Agenda item

9.1

It was moved by Councillor Adam Hurst, and seconded by Councillor Dawn Dale, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that recent data looking into the health of the UK population shows that under its two main indicators, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, health in the UK has got worse since the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010;

(b)       further notes that improvements to the average life expectancy for both women and men in the UK has been slowing down in the UK over the last few years; here in Sheffield there has been very little improvement in women’s life expectancy over the last 10 to 15 years, and for men we have seen an actual decrease in average life expectancy from 78.8 years in 2012-2014 to 78.7 years for the most recent period of 2013-2015;

(c)        agrees with the assessment of Sheffield City Council’s Director of Public Health that austerity is the biggest factor in accounting for these worrying trends;

(d)       notes that not only are there worrying trends as to the length of life expectancy but also for the quality and health of this life; latest figures for Sheffield show that average healthy life expectancy for women decreased sharply from 61.5 years in 2009-11 to 59.9 years in 2013-15, and men’s healthy life expectancy decreased from 59.3 years to 59 years;

(e)       supports the Administration’s work, currently underway, in updating the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, which will take a much more in-depth look at health and wellbeing in the city; this updating has included, for example, examining our progress across all the 159 indicators in the national Public Figures Health Outcomes Framework;

(f)        notes the growing body of evidence showing the profoundly damaging impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have on a child’s future outcomes across many areas including health and wellbeing, and these effects can last a lifetime; types of ACEs include child abuse (which includes emotional, physical or sexual abuse), neglect (both physical and emotional) and household challenges such as growing up in a household where there is substance misuse, mental illness, domestic violence, parent separation/divorce or where a member of the household is sent to prison;

(g)       notes that evidence shows there is a strong graded relationship between the number and category of childhood exposures and the risk of developing emotional and physical health problems in later life, with children who experience ACEs being more likely to become parents who raise their children in family environments where these risk factors are more common, thereby perpetuating the cycle of disadvantage and poor health;

(h)       supports, therefore, a course of preventative action to reduce the impact on ACEs, including:-

(i)         Sheffield City Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) requesting that Public Health England co-ordinate further research on identifying and describing the long term return on investment of tackling ACEs and effective primary and secondary prevention models;

(ii)        prioritising increasing public awareness of ACEs and their lifelong consequences in childhood, and gain political and organisational commitment for a coherent programme of work to prevent ACEs;

(iii)       identifying what can be done at individual, family and community level to put in place effective interventions in the pre-natal period and first 3 years after birth for the most disadvantaged children and families;

(iv)       exploring how we can incorporate our response to ACEs into our Early Years’ delivery model, its pathways and services; and

(v)        equipping Early Years’ practitioners with a full understanding of ACEs, the importance of promoting bonding and attachment for good parent-child relationships and secure emotional attachment, and also promoting positive maternal, family and emotional health and resilience;

(i)         believes that under successive Conservative and Conservative-Liberal Democrat governments, children from poorer backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by austerity measures; and

(j)         notes that in 2016 the United Nations condemned Conservative government policies for failing to ensure children’s rights to adequate health, living standards, housing and education.

9.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Steve Ayris, and seconded by Councillor Sue Alston, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of paragraph (c) and the addition of a new paragraph (c) as follows:-

(c)        also notes that according to the Office for National Statistics some of the factors that have historically driven improvement, such as a reduction in smoking and circulatory disease, may have largely been realised;

2.         the deletion of paragraph (i) and the addition of a new paragraph (i) as follows:-

(i)         believes that changes to life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are the result of long term changes, and supports efforts at a national and local level to improve the health of the population; and

3.         the deletion of paragraph (a) and the re-lettering of paragraphs (b) to (j) as new paragraphs (a) to (i).

9.2.1

(NOTE: With the agreement of the Council and at the request of the mover of the amendment (Councillor Steve Ayris), the amendment as circulated at the meeting was altered by the substitution of the words “the Office for National Statistics” for the words “Public Health (England)”.)

9.3

It was then moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, and seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of a new paragraph (k) as follows:-

(k)        but believes that this Labour-controlled Council contributed to children’s disadvantage by closing Surestart centres and reducing funding to community nurseries in the most disadvantaged areas of Sheffield;

9.4

Following debate on the matter under consideration, and a right of reply from Councillor Adam Hurst, the altered amendment moved by Councillor Steve Ayris was put to the vote and negatived.

9.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson was then put to the vote and was also negatived.

9.6

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried as follows:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       notes that recent data looking into the health of the UK population shows that under its two main indicators, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, health in the UK has got worse since the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010;

(b)       further notes that improvements to the average life expectancy for both women and men in the UK has been slowing down in the UK over the last few years; here in Sheffield there has been very little improvement in women’s life expectancy over the last 10 to 15 years, and for men we have seen an actual decrease in average life expectancy from 78.8 years in 2012-2014 to 78.7 years for the most recent period of 2013-2015;

(c)        agrees with the assessment of Sheffield City Council’s Director of Public Health that austerity is the biggest factor in accounting for these worrying trends;

(d)       notes that not only are there worrying trends as to the length of life expectancy but also for the quality and health of this life; latest figures for Sheffield show that average healthy life expectancy for women decreased sharply from 61.5 years in 2009-11 to 59.9 years in 2013-15, and men’s healthy life expectancy decreased from 59.3 years to 59 years;

(e)       supports the Administration’s work, currently underway, in updating the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, which will take a much more in-depth look at health and wellbeing in the city; this updating has included, for example, examining our progress across all the 159 indicators in the national Public Figures Health Outcomes Framework;

(f)        notes the growing body of evidence showing the profoundly damaging impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have on a child’s future outcomes across many areas including health and wellbeing, and these effects can last a lifetime; types of ACEs include child abuse (which includes emotional, physical or sexual abuse), neglect (both physical and emotional) and household challenges such as growing up in a household where there is substance misuse, mental illness, domestic violence, parent separation/divorce or where a member of the household is sent to prison;

(g)       notes that evidence shows there is a strong graded relationship between the number and category of childhood exposures and the risk of developing emotional and physical health problems in later life, with children who experience ACEs being more likely to become parents who raise their children in family environments where these risk factors are more common, thereby perpetuating the cycle of disadvantage and poor health;

(h)       supports, therefore, a course of preventative action to reduce the impact on ACEs, including:-

(i)         Sheffield City Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) requesting that Public Health England co-ordinate further research on identifying and describing the long term return on investment of tackling ACEs and effective primary and secondary prevention models;

(ii)        prioritising increasing public awareness of ACEs and their lifelong consequences in childhood, and gain political and organisational commitment for a coherent programme of work to prevent ACEs;

(iii)       identifying what can be done at individual, family and community level to put in place effective interventions in the pre-natal period and first 3 years after birth for the most disadvantaged children and families;

(iv)       exploring how we can incorporate our response to ACEs into our Early Years’ delivery model, its pathways and services; and

(v)        equipping Early Years’ practitioners with a full understanding of ACEs, the importance of promoting bonding and attachment for good parent-child relationships and secure emotional attachment, and also promoting positive maternal, family and emotional health and resilience;

(i)         believes that under successive Conservative and Conservative-Liberal Democrat governments, children from poorer backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by austerity measures; and

(j)         notes that in 2016 the United Nations condemned Conservative government policies for failing to ensure children’s rights to adequate health, living standards, housing and education.

9.6.1

The votes on the above Motion were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-