Agenda item

The Committee was reminded that a Council Motion ‘Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drink Advertising’ had been referred to the Health Scrutiny Committee for consideration.  The Committee had subsequently made and referred recommendations for consideration to the Cabinet.  Members were advised of the response of the Cabinet to these recommendations and invited to consider the next step in their consideration.

A Motion to Council ‘Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drink Advertising’, referred from the Council meeting held on 11^th September 2019 to the Overview and Scrutiny Board for consideration, had read –

“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 publicly-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.”

The Motion had subsequently been referred to the Health Scrutiny Committee which gave consideration to the issues at meetings held on 7^th January, 7^th July and 1^st September 2020, the Committee resolving at the latter meeting such that -

1.     the Motion be referred to the Cabinet with a recommendation that the issues raised within the Motion relating to a Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drinks Advertising be progressed on a Greater Manchester-wide basis, that the matter be raised with the Leaders of the other Greater Manchester authorities, and that the Mayor of Greater Manchester be requested to run a campaign on these issues in conjunction with the Greater Manchester local authorities;

2.     the Cabinet be requested to submit a progress report on actions taken to this Committee.

The Committee was advised that the Cabinet, at a meeting held on 25^th January 2021, had considered the recommendations of the Committee and resolved that -

1.     The issues raised within the Motion relating to a Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drinks Advertising be progressed on a Greater Manchester-wide basis, that the matter be raised with the Leaders of the other Greater Manchester authorities, and that the Mayor of Greater Manchester be requested to run a campaign on these issues in conjunction with the Greater Manchester local authorities.

2.     A progress report on actions taken in relation to the issues raised within the motion to a Ban on Fast Food and Energy Drinks Advertising be submitted to the Health Scrutiny Committee.

Consideration was given as to whether, in light of the response of the Cabinet, the Committee’s consideration of this matter was substantially completed and the Council should be advised accordingly.

RESOLVED that

1.            the report be noted and referred to the Council;

2.            an update report on the progress of actions linked to the Council Motion be received in due course and the Committee work programme be updated accordingly.