Funds to tackle obesity are set to be slashed
Councils in England are planning to reduce spending on tackling Britain’s obesity crisis, blaming government cuts to public health grants.
Local Government Association (LGA) figures reveal that the 370 councils it represents are due to spend £127 million in 2016/17 on tackling obesity, down from their estimated spend of £140 million in 2015/16.
The LGA said the government has reduced the public health grant by £331 million from 2016/17 to 2020/21. This is in addition to a £200 million in-year cut in 2015/16.
Public safety under threat
Councils use the money for services including weight-loss courses, exercise referral schemes and reduced-cost sporting activities.
The news comes after warnings from frontline nurses that public health cuts are putting public safety at risk.
In a recent RCN poll, half of nurse respondents said they had seen a rise in the number of preventable conditions in patients during their career.
Health divide
The RCN has said the cuts were exacerbating long-standing health issues. General secretary Janet Davies said: ‘There is a widening divide between people who are living long and healthy lives and those who are struggling.
‘The RCN’s major worry is that efforts to tackle the issues and to help people live healthier lives are in danger of going backwards.
An analysis by the Faculty of Public Health warned that the knock-on effects of the cuts would cost the NHS about £1 billion.