LANCASHIRE’S district councils are being urged to follow Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn by using the planning system to ban new hot fast food outlets near schools.

County public health boss Charlie Edwards believes action to prevent the rapid increase in takeaways is vital to tackle the child obesity crisis.

He wants a ban on new outlets within 400 metres of secondary schools and further measures to prevent takeaways opening in deprived neighbourhoods and those with high rates of overweight youngsters.

Cllr Edwards, lead member for health, has put a motion to Thursday’s full Lancashire County Council meeting calling for action after new figures revealed that between 2012 and 2016 the number of fast food shops in its area rose by 20 per cent.

Although the authority has no local planning powers it has overall responsibility for public health in 12 districts including Hyndburn, Burnley, Ribble Valley, Pendle, Rossendale and Chorley.

In April 2016 Blackburn with Darwen, a separate unitary council responsible for both planning and public health, introduced a policy of refusing permission for new takeaways within 400m of any primary or secondary school, madrassa, nursery or college with five or more existing outlets within the exclusion zone unless the proposed opening hours were outside those of the educational institution.

Since then the number of takeaways in the borough has fallen from 236 to 219.

Its health boss Cllr Brian Taylor welcomed the county move and said the experience of Blackburn with Darwen showed the policy worked.

Burnley Council leader Cllr Mark Townsend revealed his borough was considering a similar school exclusion zone for new takeaway planning applications.

He supported Cllr Edwards, saying: “It will send a signal to people about the importance of healthy eating.”

Earlier this year Hyndburn Council adopted a new planning policy of ‘ensuring that the opening hours of hot food take-aways within 400m of a school are restricted so they are not open during or close to school opening times’.

Its leader Cllr Miles Parkinson said: “I hope the county adopts this policy. It will send out a message to people about the dangers of takeaway foods which are high in salt, sugar and fat.”

The latest Public Health England figures show that the percentage of children in year six classified as obese in Hyndburn is 22.8; in Ribble Valley 14.3; in Blackburn with Darwen 21; in Pendle 22.2; in Burnley 21.2; in Rossendale 19.3; and Chorley 18.1. The England average is 20 per cent.

Its figures for takeaways are Blackburn with Darwen 219 (147.5 per 100,000 population) Burnley 147 (168 per 100,000); Chorley 121 (105.9 per 100,000); Hyndburn 121 (150.5 per 100,000); Pendle 108 (119.3 per 100,000); Ribble Valley 60 (101.9 per 100,000) and Rossendale 85 (121.8 per 100,000).

Cllr Azhar Ali, leader of the county council Labour group, said: “We will support the motion although planning is a district council responsibility and the Tory administration is playing catch-up with Labour-controlled Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn.”

Cllr Taylor said: “We have restricted our policy to the areas around schools as we believe this strikes a balance between public health policy and the needs of businesses."

“The latest PHE figures show this works and I support the county council seeking to send a message out to district councils and the public about the need to eat healthily and avoid fast food full of sugar salt and fat.”

The motion proposed by Cllr Edwards also calls for district council planners to refuse new fast food outlets in areas of high deprivation and where there is an existing problem with childhood obesity.

He said the rise in takeaways was ‘unbelievable’ adding: “In some deprived areas we’ve got plenty now.”

Cllr Edwards added “This is one of many things we need to do – I’m not saying this is going to change childhood obesity overnight, no policy will.

“A healthy population is a wealthy population and the best way to tackle deprivation of the wallet is to tackle deprivation of the soul, heart and body.”

Public health statistics show that, amongst children in year 6 living in the most deprived parts of the county, just over a quarter will be obese.   However, in the least deprived areas, that figure is halved to just over 12 percent.