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Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, responds to the Health Committee's report on childhood obesity.

"We support the Health Committee's call for urgent action to tackle childhood obesity.

"Today's obese children will be tomorrow's obese adults. Councils have long-warned that unless we take decisive action, both individually and through targeted initiatives, the potential consequences of obesity on people's health, such as diabetes and heart conditions, could be devastating and will bankrupt health and social care.

"We have called for fundamental reforms, such as a mandatory reduction of sugar in soft drinks, better sugar labelling on food and drink products, calorie counts on menus in chain restaurants, and for councils to be given powers to ban junk food advertising near schools. We believe that these measures, which would help to promote greater individual responsibility, could help to significantly reduce childhood obesity.

"Councils are doing everything they can to curb obesity at a local level and will have spent more than half a billion pounds tackling obesity since they took over responsibility for public health three years ago. The cuts to public health budgets by government will make this task harder.

"We believe the soft drinks levy should also be administered by councils, who are best placed to work with schools and communities to make best use of the money and reduce childhood obesity. Councils will be able to ensure that the money is targeted at schools with the greatest need.

"Councils however can only do so much, which is why we have been campaigning hard for tough measures to be introduced by government."

View report:  Government is missing important opportunities to tackle childhood obesity