Decision details

The committee considered the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2024, recommended to the committee by the Health and Wellbeing Board. The Annual Report was focussed upon the impact and influence of the commercial determinants of health (CDoH) which was increasingly becoming one of the major drivers of ill-health.

The committee welcomed the report and the proposal to use existing and new powers to reduce the harmful impacts of CDoH and/or to introduce a health in all policies approach to improve the wellbeing of the population.

The committee noted the proposal for Cheshire East to develop its own Position Statement on CDoH, which would set out its commitment to improving residents’ health and wellbeing by counteracting the negative influence and impacts of CDoH. The committee queried if this would be aligned to the proposed Cheshire and Merseyside Position Statement on CDoH. It was confirmed that work would be approached in a coordinated manner, and done in collaboration with other authorities across the region however it was important that Cheshire East also moved forward in its own right to make a difference, locally.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

That the Corporate Policy Committee

1.    Approve the development of a Cheshire East Position Statement on Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH), setting out the council’s commitment to improving residents’ health and wellbeing by counteracting the negative influence and impacts of CDoH.

2.    Approve the council’s Public Health team working with partners across Cheshire and Merseyside to produce a Cheshire and Merseyside Position Statement on Commercial Determinants of Health.

3.    Approve the exploration of using planning powers and the local plan to restrict the density of unhealthy commodity industries in Cheshire East, particularly in areas where existing rates of deprivation and health inequalities are higher.

4.    Approve the exploration of using cumulative impact assessment(s) and licensing powers to reduce the overall impacts of alcohol use and harm.

5.    Approve the exploration of a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to sustainably and effectively address the underlying causes of health inequalities.

6.    Approve the promotion, development and delivery of interventions and projects (e.g. The Bread-and-Butter Thing), to provide as many residents as possible with healthier food ingredients and meals, and reduce reliance on cheaper, processed products that are higher in fat, sugar and salt.

7.    Note that forthcoming recommendations will be considered by Corporate Policy Committee and/or other service committee(s) as required.

The meeting adjourned for a 10-minute break at 19.10pm and reconvened at 19.20pm.