Raise Camden to trial first ever ‘Marmot Estates Project’ to support residents to lead healthy lives

Raise Camden was launched following a report produced by the UCL Institute of Health Equity which looked into the impact of child health inequality in Camden. A Raise Camden Taskforce has been set up to guide the borough’s response to this report with experts and partners.

Part of the actions include the roll out of the ‘Marmot Estates Project’ — a two-year pilot project which will co-design actions with residents on two estates to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities. This project is the first to be trialled in the country.

The project will use the ‘Marmot Principles’, a set of recommendations developed by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his team to address health inequalities in England, as well as local data to address issues on estates which are most important to residents.

“We’re on a mission to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. As part of this, we are set to trial the first ever Marmot Estates Project to support residents living on our estates to lead healthier lives.

Camden would be home to the first Marmot Estates in the country — the project will be designed alongside our communities so we can find innovative ways to tackle the issues that matter most to them from improving access to play space for children in overcrowded housing and addressing safety concerns on our estates.”

Councillor Sagal Abdi-Wali, Cabinet Member for Better Homes at Camden Council

“The global pandemic and cost-of-living crisis of recent years have taken their toll on our residents’ wellbeing. Projects like this help us to better understand what we can do to improve residents’ health, and by working closely with our residents, we can help ensure we address the issues that matter most to them.”

Councillor Anna Wright, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director, UCL Institute of Health Equity, said: “The work Camden is doing through Raise Camden is hugely important and timely; it is based on the evidence on what we know will reduce health inequalities and support prevention of ill health. We know from the IHE’s work to improve health equity with around 60 places across the UK that action on the drivers of health — early years, education, employment and income — are all essential for better health. Camden’s focus on two housing estates is the first time that we will have run the programme in this way. Working closely with residents is likely to bring the challenges of trying to enable healthy lives into sharp focus, and identify solutions that can be tested.”

The project is part of Camden Council’s Estates Mission, where it is working with communities and partners to support residents of its Estates to live healthy, flourishing and connected lives. The Council will test and learn different ways it can work with tenants, leaseholders and estate communities to achieve this goal, tailored to local needs and environments.

During the trial, Camden Council will work with residents and partners to find innovative ways to tackle issues on estates which matter to them, with the aim of rolling out the project across other estates in the future.

This project is in the early stages of development, with the chosen estates and actions set to be announced later this year.

The Raise Camden Taskforce is co-chaired by the Council Leader, Councillor Richard Olszewski, and Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity and Professor of Epidemiology at University College London.

Find out more about Raise Camden here.

Read the full report here.