Agenda and minutes

To elect a Member to act as Chair of the meeting.

RESOLVED:             That Councillor Wiseman be appointed as Chair of the Childhood Obesity Task Group.

It is at this point in the meeting that members of the public who have registered their wish to speak can do so. The deadline for registering is by 5.00pm on Friday 26 February 2010. Members of the public can speak on specific agenda items or matters within the remit of the task group.

To register please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of this agenda.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report asks Members to receive and consider further information to inform their review of childhood obesity. It also asks them to consider setting a further meeting date and making arrangements for any public event they intend to hold.

Members considered a report, which set out further information to inform their review into childhood obesity.

The Scrutiny Officer confirmed that an interim report setting out the information received to date would be presented to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their meeting on 29 March.

The Chair introduced the attendees and the Task Group received presentations in relation to the following:

i)    School Travel Plans and the role of the School Travel Plan Adviser – Christine Packer, School Travel Plan Coordinator

Officers confirmed that there was a Government target for Local Authorities to deliver travel plans for 100% of schools in the city by the end of March 2010, however there was no obligation on the school to produce the Plans.  She went onto explain the objectives of Travel Plans and the resources provided to produce them. She detailed the role of the School Travel Adviser including the promotion of sustainable travel to school and linking with other City of York Council teams.

The following information was given in relation to School Travel Plans and childhood obesity:

• Healthy schools agenda - 6.7% of reception children were classed as obese but by Year 6 this had risen to 16.7%.
• Details of the key initiatives in improving children’s health and fitness on their trip to school, including successes.
• Usual mode of travel to school monitored by school census data;
• 2010/11 proposals to identify schools with the potential for modal shift;
• Evidence had shown that children who cycled/walked to school were healthier and fitter than those that travelled by bus/car. Cardiovascular function of those that walked was also greater.

Arising out of this presentation Members questioned a number of points and commented as follows:

• Need of promotions of car sharing and use of Park and Ride site for children attending Bootham School;
• Issue of children living on the outside of the ring road and having to cross the bypass with no safe walking/cycle route to school;
• Working parents dropping children at school en-route to work;
• Difficulties in re-educating parents in relation to the benefits of walking/cycling;
• Introducing a competitive element in an endeavour to change behaviour;
• School engagement and enthusiastic staff required for promotion;
• Parking enforcement required at all schools;
• Need to make walking/cycling part of the school day;
• Possible regular events to make walking to school more interesting;
• Often insufficient parental support to sustain ‘Walking Buses’;
• Travel Plans did not currently cover child minders;
• Details of cycle/scooter storage at all schools;
• Church schools often had a higher percentage of children being driven to school as their catchment areas were much larger.

ii)   How Day Nurseries in York Contribute to Healthy Food and Exercise – Rosemary Flanagan, Early Years Childcare Manager/Ken McArthur, Private Nursery Provider

A briefing note was circulated which set out how day nurseries in York contributed to healthy food and exercise, which included:

·        Currently 43 day nurseries across the city, most being operated by private providers;

·        Ofsted do not inspect against Healthy Eating in nurseries;

·        Telephone questionnaire undertaken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.