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| Report exposes Britain's unhealthiest high streets | Report exposes Britain's unhealthiest high streets |
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| More and more of Britain’s high streets are being taken over by tanning salons, fast food takeaways, bookmakers and other businesses that can damage people’s physical or mental health, public health experts have warned in a new report that names the unhealthiest towns and cities in Britain. | More and more of Britain’s high streets are being taken over by tanning salons, fast food takeaways, bookmakers and other businesses that can damage people’s physical or mental health, public health experts have warned in a new report that names the unhealthiest towns and cities in Britain. |
| Based on the number of such premises in the main shopping area, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has found that Preston has the highest concentration of outlets that can potentially damage health, closely followed by Middlesbrough and Coventry. Blackpool, where levels of health are among the lowest in England, and Northampton are fourth and fifth worst. Eastbourne, a popular retirement destination on the south coast, is a surprise inclusion. The RSPH rates it the 10th unhealthiest place in Britain. | Based on the number of such premises in the main shopping area, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has found that Preston has the highest concentration of outlets that can potentially damage health, closely followed by Middlesbrough and Coventry. Blackpool, where levels of health are among the lowest in England, and Northampton are fourth and fifth worst. Eastbourne, a popular retirement destination on the south coast, is a surprise inclusion. The RSPH rates it the 10th unhealthiest place in Britain. |
| Related: Report exposes Britain's unhealthiest high streets | Related: Report exposes Britain's unhealthiest high streets |
| Although high streets could play a vital role in boosting health, “In many towns and cities, high streets are being overtaken by businesses with potentially damaging consequences for public health”, the RSPH’s report warns. Increasingly, it says, high streets are “home to business activities which may undermine and potentially harm the public’s health”, it goes on, citing the proliferation of payday lending outlets as an example of a worrying trend. | Although high streets could play a vital role in boosting health, “In many towns and cities, high streets are being overtaken by businesses with potentially damaging consequences for public health”, the RSPH’s report warns. Increasingly, it says, high streets are “home to business activities which may undermine and potentially harm the public’s health”, it goes on, citing the proliferation of payday lending outlets as an example of a worrying trend. |
| The body, which represents 6,000 public health doctors and other specialists, has classified the 70 towns and cities in Britain with the biggest shopping areas – apart from London, where it analysed 144 high streets separately – according to how positively or negatively the outlets there affect public health. Shrewsbury emerges as the place with the most businesses that can benefit health, closely followed by Ayr, Salisbury, Perth and Hereford. They scored highly for having “health promoting” premises in their main retail area, such as leisure centres and health clubs, libraries, health centres, pharmacies, museums and art galleries. | The body, which represents 6,000 public health doctors and other specialists, has classified the 70 towns and cities in Britain with the biggest shopping areas – apart from London, where it analysed 144 high streets separately – according to how positively or negatively the outlets there affect public health. Shrewsbury emerges as the place with the most businesses that can benefit health, closely followed by Ayr, Salisbury, Perth and Hereford. They scored highly for having “health promoting” premises in their main retail area, such as leisure centres and health clubs, libraries, health centres, pharmacies, museums and art galleries. |
| While leisure centres were rated the most beneficial on the society’s “Richter scale of health”, with a score of +7, even above health services (+6), among what it called “hazards” to health, tanning salons came in at -1, chippies, kebab shops and other fast food takeaways at -2, while payday loan shops came bottom, on -4. | While leisure centres were rated the most beneficial on the society’s “Richter scale of health”, with a score of +7, even above health services (+6), among what it called “hazards” to health, tanning salons came in at -1, chippies, kebab shops and other fast food takeaways at -2, while payday loan shops came bottom, on -4. |
| Preston got the unwanted accolade for having 25 takeaways, 12 payday loan shops and 11 bookmakers in its main retail area, but just six health services. Shrewsbury, though, had just eight takeaways, four payday loan shops, three bookmakers and 23 health services in its main retail area. | |
