Sir Michael’s latest findings on health inequality reveal that just 59 per cent of children achieved a good level of development by the age of five in 2011.
Although this is up three per cent on the previous year’s figures, he warned that health inequality could worsen due to cuts to services such as children’s centres and a focus on indirect taxation, such as last year’s VAT hike.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: "Sir Michael has shown why it is crucial that children and families must be an avowed priority, both nationally and locally, in this time of austerity: nationally, as government makes its welfare reforms and decisions over child benefit; locally, as councils make their budget decisions – especially on crucial services like children centres."
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