Totnes MP slams 'watered down' childhood obesity plan
An influential Tory MP has criticised the Government's obesity plan as "disappointing".
Dr Sarah Wollaston, who is the MP for Totnes as well as chairwoman of the Health Select Committee, said that the document had been "watered down".
Speaking as a new report into public health was released by the committee, Dr Wollaston said "The disappointing watering down of the childhood obesity strategy, published in August, demonstrates the gap in joined-up evidence-based policy to improve health and wellbeing."
The childhood obesity plan, published a fortnight ago, was criticised byleading health organisations for not going far enough to help halt the number of children who are overweight or obese.
The new Health Select Committee report calls for a Cabinet Office minister to be given specific responsibility for embedding health across all areas of Government policy.
The committee looked at the general picture of public health across the country since the responsibility for public health was handed to councils in 2013.
They cautioned that local authorities were dealt an in-year cut of £200 million last year and now face further real terms cuts to public health budgets
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are committed to protecting the public's health. Over the next five years we will invest more than £16 billion in local government public health services, in addition to what the NHS continues to spend on vaccinations, screening and the world's first national diabetes prevention programme.