Should Fast Food Outlets Be Allowed Near Schools? Reports Shows 1 In 5 Children Aged 4 Were Overweight In Havering.

In December, planning authorities across the UK were urged to reject proposals within walking distance of schools or where there was already a concentration of shops.

Local Democracy Reporter Sebastian Mann writes:

The impact on local shops would need to be considered before any further crackdowns on fast food, Havering councillors say.

Havering Conservatives have pushed for the town hall to assess how any potential new measures could affect small parades of shops in the borough.

Their motion was put before the council, which is controlled by Havering Residents Association (HRA), at a meeting on 15th January.

Currently, fast-food stores are not allowed within 400m of a school, as per London-wide regulations.

In December, planning authorities across the UK were urged to reject proposals within walking distance of schools or where there was already a concentration of shops.

Conservative councillor Jason Frost said further restrictions presented a “very real danger” that many parades would “simply disappear completely”. He said “poor policy implementation,” rather than “poor policy,” would be to blame.

Fellow Conservative councillor David Taylor said there was an “excessive number” of fast food restaurants in his Romford ward.

He said: “Even with that planning restriction in place, children getting off the bus in Romford still have access to cheap fried chicken.”

A council report from May revealed that one in five Havering children between four and five years old were obese or overweight. The same was true for two in five youngsters aged between ten and eleven.

HRA councillor and deputy leader Gillian Ford said any new proposals would not affect existing businesses, and shops were already required to advertise “their healthier options”.

Type-2 diabetes in children can be “aggressive,” Cllr Ford said, quoting advice from Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. It can lead to both kidney failure and heart disease at young ages, she added.

Labour councillor Jane Keane warned that tighter restrictions can lead to empty shops, which then need to be loosened.

She said the issue around food was “very much to do with poverty”. She said: “For some young children, [cheap food] might be the only meal they are able to get at home.”

Councillors ultimately voted to adopt the HRA’s amended motion, which included the same commitment to carrying out an ‘economic impact assessment’.

Motions do not constitute new policy announcements and simply reflect the stance of the council.

The council says it has committed to eradicating childhood obesity “within 20 years,” and is developing a five-year health strategy.

During the same full council meeting, councillors also committed to cracking down on the “unacceptable levels” of shoplifting in Hornchurch and Upminster town centres.

The Tories had proposed that the council work with the Metropolitan Police, the Conservative MP Julia Lopez, and Conservative Assembly member – Councillor Keith Prince.

The chamber instead adopted the HRA’s amendment, which involved a more neutral commitment to work with “all partners”.

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