SUPPORT for children and young people with issues such as obesity is more important than ever following the Covid-19 pandemic and amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Carlisle councillors received a report this week on the future priorities of Cumbria County Council’s Children and Young People’s Working Group.
The report came to the county council’s Local Committee for Carlisle in the midst of a worsening cost-of-living crisis.
The report to councillors on Wednesday reveals that the group’s priorities in its final year will be: supporting the work of the council’s Looked After Children champion, supporting young people impacted by domestic abuse; development of play and youth provision in the area and supporting the Cumbria Holiday Activity Food Programme.
Priorities of the group will also include: the health and wellbeing of young people, supporting the Carlisle Holiday Activity Partnership and vulnerable groups.
Cllr Elizabeth Mallinson, who is chair of the group as well as the Healthy City Forum thanked officers for their work and public health portfolio holder Deborah Earl for her support.
Cllr Mallinson said: “We’re looking at the wider picture as well, not just in Carlisle but looking at how we can do some joined-up thinking with other districts but in particular through Deborah and Public Health.
“Because the children are our future and we’ve got to make sure they have the activities to have a healthy life.
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“In Carlisle, we’ve got 25 per cent of primary school children coming in as obese and by the time they get to leave primary school, the figure’s gone up to over 35 and it is rising, those are pre-pandemic figures.”
But Cllr Mallinson warned that more current figures will present an even more stark picture.
“We’ve got to get a handle on this because overweight children become overweight adults.”
Cllr Deborah Earl, the council’s public health portfolio holder praised the work of officers and welcomed the priorities set out for 2022/23.
Cllr Earl is the chief executive of Carlisle Key, a homeless charity and said that from her experience, the work will be all the more important in the coming months.
“In my other role through the homeless charity, we are seeing young people presenting with the most horrendous of circumstances and we need to be ready. I think this work specifically focussing on what we can do to help is really good.”
Costs are an obstacle for some parents who want to give their children healthy choices as in some cases, the healthy option is the most expensive.
The Children and Young People’s Working Group is supporting the Holiday Activity Food Programme which will reach 797 children in the summer holidays.
Children who are entitled to free school meals will attend a variety of activities organised by 23 providers.
All of the activities which are taking place in Easter, summer and winter holidays will provide at least four hours of activity a day, four days a week and a health meal.
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