SUGAR Tax is not the only way to tackle obesity and why the delay?
Almost 10 per cent of four to five-year-olds and 19 per cent of 10 to 11-year-olds in England are obese, something needs to be done. 
The idea of a ‘sugar tax’ has been discussed and raised by the likes of Jamie Oliver for well over five years. 
The Public Health report Sugar Reduction: The Evidence For Action, published In October 2015 outlines its key actions of which this government has only chosen to action one. 
Three of the things that would help parents by ensuring supermarkets don’t tempt our children are ignored: 1. Ending tempting price promotions. 2. Ensuring there is clear labelling. And 3. Regulating advertising on these products.
These have all been left alone.
Huge cuts to the public health budget means that those that need help and advice to make changes to benefit their health will not be getting it, instead we have a new tax.
We had 3.7 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2013-14. That’s 28 per cent of all children, or nine in a classroom of 30. 
With parents struggling to make ends meet and reliant on foodbanks in times of crisis a new tax like this seems the wrong thing to choose to tackle obesity.
Even with the new tax, it’s not being implemented for two years so that the food industry has time to change. 
With the ban on smoking in workplaces in England, the time delay from the time the law was passed and its implementation was nine months and huge changes had to be made for that. 
If it’s a good thing to do why not do it properly and do it now?
Too little and in the wrong places, why leave the supermarkets and advertisers alone and tax the parents? Conservatives don’t change.
Coun Fay Howard
Councillor for Liden, Eldene and Park South