DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 9 June 2008
Every town in
England has the opportunity to bid for up to £5 million to make
their inhabitants more healthy and active, Health Minister, Dawn
Primarolo announced today.
As part of a £30 million Healthy Communities Challenge Fund,
towns will be invited to come up with innovative new ways to
improve the health of their inhabitants.
Ideas could include:
* increasing the number of cycle lanes
* walking promotion schemes; and
* providing local healthy food initiatives.
With almost two thirds of adults and a third of children either
overweight or obese, 'Healthy Towns' are the next step
in delivering on the cross-government obesity strategy, Healthy
Weight, Healthy Lives, launched in January this year.
Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw said:
"Every area in England can now bid to become a healthy town.
I want to see some really innovative ideas which will help tackle
our nation's weight problem.
"I hope that local authorities and PCTs will take ownership
of the challenge of obesity in their areas and work towards making
their communities healthier places for everyone.
"Tackling obesity is the most significant public and
personal health challenge facing our society. The core of the
problem is simple - we eat too much and we do too little exercise.
The solution is more complex. From the nature of the food that we
eat to the built environment through to the way our children lead
their lives, it is harder to avoid obesity in the modern world."
Successful applicants will be designated 'Healthy
Towns' to acknowledge their commitment and aspiration to
promoting health in their communities. In the first stage of
bidding towns will need to show evidence that they take this issue
seriously by meeting a small number of criteria. These are:
* Achieving a healthy weight for all is a local priority
* Commitment to creating a 'healthy town' -as shown
through processes already in place such as: cycle demonstration
towns, play pathfinders, local healthy food initiatives
* Senior level commitment - across the PCT and LA and a proven
record of partnership working
* Links between obesity and other policy priorities - such as
reducing health inequalities and reducing CO2 emissions
There will be a two stage selection process for deciding which
areas will become 'Healthy Towns. In the first, they will
outline their top level plans to be submitted by the 11 July this
year. Those who are successful in stage one will then go on to
stage two and submit a more detailed proposal and delivery plan by
September this year.
This £30m will be invested over 3 years, between 2008/9 and
2010/11 and will be given to a small number of interested local
areas to build on existing work in their communities and test out
their ideas on what further action needs to happen to make regular
physical activity and healthy food choices easier for people.
In each case the local areas will be expected to match any
resources they receive from Government.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. There will be a two-stage process for selecting which
localities will receive additional resources from the Healthy
Community Challenge Fund.
Stage 1: Expression of Interest
PCTs and local authorities are invited to submit a joint
application indicating their interest in the Healthy Community
Challenge Fund, and a short explanation of what they would do with
these additional resources to prevent and help reduce rates of
overweight and obesity in their population. As the Government is
keen to work with areas with a real commitment to increasing the
levels of physical activity and promoting healthier food choices
in their communities, each expression of interest must be
accompanied by a short statement which explains how the following
criteria are met:
* Evidence that achieving a healthy weight for all is a shared
local priority.
* Evidence of a commitment to creating a 'Healthy Town'.
* Senior level commitment in the PCT and across the local
authority (political and officer), with a proven record of
partnership working.
* Clear demonstration of the links between obesity and other
policy priorities.
Stage 2: Full bids
Local areas that are successful at stage 1 will be invited to
submit a full bid for funding, comprising a more detailed
explanation of what they hope to achieve, the anticipated cost and
a plan for delivery. The application will also need to include an
explanation of how the interventions will be managed, reflecting
the high-level commitment that is needed to deliver a coherent
cross-sectoral plan.
At this stage, the application will also need to outline sources
of matched funding, as well as how the long-term sustainability of
the interventions will be secured.
Further details on the criteria that will be used to assess
applications, as well as information about monitoring, evaluation
and dissemination will be made available at stage 2.
2. For further information go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/obesity