Sunderland becomes first local authority in North East to sign Healthy Weight Declaration to help city’s residents stay healthy

Sunderland City Council has signed the Healthy Weight Declaration as a commitment to supporting residents to live full and healthy lives.
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Sunderland has become the first local authority in the North East to sign the Healthy Weight Declaration, to deliver practical measures to help the city’s residents stay healthy.

The declaration means that Sunderland City Council is committed to putting health at the front of mind when planning new buildings, roads, or parks.

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Future projects and events will also be organised with ‘healthy weight’ high on the agenda.

Pictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated CommissioningPictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated Commissioning
Pictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated Commissioning

The city council’s Chief Executive Patrick Melia, Director of Public Health Gerry Taylor, and Portfolio Holder for Healthy City Cllr Kelly Chequer signed the declaration on behalf of Sunderland City Council at a virtual event held on February 23.

Gerry Taylor, Sunderland's Director of Public Health, said: “Over two thirds of adults in England are affected by unhealthy weight and more than one in five children start school overweight. We want to help address the similar picture here in Sunderland and make it as easy as possible for residents to live healthy lives.

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"It is important to have such a commitment to healthy weight at a council level, so we can carry out work with all departments to ensure healthy weight is included in all policies."

Pictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated CommissioningPictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated Commissioning
Pictured l-r Patrick Melia Chief Exec. Sunderland City Council, Councillor Kelly Chequer Portfolio Holder Healthy City, Sunderland City Council and Gerry Taylor Executive Director Sunderland Public Health and Intergrated Commissioning
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She added: "I’m really pleased that our council has taken this positive step. Some examples of what we will focus on include protecting our children from inappropriate marketing by the food and drink industry, such as advertising and marketing in close proximity to schools.

"We will also invest in creating an environment where it’s easier to make healthier choices and support action at national level, to help us as a local authority to promote healthy weight and reduce health inequalities in our community."

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