HIGH suicide rates and huge differences in life expectancy in Colchester and Tendring have prompted the NHS to offer the councils more than £1million.

Colchester Council documents revealed the two areas have the second and third highest suicide rates of all second tier and unitary authorities in England.

The council report also laid out the differences in life expectancy of up to ten years between Colchester’s richest and poorest areas, with men and women living in the borough’s most deprived wards dying eight years sooner than the area’s more affluent neighbourhoods.

Colchester’s Conservativeled cabinet voted to accept £1,029,000 in extra funding from North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Tendring Council said in a statement it is being offered £565,000, but has not yet formally decided whether to accept the money.

A Colchester Council agenda read: “Life expectancy is 8.6 years lower for men and eight years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Colchester than in the least deprived areas.

“Despite our overall middleof-the-road standing in deprivation, Colchester has the third highest suicide rate among all second tier and unitary authorities in England.

“In Tendring, our partner district in the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance, the situation is often worse, for example, Tendring includes the most deprived area in England and has England’s second highest suicide rate.

“Life expectancy is 10.6 years lower for men and 7.8 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of Tendring than in the least deprived areas.”

In Colchester, £464,000 will go towards the charity and voluntary sector.

A further £200,000 will go towards the Neighbourhood Integrated Care Service, £165,000 to the council’s Healthy Homes programme and £200,000 towards “wider work” on tackling inequalities.

In a joint statement, a spokesperson for North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “It is important we do all we can to support people to live happy and healthy lives.”