Issue - meetings

Members were advised of a Motion which had been referred from the Council meeting held on 11^th September 2019 to the Overview and Scrutiny Board which had, at a meeting held on 22^nd October 2019, further referred the Motion to this Committee.

The Motion read as follows –

“Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drinks Advertising

 “Council notes that:

·           Fast food contains high level of fats, salt and sugar and energy drinks often contain high levels of caffeine and sugar.

·           Excessive consumption of these products contributes to obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, gastro-intestinal problems, sleep deprivation and hyperactivity.

·           The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health predicts half of all children in the UK will be overweight or obese by 2020.

·           The Mayor of London banned all fast food advertising on publically-controlled advertising spaces across London’s entire transport network.

·           Sustain and Foodwatch recently published a report ‘Taking Down Junk Food Adverts’ which recommends that local authorities regulate adverts on public telephone boxes and that the Advertising Standards Authority should be able to regulate advertising outside nurseries, children’s centres, parks, family attractions and leisure centres.

As a local authority with a statutory responsibility for public health, Council believes that it should do all that is possible to discourage the consumption of fast food and energy drinks.

Council therefore resolves to:

·           Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Chief Executive of Transport for Greater Manchester asking TFGM to impose a ban on the advertising of fast food and energy drinks on publicly owned poster sites etc across the Greater Manchester transport network.

·           Ensure that fast food or energy are not advertised on any hoarding or within any building owned by this Council including large advertisements on bus stops. 

·           Ensure that such products are not sold to children or young people on any of our premises.

·           Ask our NHS, social housing, voluntary and private sector partners, including the Mayor of Greater Manchester, to make a similar undertaking.

·           Ask the Chief Executive to write to the relevant minister requesting the recommendations of the ‘Taking Down Junk Food Adverts’ report be adopted as government policy as soon as possible; copying in our local members of Parliament to seek their support.”

Members of the Committee were provided with a copy of the Sustain and Foodwatch report ‘Taking Down Junk Food Adverts’ that was referenced within the Motion.

RESOLVED - that a report be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee.

The Committee were advised of a motion which had been referred to them by Full Council on 10 July 2019:

“Making a Commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Council welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to the delivery of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the world community at the United Nations in September 2015.  The goals form part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which seeks to eradicate extreme poverty, address inequality and injustice, and promote sustainable development and peace.

The goals are to:

·                 End poverty in all its forms everywhere

·                 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

·                 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages

·                 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

·                 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

·                 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

·                 Ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

·                 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

·                 Reduce inequality within and among countries

·                 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

·                 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

·                 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

·                 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

·                 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

·                 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

·                 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Wishing to replicate the UK Government’s position on the goals, this Council resolves to make a similar commitment to their delivery, as far as is practicable and within its power and resources, and calls upon the Health and Overview and Scrutiny Boards to identify the work that is already being done by the Council and its partners and what more can be done, and to present a report with its finding and recommendations to a future meeting of full Council.”

The Committee discussed the motion.  Overview and Scrutiny Board would also be involved in the resolution of the motion.  The issues would be raised with the relevant officers who had an understanding and information available to invite contributions.  A deadline for the response would be given with information coordinated into a progress report.  The information would then form one report to be reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Board and Full Council.

RESOLVED that the approach agreed by the Overview and Scrutiny Board be endorsed by the Health Scrutiny Committee.