£180k on weight loss schemes for Walsall's overweight children

Twenty-four per cent of the borough's youngsters are overweight or obese when they start school.

And Walsall Council is supporting more than 900 of them with weight loss schemes that include specialist lifestyle advice and physical activity.

Bosses say almost 90 per cent of children on the 'tailored-support programmes' achieve or maintain weight loss.

The £180,000 is split between two schemes - the 12-week Make It Count for four to seven year olds and Fun4Life for eight to 15 year olds.

The council today vowed to do all it can to tackle the ticking time bomb of childhood obesity.

Councillor Ian Robertson, portfolio holder for health, is also chairman of Walsall Health and Wellbeing Board - and has established a working group to look at the issue.

He said youngsters should also try to lose weight by making the most of the borough's leisure centres.

"There are some exciting initiatives under way for 2015 including the construction of two new state-of-the-art leisure centres in Bloxwich and Walsall Wood," he said.

"And while the council is facing unprecedented financial pressure, we are targeting resources through the Public Health transformation fund to work with colleagues in areas such as green spaces to commission initiatives that support the obesity agenda."

Public Health Walsall has a 'transformation fund' of £1 million to support services that help improve in the general health of the public in Walsall. It comes from grant funding and it is proposed an additional £1.2m will be allocated in 2015/16.

Around 40 per cent of children in the Black Country are also overweight when they leave primary school.

In Walsall, the rate is 40.3 per cent, while Wolverhampton has the highest at 41.7pc. Dudley has the lowest at 38.6pc.

It comes as parents and carers are being urged to cut down the amount of sugar their children consume and swap sweet treats for healthier choices.

Councillor Robertson said: "We have 13 per cent of Walsall three year olds suffering from visible tooth decay according to figures from the first national survey of the oral health of three year olds, carried out by Public Health England researchers. Poor dental health affects overall health and this, coupled with children being overweight or obese, is storing up problems for them as they become adults."