Funding for Denbighshire to develop and implement health equity across the county

Denbighshire is one of three local authority areas to receive funding to become a trailblazer for the ‘Marmot Nation’ ambition, announced at a Health Equity Summit in Cardiff (Tuesday 24 February).

A national package of support will be provided to Denbighshire, Merthyr Tydfil, and Neath Port Talbot councils for two years from April. The funding will develop and implement health equity systems in the three areas and spread good practice more widely across Wales.

In June 2025, Wales became the world's first 'Marmot Nation', adopting Sir Michael Marmot's eight principles to tackle health inequalities. These evidence-based principles focus on improving the social factors that influence people’s health.

Jeremy Miles, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said, “In Wales, deep-seated health inequalities have led to worse outcomes in terms of the quality of life, long term health conditions, and life expectancy simply because of where someone is born and where they grow up.

“This national approach shows we are committed to tacking inequality and closing the gap so people in neighbouring communities can grow up with the same life chances and the same life expectancies.”

Wales is already well-positioned for this work through the Well-being of Future Generations Act, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care at Denbighshire County Council, said, “We’re delighted that Denbighshire has been approved as a Marmot Nation trailblazer. With several contributing factors to good health, such as education, employment, and housing, we recognise that children born into the most deprived areas are most likely to face health inequalities.

“We’re determined to take action to address health inequalities throughout the county to ensure that good health is not simply determined on where you happen to live.

“We’re proud of the work already under way which already embed many of the Marmot principles. For example, Working Denbighshire, one of only three projects in Wales to receive Welsh Government Trailblazer funding, is already helping residents improve their health, skills, and confidence to move into work. Through the recent ‘Beyond Barriers’ partnership with RCS, we’re providing rapid access to therapeutic support for people facing health challenges that prevent them from working, helping them build resilience and move closer to sustainable employment.

“We continue to prioritise prevention, offering early advice and support before issues escalate and our work on reablement, homelessness prevention and violence prevention is already delivering results. Our rapid rehousing model has halved the use of emergency accommodation, and our investment in affordable, warm, and accessible homes has been recognised.

“The funding confirmed today will sharpen our focus over the next two years, strengthen cross‑service working, and improve how we evaluate the impact of what we do. This is an exciting opportunity for the Council and we look forward to working with the Institute for Health Equity to improve our delivery for the benefit of our residents.”

Denbighshire’s Chief Executive, Helen White along with colleagues from the Council met with Sir Michael Marmot at the Health Equity Summit and said, “It was great to hear first hand from Sir Michael the impact embedding the Marmot Nation approach can have to drive out health inequality and lead to better outomces across communities. We look forward to learning from others as we progress this important area of work.”

Derek Walker, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales said: “The level of inequality we see in Wales today is unacceptable. It is damaging lives, putting unsustainable pressure on our public services, and shortening life expectancy. If we fail to act now, these harms and costs will only accelerate.

“That is why, in my Future Generations Report, I called for Wales to become a Marmot nation. The Marmot approach mirrors the ambition of our Well-being of Future Generations Act by tackling the root causes of poor health — poverty, insecure housing, unequal access to education, and limited access to nature. This is about prevention, fairness, and long-term resilience.”

The eight Marmot principles are:

1. Give every child the best start in life
2. Enable all children, young people, and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives
3. Create fair employment and good work for all
4. Ensure a healthy standard of living for all
5. Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities
6. Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention
7. Tackle racism, discrimination, and their outcomes
8. Pursue environmental sustainability and health equity together