Beyond the policy: Council initiatives for promoting child healthy weight

Our approach to supporting child healthy weight includes a wide variety of projects and policies. We work with partners and stakeholders to ensure children have the best opportunity to live happy, healthy lives.

Some of these include:

• Agree and deliver a programme of work on play, including an evidence review, re-establishing the Play Charter working group, a play estates project and an inclusive play project
  
  
• Maximise health opportunities through the local plan redraft by providing evidence to inform local plan policy aimed at supporting children and young people to be active and eat healthily.
  
  
• Deliver and evaluate the Food for Health scheme.

• Develop a borough-wide movement for healthier food procurement and food provision by understanding opportunities to influence food environments within our control.

• Continue to provide and support free opportunities for physical activity and play for children by maintaining 64-council owned play spaces.
  
  
• Improve healthy eating in primary schools through delivering a school food improvement programme

• Improve healthy eating in secondary schools by rolling out free school meals.
  
  
• Unlock schools for use by their local communities when not in use.
  
  
• Support schools to deliver physical activity and healthy eating initiatives linked to the Healthy Schools Awards programme.
  
  
• Deliver fruit and vegetable voucher schemes to support over 200 residents and families on low incomes, experiencing food insecurity.
  
  
• Support various professionals by delivering bespoke healthy weight training.
  
  
• Improve the National Child Measurement Programme for families.
  
  
• Extend peer-led support to families dealing with excess weight.
  
  
• Establish a directory of child healthy weight support services.
  
  
• A planning policy that restricts any new hot food takeaways near to schools