The Obesity Health Alliance is hosting a series of expert blogs in support of the launch of their Local Government Position Statement. Second, we hear from Amy Deptford, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Alexandra Rose Charity, who explains why restoring the public health grant will give a vital lifeline for local authorities working to improve access to healthy food.
‘A fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer’, ‘raise the healthiest generation of children’, ‘secure the highest sustained growth in the G7’. These three ambitions from the new Government all share a common need: a food system that nourishes us.
It’s no secret that our food system is broken – unhealthy options are cheap, more convenient and everywhere – flooding our high streets, our screens and our supermarkets. At Alexandra Rose Charity, we hear time and again from families struggling to put more fruit and veg on the table:
“It is absolutely horrible. I have four children, from a one-year-old to a fourteen year old. I’m not able to buy what I need and it’s getting worse. Once I pay out all my bills, I’ve got £100 left for the week for everything. My money just can’t stretch to what I need for my children.”
As a result, poor diets have become a leading cause of ill health in the UK, costing our children, our NHS, and our economy dearly. But it doesn’t have to be this way – and local Government has a critical role to play. With a decade of experience working with local public health teams, we’ve helped over 10,000 families on low incomes access fruit and veg in their local communities through our Rose Voucher for Fruit & Veg projects.
Local authorities are at the front line of health
Local authorities know their communities best and are uniquely positioned to address the specific needs of their residents. This was recognised in 2015/16 when the Government devolved the funding from the public health grant to local authorities in England directly, along with the responsibility to deliver public health interventions at a community level.
This grant is the main funding source for local authorities to implement public health initiatives. While most services, like the National Child Measurement Programme, are mandatory, some of the grant can be used flexibly to address the specific needs of the community, creating a valuable opportunity to fund initiatives that improve access to healthy food.
But this lifeline is under strain
Because the funding is not tied to inflation, the value of the grant is being cut in real terms every year. According to recent analysis by the Health Foundation, the value of the grant has been reduced by more than a quarter (27%) since 2015/16, requiring a £1.5bn increase to restore it to its 2015/16 value. These cuts have had far-reaching consequences, particularly in areas of high deprivation, which have experienced the biggest reductions to the grant. As a result, local authorities have struggled to maintain essential services, let alone invest in new initiatives.
How the public health grant enabled innovation in Tower Hamlets
Our work with Tower Hamlets council is a prime example of how the public health grant has been used to trial innovative approaches to improve access to healthy food for families on low incomes. Tower Hamlets is one of the most deprived areas in England with 1 in 5 (18%) children overweight or living with obesity by the time they start school. Only 28% of adults in the borough eat enough fruit and veg, compared to 38% of their wealthier neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea.
A Joint Strategic Needs Assessment in 2020 identified increasing families’ ability to buy healthy food as a top priority for tackling food poverty in this area. Inspired by financial incentives used in the United States to increase fruit and veg consumption, the public health team reached out to us to explore how our Rose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg project could benefit their local communities.
Since launching our work in the Borough in 2022, over £140,000 of fresh fruit and veg have been purchased on Chrisp Street Market thanks to Rose Vouchers. This has not only helped to tackle food poverty and improve the health and wellbeing of local families, but it has also generated a total economic value added of almost £300,000 for the local economy. We’ve supported almost 400 families and over 800 children in Tower Hamlets, with 6 in 10 adults and children receiving Rose Vouchers now eating at least five portions of fruit and veg a day.
What’s more, the public health grant has enabled Tower Hamlets to become one of the first councils to trial our Fruit & Veg on Prescription project, where social prescribers at the Bromley-By-Bow Centre prescribe fruit and veg vouchers to people experiencing food insecurity and food-related ill health. Our latest evaluation shows that this model could increase fruit and veg intake by an average of three portions a day, improving physical and mental health, leading to a 40% reduction in GP appointments.
Dr Somen Banerjee, the Director of Public Health for Tower Hamlets emphasised the importance of this work:
“We are committed to identifying and responding to the needs of the communities within Tower Hamlets, delivering tailored interventions that we know make a real difference in the lives of residents here. Partnering with Alexandra Rose Charity has enabled us to tackle food insecurity and support over 400 families access healthy, affordable food with vouchers for fruit and veg, whilst also supporting the local food economy. We have also been one of the first councils to trial Fruit & Veg on Prescription’
Restoring the public health grant is critical
If we want to see the health of those most in need improve then we need to reorientate the food system to ensure a healthy diet is affordable and a reality for people on low incomes. Local public health teams play a critical role in keeping the nation healthy, but this is impossible without the necessary funding. Restoring the public health grant to its 2015/16 value is not just a fiscal decision – it is a crucial investment in the health of the nation.