Responding to the latest childhood obesity figures published by NHS Digital, showing that obesity prevalence has continued to increase in the last year, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “These figures are a stark reminder of the urgent childhood obesity crisis that we face as a nation, and the need for decisive, radical action."
“The LGA has long called for fundamental reforms to tackle childhood obesity, such as for councils to be given a say in how and where the soft drinks levy is spent, better labelling on food and drink products, and for councils to be given powers to ban junk food advertising near schools."
“Today's obese children will be tomorrow's obese adults, and with this comes a range of costly and debilitating major health conditions that could bankrupt adult social care and NHS services."
“Successfully tackling obesity involves both individuals taking responsibility for their own decisions and government supporting them to do so. But, a year on since the UK government launched its childhood obesity plan, there has to be more visible progress on how we tackle this issue."
“Cuts to the public health grant undermine councils’ ability to tackle childhood obesity, which is why we are calling on the government in the Autumn Budget to cancel future reductions and return funding that was cut since April 2015.”
