Doncaster residents join Yorkshire people in calling for health before profit

Through two Citizens’ Juries held in Wakefield and Doncaster, local people came together to discuss how products, such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food affect health, and to agree recommendations for change.

Established last autumn, the Citizens’ Juries brought together two groups of residents, broadly representative of the Yorkshire and Humber population.

Over several workshops, Jurors heard evidence on the health impacts of the tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food industries, learning how these products are among the leading causes of preventable illness in the UK.

They also explored the tactics used by industry to promote sales.

After weighing up the evidence, Jurors developed ‘manifestos for change’ - a set of actions they believe are needed to make their communities healthier places to live and work.

These included calls to make healthy food more affordable, restrict the advertising of alcohol, unhealthy food and vapes, and protect health policy from industry influence.

At a final workshop on Saturday, Doncaster-based Jurors shared their findings with MPs, local councillors and policy makers, calling for health to be prioritised over the profits of large companies.

Nicole, from Doncaster, explained: "What I would like for decision makers to hear is that advertising on social media of products like alcohol, unhealthy food and vapes needs to be reduced.

"And there are so many local corner shops that you can easily go to that just have these products available and I feel that this is contributing to a decline in society’s health and we should be able to implement policies to reduce that."

Jurors also felt strongly that legislation that protects people from harmful industries.

As another Juror from Doncaster, Ruth, summarised: “People do care about these issues, and it really should be focused on a lot more. Whether it is legislation at a national level, or at a local level, things have to change really for peoples’ health and wellbeing.”

Despite this, Jurors were optimistic about the future, reflecting that: “Others do care and change can happen.”

Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health at York Council and representing the Yorkshire & Humber Association of Directors of Public Health, said: “We commissioned this piece of work on the back of strong evidence around the health harms caused by the tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food industries.

“But you need more than academic evidence to make change happen: we wanted to hear the voice of citizens in Yorkshire and the Humber on these issues, so we went in to these juries with open minds, listening to people’s reactions and hearing what they think about these crucial challenges facing society.

“The findings will shape the future of our work to tackle preventable harms from industry, and we will continue to advocate for national changes to benefit residents in our region and beyond.”

Scott Crosby, Associate Director of the Centre for Excellence, the regional prevention programme funded by Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “It’s incredibly powerful to see residents and local people shaping this work and bringing their lived experience into the conversation about reducing the harm caused by tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink.

“Hearing directly from communities matters so much – their voices are essential if we are serious about tackling preventable harm and reducing health inequalities.

The insights from these Citizens’ Juries will help ensure our work is rooted in what people want and need and will strengthen our collective call for action to put health before profit.”