(Image: PA)
More than one in four children starting school in Darlington are overweight or obese, according to a council report.
The prevalence of overweight, including obesity, among reception-age children was 26.9 per cent in 2024/25.
That compares with 23.5 per cent across England and 26.7 per cent in the North East.
The latest data is included in a Darlington Borough Council report examining the local approach to healthy weight and the factors affecting residents' health. Councillors are being asked to support a "whole systems" approach, including improving access to healthy food and encouraging physical activity.
The report says the problem is particularly pronounced in some of the borough's more deprived communities.
Using data from 2022/23 to 2024/25, Eastbourne had the highest rate among reception children, at 34 per cent. By comparison, the rate in Northgate was 17.2 per cent. Wards with higher levels of deprivation generally had higher levels of childhood overweight and obesity.
Older children
Among Year Six pupils, 35.7 per cent were overweight or obese in 2024/25 - the lowest rate in the North East.
However, rates varied significantly between wards.
Using pooled data, the highest rate was 44.4 per cent in Red Hall and Lingfield, while Hummersknott had the lowest rate at 21.1 per cent.
The council said there was also a link between deprivation and access to healthy food.
Darlington has 160 fast food outlets, equivalent to 144.7 per 100,000 people.
That was the second-highest rate in the North East, above the regional average of 130.4 and England's rate of 115.9.
The report said more deprived areas tended to have a higher concentration of takeaways, particularly in urban areas and around the town centre. It described this as an "obesogenic environment" which could make healthy choices more difficult.
Councillor Mary Layton, of Pierremont ward, told a health and housing scrutiny committee: “It’s hard if you live in an estate with one small shop and that’s all you have. You have limited choice, the highest prices possible and poor transport links to other shops where you are going to be able to make healthier choices. It’s very tough for some people.
Councillors called for changes to national legislation to help local authorities support residents.
Neil Johnson, councillor for Cockerton ward, said: “What needs to be looked at is the onerous price of healthy food. If you look at the price of fruit in a supermarket, it is an astronomical price to buy the most basic things. If you are on a limited budget and have chicken and chips for £2.99 or a selection of fruit for £12, which are you going to go for?
“It’s disgraceful that people are being priced out of eating a healthy diet just because of the price. It’s absolutely wrong and needs to be addressed.”
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Physical activity and wider health
The report also found that 45.9 per cent of children in Darlington were classed as physically active, compared with 49 per cent in the North East and 49.1 per cent in England.
Councillors were asked to formally recommit Darlington to the Healthy Weight Declaration, which sets out 16 commitments for creating healthier environments.
Darlington initially signed up in 2021, but the report said the work had not progressed further.
It recommended the council use an ongoing audit of the commitments to help develop and implement a new healthy weight strategy.