Decision details

BwD Public Health Specialist, Charlotte Pickles, provided the Health and Wellbeing Board with an update and presentation of the Healthy Weight Declaration.

The presentation covered the following topics:

·       Our 5 Core Areas of Commitment

·       Our journey to date and timeline of Local Authority declarations on Healthy Weight

·       The rationale behind the Healthy Weight Declaration

·       Progress of the 5 Key Themes including our Recipe 4 Health Scheme and adoption of the new Local Plan

·       Progress of the 10 additional commitments made in 2017

·       Partnership Engagement

·       Next Steps

It was noted that there were some real opportunities to align interventions via existing Place Based Partnership arrangements.

It was agreed that further work needed to be undertaken for BwD to become a designated Sugar Smart Town. In addition, the licences provided to local businesses as part of the Food Charter, promoting healthy and sustainable food, needed to be revisited as there was some concern that businesses were no longer meeting the licensing requirements. It was noted that childhood obesity was a problem not just at local level but was a national issue.

Further investment and resources were necessary, with more work to engage with local communities. Communications and Big Screen advertising needed to be more proactive, promoting healthy rather than unhealthy options.

It was acknowledged that it was difficult to make long-term plans as the Household Support Funding was provided in 6 monthly blocks by Central Government, with little notification of extension periods - resulting in intermittent staffing levels to cover administration of the project.

It was noted that the Covid Pandemic had set progress back on our commitment to the Healthy Weight Declaration. There were lots of areas that need to be joined up and much more work to do. It was the ambition of the Board for local children to thrive and was strongly linked to our future economic growth. Conversations were ongoing with Local Government departments and NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts) regarding further programmes of work.

RESOLVED – That the Board

a)    Supported our renewed commitment to the Local Authority Healthy Weight Declaration.

b)    Strengthened our commitment by pledging their support.

c)    Considered the use of the NHS Healthy Weight Declaration and the School’s Pledge for a Healthy and Active Future to strengthen our partnership approach to tackling obesity and complications of excess weight at Place.