A healthier North Lincolnshire: Bold 10-year mission to help people live better for longer

North Lincolnshire has set out one of the most ambitious health missions anywhere in the country – a decade-long drive to increase healthy life expectancy.

The new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, endorsed at the meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, was described as “not just a plan but a challenge to the entire system.”

The council, NHS partners, communities, employers and residents have been urged to o come together behind a shared ambition: a North Lincolnshire where every person can live a long, healthy and fulfilling life, regardless of where they live, the job they do or the circumstances they were born into.

Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Society should be judged on how it treats its older people – and we’re working hard to enable them to live longer, to be fitter, stronger and happier.”

The strategy’s focus is unapologetically outcome-driven. It targets the factors that make the biggest difference to people’s daily lives: safer streets and greener places to be active; better support for mothers and children to break cycles of disadvantage; earlier help to prevent illness; and the creation of communities where older people can stay active, independent and connected.

Cllr Richard Hannigan, cabinet member for adults and communities, said: “There are big challenges we face but we’re choosing to meet them head on. This strategy sets clear outcomes: more healthy years of life for local people, fewer preventable illnesses, and stronger, more resilient communities.

“It is not a plan but a challenge to the entire system – we have a clear, long-term mission to enable people to be healthier, for communities to be stronger and to create more opportunities for every family. It is unapologetically ambitious because that’s what residents deserve.”

The strategy – which can be read on the website – recognises that health is created in neighbourhoods, not hospitals. It commits to shifting investment, energy and innovation toward prevention, supporting families before problems escalate, creating healthier spaces, and empowering communities to lead change.