Livingstone joins fight against obesity
James Smith
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
The London Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy was launched for consultation today, outlining a plan to cut inequalities by focusing on public health issues such as obesity and mental health.
Presenting the document Living Well in London to the Greater London Authority’s Health and Public Services Committee, Alex Bax, the Mayor’s senior policy adviser for health highlighted the six key objectives of the strategy:
- to cut health inequalities by reducing income inequalities
- to increase opportunities for people to get work and enjoy health benefits from employers
- to empower communities to take action to improve residents’ health and well-being
- to promote the inclusion of people living with illness or impairment
- to develop and promote London as a healthy environment
- to develop the city as a centre for research and learning to tackle health inequalities.
Obesity and mental health were mentioned as key target areas of the draft paper. Mr Bax said that a balance would be struck between long and short-term solutions to inequalities, also mentioning key areas such as childcare and access to primary care in deprived communities, including refugees.
The Mayor’s office will now consult with local government in the form of London’s 32 boroughs, the London Assembly and NHS London to set out the best way forward to achieve these objectives.
Committee member Peter Hulme-Cross, of the One London Party and formerly UKIP, criticised the “blue sky thinking” of the document, questioning the scant attention given to London-specific problems such as the rise in tuberculosis in the capital and the high level of STIs.
The Committee will next meet on 12 March.