Creating Healthier Communities
Local Councils are increasingly recognised as being part of the front line in preventing ill health through their involvement in housing, social care, planning, protecting food standards and many other aspects of their work. Councils play a pivotal role in reducing local health inequalities through their health improvement strategies.
Strategic partnerships between Primary Care Trusts and Local Councils, among others, now underpin much of the work which is done to tackle health inequalities, and nutrition and food choices are often a key theme in those strategies.
LACORS sister organisation the Improvement and Development Agency (IDe&A) has developed a Healthy Communities Programme, funded by the Department of Health, which aims to build the capacity of Local Authorities to:
- Tackle health inequalities
- Provide leadership to promote wellbeing
- Foster a joined up approach to health improvement across Local Government itself through partnership working with local health organisations, the voluntary and community sector, the private sector and other key local partners.
- Improve the impact of local strategic partnerships and local area agreements on the health and well being of the local community.
Many of Food Vision’s case studies aim to reduce health inequalities and all show, in a practical way, how local councils and thier partners are driving healthier communities
Links to Further Information
Department of Health - Inequalities Toolkit
LACORS and Food Standards Agency joint guidance - Food in LAAs
There are further food related case studies on the IDe&A wesbite