EAST Lancs will receive a share of an initial £10,000 funding boost as part of its bid to tackle childhood obesity.

Pennine Lancashire has been selected to receive funding as part of a national programme to tackle childhood obesity.

Blackburn with Darwen Council led on a bid that will see the £10,000 coming in from the government’s Childhood Obesity Trailblazer Programme.

The council and its partners in the Together a Healthier Future programme, will use the money to develop innovative plans to reduce childhood obesity.

Plans being developed will include creating a social movement for improved health and wellbeing in some of the most deprived communities.

102 local authorities applied to take part in the initial discovery phase of the programme with the Pennine Lancashire bid just one of 13 successful applications.

After all of the authorities have submitted their initial plans, five will be chosen to take theirs forward over three years, receiving £100k per year to do so.

Cllr Brian Taylor, executive member for health and adult social care, said: "With this money we will be able to work up some really innovative plans and get out into communities and get an understanding from children, young people and families whether they feel that obesity is an issue in their community and why; engage with local businesses and working with the six planning authorities to drive a consistent policy for effective control of fast food outlets, advertising of junk food and the availability of affordable nutritious food."

Cllr Mohammed Khan, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

This is a fine example of partnership working and what the Together a Healthier Future programme is all about. I look forward to us working with our colleagues to create some innovative plans.

Dr Damian Riley, medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: "This is great news. Childhood obesity is a real problem here in Pennine Lancashire and it has a long lasting and detrimental effect on a child’s health.

"It can lead to early onset type 2 diabetes, muscle and bone problems and heart disease to name just some of the problems.

"The best way to tackle the issue is with all the agencies who can make a difference working together.

"It’s particularly important that children and young people themselves, and their families, have the opportunity to influence this by being enabled to make healthy choices, and this is what we aim to achieve by working together.