The Health and Wellbeing Board of Bury Council was scheduled to discuss a range of topics, including updates on crime and safety, public service reform, and the operation of the health and care system. A significant portion of the meeting was also dedicated to examining the behaviour and lifestyle determinants of health, with a particular focus on childhood obesity.

Crime and Safety Update

The meeting was scheduled to receive an update on crime and safety from Chris Woodhouse, Strategic Partnerships Manager. This included information on tackling offences against children, with a focus on refreshing the Complex Safeguarding Strategy in light of the Greater Manchester Child Sexual Exploitation problem profile. Efforts to address child-on-child CSE and transitional safeguarding, particularly in East Bury, were to be discussed.

The board was also set to receive an update on serious violence, including a review of the Bury Serious Violence Strategic Needs Assessment. Information was to be provided on Bury's consistently lower rates of violence offences compared to the Greater Manchester average, and the local response to the Home Office Knife Crime Concentrations Fund. A knife crime delivery plan, developed by Chief Inspector (Operations), was to be outlined, detailing targeted activity to improve crime outcomes, target habitual knife carriers, and enhance partnership working. Similarly, a violence plan developed by Chief Inspector (Partnership) Andy Wright was to be presented, focusing on investigation standards, prosecution quality, and victim compliance. The report was expected to cover GMP's Operation SKYHARBOUR, targeting prohibited weapons, and the GM-wide activity during Operation SCEPTRE week of action.

An update on domestic abuse was also scheduled, with a focus on the development of a new Domestic Abuse Strategy for the Borough. The strategy's mission, vision, and approach were to be detailed, emphasizing early recognition and prevention of harm, providing the right support at the right time, ensuring children are seen, heard, and supported, and holding perpetrators to account. The report was to highlight a renewed focus on data with a tiered approach, including demand, risk, impact, and outcomes, as well as robust demographic information. Key themes from Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) by neighbourhood were also to be presented, identifying issues such as drugs, alcohol, mental health, and violence in Bury, and alcohol, mental health, and wider violence in Whitefield.

Discussions were also planned regarding inclusive communities, led by Helen Tomlinson of Bury VCFA. This would cover corralling activity through cohesion roundtables, post-Yom Kippur terrorist attack responses, and connecting to LETS Delivery to tackle underlying inequalities. The co-production of a medium-term framework and a place-based programme with Belong to shape a local framework aligned with the national Protecting What Matters social cohesion strategy was to be discussed. Strengthening community capacity and connectivity, enhancing capability, cultural competence, and confidence training, and embedding anti-racist principles were also on the agenda.

Updates on safe spaces and places were scheduled, covering the Water Safety Partnership and the Vision Zero Partnership. The CONTEST strategy, focusing on Prevent Safeguarding Against Hateful Extremism, was to be discussed, including a tiered training programme, venue hire guidance, and awareness and referrals. Learning from Phase 1 of the Southport Inquiry, which identified systemic failures in multi-agency safety and safeguarding, was to be reviewed. This included issues such as the absence of risk ownership, critical failures in information sharing, misinterpretation of autism and behavioural presentation, failure to oversee online behaviours, and weak escalation and challenge. The government's response to the Southport Inquiry, including a new taskforce on extreme violence and reforms to Prevent and Counter-Terrorism, was to be outlined. A self-assessment by the Bury Safeguarding Partnership Business Unit to review the local position in response to the Southport Inquiry findings was also scheduled.

Public Service Reform Steering Group Update

Chris Woodhouse, Strategic Partnerships Manager, was also scheduled to provide an update on the Public Service Reform Steering Group. This update was to detail Bury's public service reform journey over the past five years, focusing on driving neighbourhood team working and changing the nature of public service delivery to support people and communities. The report was to explain how this aligns with Bury's LET'S Do It strategy, detailing neighbourhood working, partnership identification of risk cohorts, tailored integrated responses, and collaborative whole-system delivery. The four elements of the neighbourhood model – Integrated Adult Health and Care Teams, Neighbourhood Leadership Teams, implementation of the GM Live Well model, and neighbourhood approaches to supporting children and families – were to be elaborated upon.

The update was to cover locality plan priorities for integrated health and care, and the role of Public Service Leadership Teams in identifying risks, integrating support through a 'Team Around' approach, and building on community assets. What works well, including developing relationships across place-based colleagues and increased place-based awareness of front-line colleagues' roles, was to be highlighted. Opportunities for expansion into 'Team Bury at Place' style teams, distributed leadership, and hardwiring Place Department colleagues into place-shaping opportunities were also to be discussed. The evolution of team membership and connectivity, including education, housing providers, regeneration colleagues, and commissioned services, was to be presented.

