Agenda item

Report number: OAS/WS/23/006

The Committee received report number OAS/WS/23/006, which was the last report prepared by Councillor Margaret Marks as the Council’s representative on the Suffolk County Council Health Scrutiny Committee, setting out what was considered at its meeting held on 19 April 2023.  The main focus of the meeting was on Childhood Obesity in Suffolk.  Councillor Marks also took the opportunity to provide updates on phlebotomy and dentistry.

The Committee considered the report and asked questions to which Councillor Marks provided comprehensive responses.  In particular discussions were held on school meals and their nutritional value; the childhood nutrition guidance provided for women during their pregnancy;  Abbeycroft Leisure’s initiative “learn to cook with families”; junk food advertising; the need for more emphasis on food portion control and the need for lifestyle changes.

The Committee acknowledged that health was a huge subject and questioned what the council’s remit for health was; what it could do to add value in West Suffolk and how best to feed back issues concerning West Suffolk to the Health Scrutiny Committee. 

At the conclusion of the discussions, the Committee noted the report and thanked Councillor Marks for the passion and effort she had put in as the Council’s representative on the Health Scrutiny Committee.