💰Government must now match this ambition with sustained investment in local authorities...
🔥...and by acting on major sources of pollution, starting with its consultation on wood burning.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
🎯I'm delighted to see Emma Reynolds MP and Defra have set a new limit for the UK's most dangerous air pollutant, PM2.5.
🌎While the new Environmental Improvement Plan is ambitious, the real test is now for the Govt to deliver. airqualitynews.com/editors-pick...
🆕 Great to see this new report from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk highlighting the importance of identifying and supporting left-behind groups.
The lens of 'school readiness' can be useful but only if policies are designed for long-term impact 👇
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
5/5 🧵
If the government truly wants to go for growth, it must start by improving the conditions that allow people to live healthy lives.
www.bigissue.com/opinion/autu...
🧵4/5 Every year, air pollution contributes to up to 43,000 deaths in the UK and costs the economy £27 billion.
The Treasury could introduce tiered business rates relief to reward companies that measure and reduce harmful emissions.
urbanhealth.org.uk/our-work/hea...
3/5🧵Millions of children are growing up in poverty.
Abolishing the two-child limit on Universal Credit and tax credits would lift 350,000 children out of poverty. Costing £2bn per year, the return in health and productivity would far outweigh the cost. www.bigissue.com/opinion/autu...
2/5 🧵 Food-related ill health costs society equivalent to 1–2% of GDP a year.
We've seen great progress with Free School Meals. Govt should now introduce a levy to incentivise manufacturers to make a wider range of products healthier. www.recipeforchange.org.uk
❤️🩹Good health is the foundation for a prosperous Britain.
In this week's @bigissue.com I write that, if the Govt is serious about unlocking growth, it must see improving health as a precondition for prosperity.
But how to do it? 1/5 🧵👇
www.bigissue.com/opinion/autu...
🍉If we are serious about giving every child the best start in life, we must ensure that they can access healthy and nutritious food in every early years setting.
👏 Whilst we whole-heartedly welcome the expansion of free meals for school children in households receiving Universal Credit, the report reveals that too many families with young children who are furthest from health equity remain locked out of the support they need.
🆕 Alongside @foodfoundation.bsky.social, we've supported this new report from Bremner and Co, which exposes this gap.
🍽️ Free school meals for schools, but not nurseries.
📊 Fewer than 4% of children in childcare to receive free meals, compared with 30% of pupils in school.
bremnerco.com/report-too-y...
🙏 A big thank you to everyone who attended, and helped make the day a success. I'm looking forward to seeing our partners again soon!
People are standing in groups and talking at the Impact on Urban Health Partner Day
🏙️ Nearly 60 of our partners joined us to connect and discuss how we can improve health equity in Lambeth and Southwark, and beyond.
It was fantastic to hear so many rich conversations, learn from one another, and see new collaborations being built.
People are sitting around tables at the Impact on Urban Health Partner Day
🌟 My reflections on the Impact on Urban Health Partner Day
Last week, we hosted our first Partner Day. I felt truly inspired by the energy and commitment in the room, and grateful for the ideas that will help shape our next steps.
💚 Children’s health must be treated as a nation-building mission: safeguarded in budgets, given long-term accountability, and at the centre of national policy.
The evidence is clear: the mission can succeed, but only if prevention, equity, and children’s health are at its heart.
🏙️ To deliver on its health mission, the government itself needs to rewire. Health can’t just sit in DHSC: it must include communities, local government, civil society, and industry.
When people most affected are part of shaping solutions, those solutions stick.
To break the cycle, we must tackle the NHS crisis & invest in prevention.
IPPR research commissioned by @impurbanhealth.bsky.social suggests there are near-term benefits of prevention:
healthy eating➡️better school attendance
cleaner fair➡️fewer emergency admissions
safe housing➡️less pressure on NHS
We know there are stark health inequalities across the UK. Poor social conditions drive poor health, putting the NHS under strain:
🍔unhealthy food
🏠insecure incomes
🏚️bad housing
🌬️polluted air
This makes it even harder for government to act on the root causes.
❤️🩹 This week, I spoke on a panel with @ippr.org at the Labour Party Conference, asking 'Can the government deliver its long-term health mission?'. #Lab25 🧵
🍇 This is an important step towards building a food system that prioritises access to healthy, affordable food for everyone.
👏 It's great to see restrictions on promotions for unhealthy products coming into force across the country today
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
All good health interventions start with a simple action: Listening!
Learn more about our work to amplify the voices of communities most affected by air pollution: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/new...
I'm proud of @impurbanhealth.bsky.social's work to amplify the voices of communities most affected by air pollution.
In this film, Rasha Rashid from The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP) talks about why it's crucial to listen to the people most affected by air pollution 👇
Learn more about how @impurbanhealth.bsky.social support organisations disproportionately affected by air pollution: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/new...
🔥A core part of our work @impurbanhealth.bsky.social involves partnering with those who are disproportionately affected by air pollution.
In this film one of those partners, the Ella Roberta Foundation, talks about their tireless work to protect children from air pollution.
youtu.be/5xDn-UZQN-U
🎬 We've made a short film about the project, highlighting the importance of every stakeholder and the impact on the communities the network is reaching: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvpW...
The launch event of the Good Food Retail network. Three people are standing beside a banner with the text: GOOD FOOD RETAIL. Putting health at the heart of convenience.
Key takeaways:
🤝Collaboration is key - retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and local councils have come together on this mission
📝Evaluation - early findings show the model is working
🗺️Scaling up - from a successful pilot to 220 stores in 13 LAs - and counting!
🍒 Access to healthy food in the UK is incredibly unequal - and shopping at convenience stores is often the only option for children and families living on lower incomes.
🛒 The network aims to increase the flow of healthy options in local stores.
A group of people are standing and talking at the launch event of the Good Food Retail network
I spoke last week at the launch of the national Good Food Retail network.
👏 Our Children's health and food programme has been working with Rice Marketing for many years and it's brilliant to see the progress that's been made.