Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Director of Public Health regarding an update on the Marmot City – Fairer Leeds programme.

The report of the Director of Public Health provided an update to Elected Members on the Marmot City – Fairer Leeds Programme. The report provides an update at the end of Year one and presents early reflections on early findings/progress and to how the recommendations and interim findings from the IHE can support action at a local neighbourhood level.

The Head of Public Health (Leeds City Council) attended the meeting and provided members with the following information:

·  The things that can cause health inequalities such as education, job status, family, and community support. As well as things that also cause a reduction in life expectancy.

·  Background information on Michael Marmot and the work he has done around researching building blocks of health, and where further work is needed to address health inequalities.

·  The Council have come up with 8 policy areas to focus on, as per the Marmot principles, to give every child, the best possible start in life.

·  The Marmot approach is a framework for action and shows that we are trying to ensure we are doing things for everyone, but on a scale that is dependent on people’s needs. For example, when decisions are made about housing, education and where trees are planted, considerations must include fairness and health.

·  An overview of Fairer, Healthier: Leeds as a Marmot City. Year One Action Plan and how this translates into local areas, and what decisions are to be taken. There are 15 recommendations that will be considered at the next Health and Wellbeing Board and there is a focus on housing and health and 0–5-year-olds.

·  It is acknowledged that the everybody in the city has a role to play, and partnerships will need to be expanded on, and how the council will engage with businesses and the private sector. There is a lot of pilots in Leeds currently, and learnings from that need to be understood on what works well.

·  Public Health have done an evaluation on the impact of selective licensing and interviews have been carried out around mental health improvements and fly-tipping and how progress can be improved. This will also inform work on how another selective licensing scheme can move forward. Housing officers and health officers are aligning different contracts to have shared outcomes.

·  There are inequalities associated with children from diverse communities, and them lacking early years development. There is a need for better connections and partnerships with GPs and there is a need for helping parents better understand services.

·  It was noted that the Marmot approach seeks to understand how things are operationalised at a local level and how recommendations set on a city level are made to work on a local level. Officers requested that future development on such recommendations are brought back to a future Community Committee meeting to update members.

Committee Members thanked Public Health for the work done so far on Leeds being a Marmot City, and for the results of recent selective licensing work targeting the Harehills ward.

The Committee also welcomed the suggestion of updates being brought back to the Community Committee.

RESOLVED – To note the contents of the report, and comments made during discussion of this item.