Town bids for healthy city status

WARRINGTON is to submit an application for World Health Organisation “Healthy City” status.
The borough council’s executive board has agreed to the application with the backing of the town’s Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board.
It means the council must commit to the principles in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy Cities declaration made at Zagreb in 2008.
A successful application is seen as an effective vehicle to implement Warrington’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) and it is proposed that some of the values and principles of action in the Zagreb Declaration should feature in the JHWS.
Cllr Pat Wright (pictured), the council’s executive member for health and wellbeing said the council was already working with partners to tackle health inequalities in Warrington.
“There are health inequalities between Warrington, the North West and the UK generally.
“Critically, there are also inequalities between residents in Warrington, dependent upon where they live in the borough.
“The WHO Healthy Cities Programme is an expression of commitment to address health issues across the range of public authorities who have influence on the quality of life in Warrington.”
In the North West, Manchester, Liverpool, Carlisle and Preston are already designated as WHO cities.
Achieving this status will open up a network of support and experience which Warrington can draw on to address health inequalities.
Cllr Wright said health inequalities disproportionately affect the most vulnerable groups in the community.
“Being part of the Health Cities network would enable Warrington to learn and share with peers regarding approaches to wellbeing.
“This would enable the transferring of knowledge to allow Warrington to scale up its work on health inequalities and the development of wellness services.”