Specific updates on children and young people were scheduled, focusing on the Family Hub model to deliver Bury's Best Start Local Plan, aiming for early identification and support for children and families. The report was to detail the strategic approach, including bringing services together, focusing on early identification and prevention, and outlining plans for family hubs in various locations across Bury. The integration of a strengths-based approach within the Safeguarding Partnership Multi-Agency Response to Need and the foundation block of SEND reforms for schools were also to be covered. The neighbourhood team working and the local implementation of the GM Live Well programme were to be detailed, including the opening of the Whitefield Live Well Centre and plans for Radcliffe, East Bury, Ramsbottom, and Prestwich. Furthering neighbourhood working through GMP's commitment to the Neighbourhood Policing Approach and alignment of core community safety offers were also on the agenda.

The report was to emphasize a strengths-based approach to people and communities, detailing how LET'S Do It! in action centres around different relationships, embedding strengths-based documentation, and developing ward-level neighbourhood placements. The commitment to the local VCFSE sector through local MoUs was to be highlighted, focusing on co-design, co-production, and ensuring the voice of the VCFSE sector is heard. The need to sharpen the delivery of reform approaches through a more integrated and compelling demand management strategy was to be discussed, including work with Impower to identify financial opportunities for early intervention and the identification of 10 principles of demand reduction. The report was to cover co-production with people and communities, recognizing, celebrating, and investing in the VCFSE sector, building on community assets and strengths, proactive identification of people and families at risk, a single source of information about support and assets, making every contact count, commissioning for independence, and support to unpaid carers.

Review of Health and Wellbeing Data

Jon Hobday, Director of Public Health, was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the review of health and wellbeing data.

Obesity and Healthy Weight

Lee Buggie, Public Health Specialist, was scheduled to provide an update on childhood obesity and healthy weight in Bury. The briefing was to outline the significant inequalities underpinning current trends and the actions being taken through the Bury Obesity Alliance and wider partnership arrangements to address unhealthy weight through a whole system approach. The report was to highlight that while obesity prevalence has remained relatively stable, early National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) data indicated that excess weight continues to increase across both Reception and Year 6 pupils, with the greatest burden falling on children in more deprived communities. The report was to emphasize that childhood obesity is shaped by wider social, environmental, and commercial factors, including poverty, food affordability, access to healthy foods, marketing exposure, planning decisions, transport systems, and opportunities for physical activity. The Bury Obesity Alliance's whole systems approach, influencing environments where children and families live, learn, travel, and play, was to be detailed, along with progress made in schools, early years settings, planning policy, active travel, community engagement, and neighbourhood partnerships. The report was to highlight that while the challenge remains substantial, Bury is building strong foundations for long-term, sustainable change. The briefing was to present the current picture in Bury, with early NCMP data showing an increase in excess weight for Reception and Year 6 pupils, and a decline in healthy weight prevalence. The report was to stress that childhood obesity is an inequalities issue, with higher rates in deprived communities, influenced by wider determinants of health such as household income, access to green space, and educational attainment, as well as commercial determinants like the density of fast-food outlets and marketing of unhealthy products. Bury's whole system response, coordinated by the Bury Obesity Alliance with a life-course approach and identified risk cohorts, was to be presented. Progress achieved so far, including initiatives in schools and physical activity, healthy environments, community and place-based action, and the health system's contribution, was to be detailed. The report was to outline next steps, including enhanced analysis of data, continued development of place-based approaches, further exploration of healthy advertising policies, strengthening active travel initiatives, and working with schools to create healthier environments. The briefing was to conclude by emphasizing the Health and Wellbeing Board's critical leadership role in championing a whole system approach, recognizing childhood obesity as an inequalities issue, supporting healthy food environment policies, promoting active neighbourhoods, influencing planning decisions, and aligning partners around prevention and reducing health inequalities. The key message was to be that Bury is taking positive, evidence-based action through the Bury Obesity Alliance to create environments that support healthier choices for children and families, viewing childhood obesity as a system challenge driven by inequalities, wider determinants, and commercial influences.

Minutes of Previous Meeting and Matters Arising

The board was scheduled to approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 June 2026. A section on Matters Arising was also listed, indicating a follow-up on any points raised from the previous meeting.