| Perhaps surprisingly, the RSPH rated pubs and bars – sometimes associated with violence, noise and late-night disruption – as beneficial, especially to combating social isolation and mental ill-health. “Pubs and bars can act as hubs of community life, important for mental health and wellbeing. They provide a social space and many host a variety of events such as pub quizzes, competitions, sports screenings, live music, parties and have links with local sports teams and charity efforts,” it says. | Perhaps surprisingly, the RSPH rated pubs and bars – sometimes associated with violence, noise and late-night disruption – as beneficial, especially to combating social isolation and mental ill-health. “Pubs and bars can act as hubs of community life, important for mental health and wellbeing. They provide a social space and many host a variety of events such as pub quizzes, competitions, sports screenings, live music, parties and have links with local sports teams and charity efforts,” it says. |
| The close correlation between the number of health hazard outlets and a town’s deprivation level was mirrored in the RSPH’s league table of 144 high streets in the capital. Whitechapel in Tower Hamlets, east London, one of England’s poorest boroughs, was rated the unhealthiest high street in London, using the same criteria as the list of towns and cities. In contrast, leafy Whetstone in Barnet – home to Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and a number of professional footballers – emerged as having the capital’s healthiest high street. | |
| The RSPH is demanding action to make it easier for local councils to avoid having too many unhealthy outlets in one area. It wants fast food outlets to be “encouraged” to control the size of the portions they serve and use healthier ways of cooking, supermarkets to ban displays of treat foods such as sweets and chocolates near checkouts and queueing areas, as Aldi, Lidl and Tesco have already done in some stores, and wants e-cigarettes to be removed from sale in supermarkets, to reduce temptation. | The RSPH is demanding action to make it easier for local councils to avoid having too many unhealthy outlets in one area. It wants fast food outlets to be “encouraged” to control the size of the portions they serve and use healthier ways of cooking, supermarkets to ban displays of treat foods such as sweets and chocolates near checkouts and queueing areas, as Aldi, Lidl and Tesco have already done in some stores, and wants e-cigarettes to be removed from sale in supermarkets, to reduce temptation. |
| It is also recommending a limit on the number of unhealthy businesses that can open up in one place, a ban on unstaffed tanning salons, injunctions for all users of tanning machines to wear goggles, and for the maximum stake in fixed-odds betting terminals in bookmakers – dubbed gambling’s “crack cocaine” – to be cut from £100 to £50. It also wants to see cigarette-style health warnings applied to businesses that do too little to reduce the harmful impact of their product, such as high-interest loans. | It is also recommending a limit on the number of unhealthy businesses that can open up in one place, a ban on unstaffed tanning salons, injunctions for all users of tanning machines to wear goggles, and for the maximum stake in fixed-odds betting terminals in bookmakers – dubbed gambling’s “crack cocaine” – to be cut from £100 to £50. It also wants to see cigarette-style health warnings applied to businesses that do too little to reduce the harmful impact of their product, such as high-interest loans. |
| The Local Government Association, which represents 350 councils in England, said the report echoed its concerns about trends in the makeup of high streets. “Councils want high streets to thrive and are on the side of local people when it comes to tackling the high concentrations of takeaways, betting shops and payday lenders. Councils have been calling for many of the same recommendations contained in the report, including a public health objective in licensing and a power for them to consider the cumulative impact of betting shops in close proximity,” said councillor Izzi Seccombe, chair of its Community Wellbeing Board. | The Local Government Association, which represents 350 councils in England, said the report echoed its concerns about trends in the makeup of high streets. “Councils want high streets to thrive and are on the side of local people when it comes to tackling the high concentrations of takeaways, betting shops and payday lenders. Councils have been calling for many of the same recommendations contained in the report, including a public health objective in licensing and a power for them to consider the cumulative impact of betting shops in close proximity,” said councillor Izzi Seccombe, chair of its Community Wellbeing Board. |
| “Local authorities are hamstrung by the current planning and licensing systems, under which councils have extremely limited powers to refuse openings, even in places that are already saturated with certain types of businesses,” she added. | “Local authorities are hamstrung by the current planning and licensing systems, under which councils have extremely limited powers to refuse openings, even in places that are already saturated with certain types of businesses,” she added. |