69 per cent increase in women; the East was projected to have an 83 per cent increase in men and a 66 per cent increase in women.

Some areas can face the additional challenge of income deprivation and fuel poverty. The article contains statistics which underline the challenges to local and national services brought about by an increasingly ageing population.

For example, in 2008/09, the NHS commissioned 170 hip or knee replacement procedures per 10,000 people aged 65 and over living in the South West region, the highest rate among the English strategic health authorities.

The nine regions of England are highlighted in the article 'Regional health inequalities in England' in which comparisons are made in areas such as life expectancy, alcohol consumption, smoking, drug usage, child obesity and mortality rates by cause. It confirms other studies showing that the north-south divide between regions persists with the overall picture of health being better in the south than in the north, but there are some exceptions.

The article reveals that:

• The North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber have lower life expectancy and higher mortality rates from cancer, respiratory and circulatory diseases and ‘all causes’ compared with the England average (2006-2008 life expectancy at birth and 2007 mortality rates)
• Against a general trend of above average health in London, child obesity is highest in London (11 per cent in reception class in 2008/09) compared with the lowest regions East of England and South East (both 9 per cent)
• The South East had a high proportion of drug use among 16 to 24-year-olds in 2008/09, going against the trend of good health in this region

High levels of breast cancer diagnosis in the South West in 2008 oppose the all-over picture of good health in the region. Incomes are the subject of the third report, 'Understanding income at a small area level', which examines the wide variations in patterns of average household net income within regions. These show that London had the highest average income at £620 per week in 2007/08. It also had the widest spread between lowest and highest incomes: 10 per cent of households had incomes of £820 a week or more, compared with the lowest 10 per cent whose income was £460 or less. The North East had the lowest average with £400 per week, and the narrowest spread after Wales. Only 10 per cent of households in the North East had net incomes of £480 a week or more. However, once housing costs have been taken into account the difference in average weekly net incomes between London and the North East is reduced (£510 per week in London compared with £350 in the North East).

Among the conclusions of the report are:

• Since 2004/05 Wales has seen the greatest increase in average income, rising 16 per cent over the three-year period
• The lowest regional increases between 2004/05 and 2007/08 were in the North West and South West
• The gap between highest and lowest incomes closed most in the West Midlands and North East.

In addition to the three articles outlined above, a further two articles focus on what it is like to live and work in the North East and South West of England.

All of the articles published in Regional Trends 42 can assist authorities in designing the appropriate strategic policies to help reduce national and regional inequalities.

Regional Trends 42 is available at:

www.statistics.gov.uk/regionaltrends