Agenda item

The Health Improvement Specialist will provide additional evidence to support the Panel’s review of ‘Healthy Placemaking with a Focus on Childhood Obesity’.  The presentation will provide an overview of the Healthy Weight Declaration.

The Health Improvement Specialist for Public Health South Tees attended the Panel to present an overview of the Healthy Weight Declaration (HWD) and the wider public health context relating to obesity in Middlesbrough. 

 

Members were informed of current national policies around obesity prevention which included:

• Restrictions on unhealthy food advertising to children
• Soft drinks industry levy
• Calorie information on menus
• Restricted product placement in supermarkets
• School Food Standards
• International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
• National Planning Policy Framework
• Restrictions on multibuy deals

 

Upcoming future policies included:

• The introduction of 9pm watershed for unhealthy food advertisements on tv
• Full ban of unhealthy food advertisements online

 

Healthy Weight Declaration

Members were reminded that Middlesbrough Council adopted the Healthy Weight Declaration (HWD) in February 2024.  The Declaration was a Council-wide commitment to improve health and well-being of people who live and work in Middlesbrough.  It was explained that a ‘health in all policies’ approach was advocated at leadership level to address wider determinants of health that impact food availability, food access and physical activity.  The Declaration’s 16 Key Commitments were provided to the Panel, for information.

 

The following key themes of the Healthy Weight Declaration, were discussed:

1. Strategic/System Leadership: Council’s role in shaping the environment and ensuring preventative approaches were embedded across local systems. 
2. Commercial Determinants of Health: Addressing private sector activity that affects people’s health directly or indirectly via business actions.
3. Organisationl Change and Cultural Shift: Embedding public health priorities across all departments.
4. Health-Promoting Environments: Creating an environment that enables the healthy choice to be the easy choice

 

Examples of the Healthy Weight Declaration in action were provided.  This included recent engagement with the Council’s Marketing and Communications Team which had supported the use of weight-inclusive messaging and strengthened the use of responsible imagery across Council channels, aligning with several of the Declaration’s sixteen key commitments.

 

Members also heard about the Council’s Eat Well Awards programme, which included the Eat Well Early Years Award and the Eat Well Schools Award, with a further Eat Well Business Award due to be launched in January 2026.

 

Discussion focussed on the Eat Well Schools Award, which was available to all schools including primary, secondary and special schools, across both maintained and academy settings.  Achieving the award demonstrated a whole-school approach to promoting healthy eating and positive food environments.

 

Members expressed interest in the Eat Well Schools Award and its potential to support healthier behaviours among children.  The Health Improvement Specialist welcomed Members’ interest and encouraged them to support promotion of the award through their existing links with schools within their wards.

 

The challenges of the Healthy Weight Declaration were presented, as follows;

• Obesity is a complex issue
• Results of action can take a long time to be reflected in health data
• Working in a systemic way takes a long time and requires capacity from a broad range of departments and wider organisations
• Conflicting priorities of departments and organisations can slow progress

 

Members queried how progress on the Healthy Weight Declaration was monitored, and it was explained that the Healthy Weight Declaration commitments were supported by an action plan that tracked delivery.

 

Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs)

The Health Improvement Specialist then introduced the concept of Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs), described as profit-driven commercial enterprises whose products are associated with adverse health outcomes.  Examples highlighted included tobacco, gambling, food and beverage, alcohol and fossil fuel industries.

It was noted that the products linked to UCIs contributed to a range of chronic, non- communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions, overweight and obesity.  Members were informed that in 2019, NCDs accounted for 88.8% of all deaths in England and made a substantial contribution to disability, reduced health-related quality and widening health inequalities.  Common industry practices were highlighted, including targeted advertising and marketing and approaches that shifted responsibility for health impacts onto individual consumers.

 

The Health Improvement Specialist provided examples of how UCIs may intersect with local government activity, including industry-funded training opportunities and grants supported by commercial interests.

 

It was noted that a coordinated, cross-council approach would be required to develop a consistent and transparent framework for engagement with UCIs, ensuring robust governance and informed decision-making across departments.

 

Members discussed the topic of healthy placemaking, with a focus on childhood obesity as a whole.  One Member commented that childhood obesity was a complex issue and felt that meaningful progress would also require action at national government level, alongside local interventions.

 

A Member raised concerns about the availability of hot food takeaways across the town.  Members were reminded of the Council’s existing hot food takeaway planning policy, which seeks to restrict new takeaways in specific locations, including within proximity to schools, while recognising that existing outlets would remain.  Officers advised that, as a result of this policy, new applications were now more likely to be refused where they conflicted with local thresholds.

 

A further Member highlighted a recent planning case involving a takeaway operating without planning consent and subsequently applying for retrospective permission, which was refused.  This example was noted as reassurance that the policy was being consistently applied and enforced.

A Member queried if low levels of active travel were primarily linked to infrastructure issues.  In response, the Programme Manager for the ‘You’ve Got This’ project (Sport England) emphasised that while infrastructure was important, sustained increases in walking and cycling also required changes in behaviour, supported by social, environmental and cultural factors.

 

The Programme Manager highlighted the London Borough of Waltham Forest as an example of good practice, where long-term system-wide investment in active travel, combined with strong community engagement, had successfully increased levels of cycling and walking.  It was noted that such improvements took time to achieve and required ongoing commitment and perseverance. 

 

A Member queried how cultural factors influencing childhood obesity could be addressed and changed over time.  In response, the Programme Manager emphasised the importance of collaboration across organisations and sectors, and of embedding healthy placemaking principles into longer-term decision-making.  It was noted that meaningful change in obesity prevalence would not happen quickly, and that confidence was needed in taking sustained action, with the understanding that the impact of these interventions would be realised over the longer term rather than delivering immediate results.

 

The Panel acknowledged the complexity of the issue and the long-term nature of the work.  Members noted that Middlesbrough was already undertaking a range of positive activity, including the use of Health Impact Assessments, school-based food programmes and partnership initiatives.  The Healthy Weight Declaration was recognised as providing a clear framework to support continued progress and embed healthier approaches over time.

 

NOTED.